With Artificial Intelligence (AI) powered tools and platforms becoming increasingly prevalent, the educational experience is evolving in new ways — from providing instant feedback to brainstorming new ideas. However, this powerful new tool also raises questions about ethics, privacy, and the future of traditional teaching methods.
To help guide teachers and students in this new world of learning, College of Western Idaho (CWI) faculty members, Department Chair of Integrated Studies, Joel Gladd, Ph.D. and Assistant Professor of English, Liza Long, Ed.D., authored five chapters about Writing and Artificial Intelligence in the Open Educational Resource, Write What Matters. The new chapters are used in many of the College’s Writing and Rhetoric and Literature course sections and at many colleges nationwide.
When generative AI was first introduced to the world, Gladd and Long recognized the tool and software would change how educators teach and assess writing in higher education. It forced them both to think more about what they were teaching and assessing in a writing classroom.
“In some ways, ChatGPT and other generative AI tools have the potential to level the playing field — but they also have the potential to increase the digital divide,” Long said. “I want to prepare my students to use these tools ethically and responsibly in school and in the workforce.”
The new chapters have been useful as assigned readings in other courses as students and faculty grapple with what generative AI means to the future of academic writing and to higher education in general. The chapters cover topics that include How Large Language Models (LLMs) like ChatGPT Work, Getting Started with AI Platforms, How to Prompt AI Chatbots, Acknowledging and Citing Generative AI in Academic Work, and Ethical Concerns with Generative AI Tools. The book includes instructor resources, general resources, articles, and videos for use in the classroom and professional development and training opportunities.
“AI has arrived at colleges, ready or not, and this is an outstanding resource to help students and faculty understand and even leverage the new resource in a positive way,” said Dean of the School of Arts and Humanities, Justin Vance, Ed.D.
The overall text, Write What Matters, was created by Gladd, Long, and Lewis Clark State College English Professor, Amy Minervini, as part of their fellowship through the Idaho State Board of Education’s Openness Pedagogy Advocacy Leadership (OPAL) program.
Since the new chapters were added in August 2023, the book has had more than 175,000 page views and 683,000 views since the book’s initial publication. Gladd and Long presented their work to CWI English and Dual Credit faculty in September and will present a webinar for the Academic Senate for California Community College OER Initiative (ASCCC OERI) on Tuesday, Nov. 28. Long will present at Open Education Conference 2023 about AI to create a textbook for her Literary Analysis course (ENGL 211) on Tuesday, Nov. 7.
“I personally am grateful to have the opportunity to share something that I am passionate about with the wider community,” Long said. “I’ve been using generative AI extensively in my own scholarship and have seen my students succeed by using AI tools.”
