Statement on Writing with AI

We, the UWT Writing Center staff, acknowledge that rapidly developing generative artificial intelligence tools are changing the ways that all of us interact with text. For academic writers and those who teach and assess them, these changes present both challenges and opportunities (MLA-CCCC, 2023).

We affirm that the purpose of the writing center is to help students develop as writers by learning about language and practicing disciplinary discourses––not to police their writing. Because writing centers occupy a privileged yet fragile space in the academy that depends on student trust, the UWT writing center will not refer student use of AI text generators for potential disciplinary action. (As with potential plagiarism, we seek to teach, not punish.) However, we further affirm that AI cannot replace the intellectual labor of learning in and about textual forms (AWAC, 2023), nor does reliance on AI uphold long-established ethics of research. Thus, we will endeavor to foster these understandings in students.

Therefore, Writing Center staff will continue to teach UWT students how to improve their academic writing and meet the requirements of their writing assignments. To this end, we will approach student use of AI in writing as a learning opportunity to evaluate and critique the success of a text in its rhetorical situation. In other words: 

• Does the text meet an instructor’s stated expectations?
• What can the writer learn about writing from an AI-generated text, including its shortcomings and limitations?
• What biases and misinformation might be included in the AI-generated text--and how can they be uncovered?
• How can the writer be more effective than an AI tool?

Developing common language for different AI-related stances on our campus can guide student learning and help writing tutors support teaching and learning more effectively. We urge faculty to clearly communicate their varied stances and policies on student use of AI generated text in coursework, using the Teaching@UW syllabus statement language. Likewise, students should ask instructors to clarify AI policies in the courses they are taking. 

Just as the COVID-19 pandemic prompted the Writing Center to offer tutoring through synchronous and remote video (e.g. Zoom), AI-generated text is the next change in a dynamic world that challenges us to adapt our teaching approaches without jettisoning our pedagogical principles. Much work is ahead in this new era. In this spirit, the Writing Center staff pledge to continue our vital work in the UWT campus community.