Rethinking Writing in the Age of AI
Is it time to rethink how writing is approached in higher education? I'll admit, my thoughts here are a bit unformed, but I want to start a dialogue, one that is much needed.
What is the purpose in teaching writing? That might sound like an odd question, but it's one we need to ask. We can approach this from two perspectives, a universal perspective that asks what ALL college students need to know and be able to do, and one that takes more of a disciplinary focus. Philosophers and accountants have very different needs when it comes to writing.
Let's start with the universal view. Although I'm not an English professor, I've been around a long time and I've given this some thought. There are three main reasons to teach writing: 1) to think, 2) to argue (in a good way), and 3) to communicate. Even though I'm going to discuss these separately, they are closely related.
Why break down writing this way? Well, I think we need to decompose writing to understand how to approach it in an AI-driven world.
Writing to think
The first, and perhaps most important reason to teach writing is that writing well helps us think well. Writing well requires clarity and sound structure, both of which are ultimately important to thinking. Yes, thinking is messy and seeking clarity and structure too early can stifle thinking, but eventually to make an impact thoughts need to be clear and structured. Writing helps us become better at making our ideas clear and well formed.
I haven't fully thought through what it means to think in an AI world. It might be the same as it's always been, but it may be different. This is something we need to think and talk about. Frankly, I'm torn here and suspect that the way we think is going to shift rather than be fundamentally changed, but the truth is nobody knows at this point.
But, let's return focus to the function of writing. Before AI, I used writing as THE way to clarify my thinking. Not anymore. Now, I often turn to AI to think through and clarify ideas. My most often used prompt for AI is literally "What do you think?" This really isn't new at its core. For millennia, people have developed and clarified ideas through conversation. The problem is, many of us don't have access to Vienna coffee houses or always-available bright conversation partners. With AI though, we have knowledgeable partners available any time of day. And these conversational partners never tire of helping us develop our ideas.
So, maybe writing isn't as necessary as it once was as a vehicle for refining our thinking. Note the word MAYBE. That's critical here. I'm not making an absolute statement, I'm asking a question, one that needs to be considered if we are to successfully understand how to teach writing in the brave new world.
Writing as argument
Rhetoric is a big part of many writing classes and it's a critical part. Writing to express an argument is inextricably linked with writing to think (and writing to communicate). Again, though, writing is only one way to teach students how to make sound arguments. Rhetoric has long been taught as part of oral communication as well.
There are two elements to rhetoric that are important here. The development of an argument and the communication of an argument. To me, the former is a special case of writing as thinking and the latter is a special case of writing as communicating. Yes, I'm probably oversimplifying here, but I think those are the two basic aspects of rhetoric. As was the case with writing as thinking, AI may offer a new way to develop rhetorical skills. This is closely related to what I wrote earlier about AI and the development of critical thinking. AI has the potential to be a fantastic rhetoric tutor, but it can also be used in ways that shortcut learning. The bottom line is that we need to reconsider how to teach rhetoric. Writing is a great way, but it's not the only way.
AI can help students learn rhetoric through three main methods: development, critique and crafting. For example, AI can serve as a debate opponent that can help students sharpen their arguments. AI can even be tailored to reflect a particular stance or audience. AI can also critique arguments, pointing out logical inconsistencies and gaps, identifying weak arguments, or suggesting counterarguments that hadn’t been considered. AI is great at helping writers craft their arguments for particular purposes and audiences. All of these are things that are taught, in part, through writing assignments; but AI may offer some useful alternatives or augmentations, shifting the way students learn rhetoric.
Writing as communication
The third reason to teach writing is as a medium for communication. This is where my ideas might be the most radical. For most communication tasks, is it really that bad to use AI for an initial draft or as a copyeditor? Note that I am NOT an expert here, I'm just laying out some ideas, but I really wonder about this. I admit that I come from a professional school perspective, so you and my Liberal Arts colleagues may disagree with me, but I'm not sure I see what's wrong with using AI to write many types of communications and documents. Let me give you an example. Consider a report. To create a report, you have to compile relevant information, process and organize it, then write it up. AI can, without a doubt, help with all of these. New developments like search-enabled AI and reasoning models help tremendously with the first two, and AI writing tools can also help with the last. Suppose I need to prepare a report. I go back and forth with AI to find and process relevant information. When I have those tasks done, I turn to AI to write a draft of a report. AI tools are now capable of producing writing with a specified style, tone, and structure. So, if I know how to use AI tools well, the time needed to produce a report can be a mere fraction of what's required without AI, even accounting for careful human oversight.
Bottom Line
Usually, I like to give you answers rather than bring up more questions, but here I'm not trying to make definitive statements, I'm trying to start a conversation, one that is sorely needed. We can't bury our collective heads in the sand and hope AI goes away (it's not). Banning AI isn't working. We need a different way. Maybe that way is to rethink WHY it's important to teach writing and to develop ways that AI can help us achieve our goals.
Want to continue this conversation? I'd love to hear your thoughts on how you're using AI to develop critical thinking skills in your courses. Drop me a line at Craig@AIGoesToCollege.com. Be sure to check out the AI Goes to College podcast, which I co-host with Dr. Robert E. Crossler. It’s available at https://www.aigoestocollege.com/follow.
Looking for practical guidance on AI in higher education? I offer engaging workshops and talks—both remotely and in person—on using AI to enhance learning while preserving academic integrity. Email me to discuss bringing these insights to your institution, or feel free to share my contact information with your professional development team.