<aside> 💡 See also Plagiarism: The copycat crime in academia and beyond and for those UAA degree-seeking students and UAA language departmental plagiarism policy 2024.

</aside>

Hey everyone,

Let's talk about AI in our world, especially as it impacts writing and language learning – and how we can best guide our future English language teachers in this rapidly changing landscape. It's becoming nearly ubiquitous, and as trainers, it's our role to help navigate it. This isn't about setting rigid, fearful rules; it's about building trust, fostering open communication, and setting expectations together. Think of this as a guide for us to think through how we'll address AI with our own learners, drawing on some insights and approaches shared in the sources provided.

First off, know that I'm committed to patience and understanding as we figure out how AI can genuinely be helpful in academic and real-world scenarios. We need to consider when these tools can be beneficial, how to use them effectively, and critically, when they might actually hinder learning or performance. We should also discuss the bigger picture – how we want to use AI personally and professionally, and its societal implications.

My core belief is that we all are readers, writers, and thinkers first. AI is a tool to supplement – never to replace – that fundamental reading, writing, and thinking process. My goal is to help our future teachers develop their own authentic voice and critical thinking skills, even while exploring how AI might assist them or their future students.

So, how do we approach the use of AI? It's about transparency, guidance, and accountability, framed with empathy.

What I want to emphasize with you as an English language teacher trainer:

1. Open Communication is Key: I want to create an environment where you feel comfortable communicating when and how we are using AI in class, and if you are getting the desired results. This builds trust and allows for open communication between learner and instructor.
2. Understanding AI's Potential (and Limitations): I want to guide you towards valid use cases for AI, such as brainstorming ideas, doing keyword searches, narrowing down topics, or even exploring assessment strategies. We can explore this together first if this becomes part of the goal of the activity.
3. Championing Originality: This is crucial for academic integrity and developing a writer's voice. I want to help you understand and teach what originality means in the age of AI.
   • Explain that tools designed for text generation (like ChatGPT, Gemini) or even sophisticated editors/paraphrasers (Grammarly, ProWritingAid, Quillbot, Microsoft Word Editor) can negatively impact originality scores because they can produce text that is detectable as non-original. Even using them to organize ideas or create outlines might cause issues.
   • Help them understand the indicators of AI-generated text, such as a lack of natural flow or coherence, repetition, or unusual grammatical structures.
   • Stress that the goal isn't perfection, but genuine expression. Human writing, especially for English language learners, will have "moments of awkward phrasing, mechanical errors, etc.". These characteristic errors are okay, especially if learners show improvement over time through revision. The focus should be on improving the unity, coherency, and cohesion of their writing.
   • We can share strategies for improving originality, such as focusing on analytical sentences in paragraphs that connect evidence to ideas rather than just adding more information. These analysis sentences should primarily be their own original thoughts.
4. Context Matters for AI Use: Using generative AI is okay within specific, defined contexts. Some assignments might even encourage using AI for particular steps, like brainstorming or exploring concepts. The key is that the use must be tied to the specific assignment's purpose.
5. The Non-Negotiable of Acknowledgment: If AI is used, even for allowed purposes, it must be properly acknowledged. This means specifying the tool used and the date, identifying the prompts or providing links to chats, and explaining exactly how the AI output was used in the work. Failure to do this is an academic integrity violation. This reinforces accountability – they are the authors and responsible for their work, regardless of the tools used.
6. Process Over Product: Remember that writing is a process involving multiple drafts and revisions. I am prepared to provide you with originality reports on initial drafts to give you a chance to improve your scores if needed.

Thus, my goal is to guide you in seeing AI as a supplementary tool, preserving the value of the human voice, understanding what constitutes originality, emphasizing the writing process, and maintaining transparency and accountability through attribution.

We're in this together, navigating these new tools while staying true to the core goals of developing strong, original writers and thinkers.

Looking forward to discussing how we can bring these ideas into our class!

Benjamin L. Stewart

Use of AI - Attribution

The AI policy above was created using NotebookLM on April 28, 2025 and then modified slightly according to personal preference. The output above was based on three AI policy examples taken from Vee (2025) along with my expectations declaration listed below.

Expectation Declaration