Document Type
Chapter
Abstract
This essay shares the findings of a Spring 2023 honors composition course in which students conducted their own primary research project to investigate the uses and limitations of ChatGPT for first-year writers. By experimenting with integrating ChatGPT into various stages of their writing and revision processes, the students identified the strengths and weaknesses of the writing tool. Then, they observed and interviewed faculty as they graded different versions of essay drafts with varying levels of ChatGPT assistance. Ultimately, they found that ChatGPT was incredibly useful for certain small-scale tasks, but posed significant risks, especially for students with less experience in academic writing. They concluded that ChatGPT is a potentially helpful tool for developing academic writers, but must be accompanied with in-class opportunities to practice assessing and revising the writing produced by ChatGPT.
Journal/Book Title/Conference
Teaching and Generative AI: Pedagogical Possibilities and Productive Tensions
Publisher
Utah State University
Publication Date
2024
First Page
133
Last Page
146
Recommended Citation
Smith, Walker; Alward, Cora; Morris, Jacob; Peach, Lydia; Pulley, Veronica; Routt, Parker; Sanders, Kolby; and Vogeler, Josh, "9. Uses, Benefits, and Limitations of AI Chatbots: Implementing ChatGPT in the First-Year Writing Classroom" (2024). Teaching and Generative AI: Pedagogical Possibilities and Productive Tensions. Paper 34.
https://digitalcommons.usu.edu/teachingai/34