Generative AI & the New Writing Frontier

Generative AI in education is revolutionizing the writing process. Through tools like ChatGPT, students now co-author, revise, and ideate alongside large language models (LLMs), reshaping traditional notions of authorship and academic integrity.

My research investigates how college students rely on generative AI tools during academic writing—from brainstorming to final revision—and reveals patterns of usage that are often hidden from instructors.

Key Impacts of Generative AI in Writing:

• Cognitive Offloading: Students use AI to jumpstart difficult writing tasks, reducing mental fatigue.

• Revision at Scale: AI helps refine structure, clarity, and grammar, encouraging multiple rounds of revision.

• Authorship Reimagined: LLMs prompt a rethink of originality, co-authorship, and intellectual honesty in higher education.

When to Integrate Generative AI in Education:

• Higher Education Classrooms: Support academic writing instruction, especially for multilingual and first-gen students.

• Faculty Training: Develop policies and pedagogies around ethical AI use in assignments and feedback.

• Curriculum Redesign: Embed generative AI within writing-intensive courses and digital literacy modules.