Artificial Intelligence (AI), particularly AI tools like ChatGPT and Google Bard, offer opportunities to support and enrich our learning process. Whether we're brainstorming ideas, dissecting complex texts, or honing our grammar and writing style, these tools can provide assistance and spark creativity. But it's important we use them in a way that upholds the principles of academic integrity and that we remember the true purpose of our work here: finding and honing your own creative, important voice.
A major focus of this course is learning, practicing, and playing with the conventions of academic reading and writing skills, as well as hatching your own creative and critical voice.
Assignments are not merely tasks to complete - they are chances to explore and express our ideas, learn from each other, and grow personally and academically.
You have to know how to build a house in order to tear it down, and tell someone else (in this case, an AI tool,) how to rebuild it. Therefore, you must be smarter than the robot to utilize the potential of AI. -This requires a well-rounded and detailed understanding of the texts we read, the styles we write in, and what you want your own creative work to execute.
The bottom line: We will practice outlining and writing drafts, because learning is done by doing. In Freshman English coursework, AI is only allowed to provide additional final, revisionary feedback (eg: asking ChatGPT to spell and grammar check a piece before you turn it in).
Why? We care first and foremost about you developing necessary, independent critical reading and writing skills.
If you ever have any questions, please ask - we are all learning about AI together - so it’s essential that we keep our communication open!