Generative Artificial Intelligence (GenAI) has become an integral part of education. In 2022, ChatGPT (Generative Pre-trained Transformer) was still new and unknown. Today, most students — and teachers — know and use the popular writing tool. But how should we integrate GenAI into language teaching? And should we? Linguapolis' Academic English team certainly thinks so.
ChatGPT is not only a powerful writing tool, but also an important learning tool for understanding how a good text is put together. With the help of ChatGPT, students learn to write better texts, among other things. But they have to write the texts themselves and not just have them generated by ChatGPT. Otherwise, it becomes CheatGPT.
Starting this academic year, we’re taking a different approach to the Academic Writing language coaching at IOB (Institute of Development Policy). Most students who study a master degree in English at IOB are from the Global South. Their first writing assignment is an essay on research paradigms, which proves to be quite a challenge for most students.
At IOB's request, students are writing the first version of their text this year in a controlled environment, without access to GenAI. They then receive written feedback on that first draft from the language teachers, who give tips on how to improve the text. Students are then given an introduction to using GenAI, which includes learning how to write good prompts and how to use ChatGPT critically.
ChatGPT is an important complement to language teaching, but cannot replace it. Language teaching remains crucial to provide students with the necessary basic skills in academic word usage, grammar, structure and style. And to use GenAI responsibly.
This image was generated by AI.