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Get the most out of your free access to Grammarly for Education as current faculty, staff, graduate, or undergraduate student at Concordia University Irvine
Quick Start: Activating Your
Grammarly Account
Quick Start: Activating Your
Grammarly Account
New to Grammarly? Follow these steps to get started:
Visit the Writing Studio Grammarly page: Go to https://www.cui.edu/studentlife/writing-studio/grammarly
Follow the activation instructions provided on that page to set up your Concordia Grammarly account
Choose your integration method:
Install the browser extension for Chrome or other browsers to use Grammarly across websites and on Google Docs
Add Grammarly to Microsoft Word for document editing
Access Grammarly directly through the website
Set your writing goals when you first use Grammarly (domain, intent, audience, formality). This can be customized on each paper you write.
Explore your preferences to customize language suggestions under “Your account” > “Feature Customization.”
Need help? Contact the Writing Studio or visit the full Q&A below for detailed answers.
Getting Started
Getting Started
Q: How do I access Grammarly at Concordia?
A: All Concordia students, faculty, and staff can use Grammarly for Education. To activate your account, visit the Writing Studio Grammarly page at https://www.cui.edu/studentlife/writing-studio/grammarly and follow the setup instructions. Once activated, you can add Grammarly to Google Chrome, Microsoft Word, and other programs, or use it directly on the Grammarly website.
Q: Do I need to pay for Grammarly?
A: No. Concordia provides Grammarly for Education at no cost. Use your Concordia login through the Quickstart guide above—don't sign up for a personal account.
Q: Can I use Grammarly on my phone or tablet?
A: Yes. After initial activation, you can download the Grammarly app for iOS or Android and sign in with your Concordia credentials.
Q: I'm an adjunct or remote faculty member. Can I use Grammarly?
A: Yes. All faculty, including adjunct and remote instructors, have full access.
Using Grammarly Effectively
Using Grammarly Effectively
Q: What does Grammarly check for?
A: Grammarly gives feedback in five areas:
Correctness (red): Spelling, grammar, and punctuation
Clarity (blue): Making writing easier to understand
Engagement (green): Making writing more interesting
Delivery (purple): Adjusting tone and attitude
Style Guide Compliance: Formatting for APA, CMS, or MLA
Q: Should I trust everything Grammarly tells me to do?
A: No. Grammarly is a helpful tool, but it isn't always right. Review each suggestion and decide if it fits your writing, your audience, and your assignment. The further you get from "correctness" (spelling, grammar, punctuation), the more likely Grammarly is to offer negotiable suggestions rather than facts. Use your own judgment when mediating suggestions.
Q: Does Grammarly replace feedback from a Writing Studio consultant or the Online Writing Lab?
A: No. Grammarly and the Writing Studio/Online Writing Lab work best together. Grammarly gives quick, automated feedback, but a writing consultant can help you with deeper questions, assignment requirements, and your growth as a writer.
Q: How does Grammarly help me become a stronger writer?
A: Grammarly explains its suggestions and gives further examples to teach you—click the small "i" (information icon) next to any suggestion to learn why it's being made. This helps you understand grammar and style rules, so you can improve your writing skills over time.
Q: How do I set my writing goals in Grammarly?
A: Grammarly asks about your topic, intent, audience, and formality before giving feedback. Set these accurately for the best suggestions. You can change them anytime.
Q: Can I customize Grammarly's suggestions?
A: Yes. You can set preferences for features such as recommending gender-neutral language or avoiding ableist terms. These are turned on by default, but you can adjust them.
Q: How can I use Grammarly to learn, not just fix mistakes?
A: Don't just accept suggestions—read the explanations. Look for patterns in your feedback. If Grammarly often flags the same issue, focus on learning that rule. In this way, you can use Grammarly as a tutor, not just a proofreader.
Grammarly Authorship
Grammarly Authorship
Q: What is Grammarly Authorship?
A: Authorship tracks your writing process in Word or Google Docs. It generates a shareable report showing sources, how your document changed, and whether text was written by a person or AI. This helps make your writing process transparent.
Q: Why should students use Authorship?
A: Authorship shows your instructor how you wrote and revised your work. It helps prove your work is your own and shows how you used sources and technology.
Q: How do instructors use Authorship?
A: Instructors can use Authorship to see how students write and revise, and to start conversations about writing and using sources. Like all software that can be used to see sources, potential AI use, and flag potential plagiarism, Authorship cannot definitively determine a student’s originality and should not be used as an “AI/plagiarism catcher.”
Q: Does Authorship track everything I write?
A: Authorship only tracks documents where it's turned on, in Word or Google Docs. It does not store personal information or record as screen capture. While there is a setting to have Authorship turn on automatically, its default is to only track typing if you toggle it to "on." If you are working across tabs and want them all tracked, each tab needs to have its own authorship tracking turned on and report created.
Q: Can Authorship tell if I used AI to write something?
A: Authorship can flag text that seems AI-generated, but it's not perfect. It's best used as a conversation starter, not a final judgment.
AI Features and Limitations
AI Features and Limitations
Q: Is Grammarly generative AI?
A: This is a great question, and the answer has two parts. Grammarly offers both standard writing assistance and generative AI features.
Standard Features (NOT Generative AI): The core Grammarly features you use every day—which check for correctness, clarity, engagement, and delivery—are considered writing assistance tools, not generative AI. These tools suggest edits to your own writing, much like an advanced spell-checker or style guide.
Generative AI Features (Currently DISABLED at CUI): Grammarly also has a generative AI feature called the Chat Assistant (formerly GrammarlyGO), which can create new text from a prompt. However, to ensure consistency with academic policy, Concordia University Irvine has disabled this feature for all users.
The Bottom Line: Using Grammarly at Concordia for its core features (grammar, spelling, tone suggestions) is not considered using generative AI. You cannot access the text-generation features through your CUI account.
Q: Does Concordia's Grammarly include AI writing features?
A: No. At this time, Concordia does not have Grammarly's generative AI features, like the Chat Assistant and Superhuman GO. You still have access to grammar checking, clarity suggestions, and tone adjustments.
Q: Why doesn't Concordia include Grammarly's AI features?
A: This helps keep our writing support consistent with Concordia's academic policies and encourages strong foundational writing skills.
Q: Can Grammarly check if something was written by AI?
A: Yes. Grammarly includes AI text detection and plagiarism checking, available through its regular interface and through Authorship.
Technical Questions
Technical Questions
Q: What's the difference between using Grammarly in my browser and in Word?
A: The browser extension works on most websites, including email and Google Docs. The Word add-in works only in Microsoft Word. Both offer the same core features.
Q: Can I use Grammarly offline?
A: No. Grammarly needs an internet connection to work.
Q: My instructor's feedback is different from Grammarly's. Who should I trust?
A: Always follow your instructor's feedback. Grammarly gives general advice, but your instructor knows your assignment and discipline best.
Q: Is using Grammarly considered getting outside help?
A: Grammarly, as provided through us, is an approved tool at Concordia, like a dictionary or style guide. However, if you're unsure, ask your instructor.
Q: Can my instructor see my Grammarly documents?
A: Only if you share them. If you use Authorship, the report may be visible to your instructor, depending on how you submit your work. To share an authorship report, you can hit the "share report" button, toggle to include “writing replay,” and copy the link to send.
Discipline-Specific Questions
Discipline-Specific Questions
Q: Is Grammarly useful for technical or creative writing?
A: Yes, but use your judgment. Grammarly may not recognize technical terms or creative choices. In creative writing, your style may differ from what Grammarly suggests.
Q: I'm an international student. Can Grammarly help with English?
A: Yes. Grammarly can help with grammar and idioms, but it's not a substitute for working with the Writing Studio/OWL or ESL support.
Getting Additional Help
Getting Additional Help
Q: What if I have questions Grammarly can't answer?
A: Visit the Writing Studio or the OWL for personalized help. Human feedback is essential for becoming a better writer.
Q: Where can I learn more about using Grammarly?
A: Check the Writing Studio website for tutorials and resources. You can also look at Grammarly's support pages, but some features may not be available at Concordia.
Q: Who do I contact if Grammarly isn't working?
A: You're welcome to send any further questions about Grammarly or technical difficulties to zoe.litzenberg@cui.edu
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