Brave New Words: A Framework and Process for Developing Technology-Use Guidelines for Student Writing

Abstract

Health sciences instructors hold a wide range of opinions about generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) such as ChatGPT, Bing, and Bard; however, many are uncertain about guiding students on how to use technology for assigned writing. Our survey of 62 public health instructors at a single institution highlighted their perceived benefits, limitations, and concerns about student use of GenAI for assigned writing. Perceived benefits included the completion of tasks unrelated to relevant learning such as spellchecking and reference formatting, as well as for certain writing activities such as brainstorming. Several identified the preparation for future workplace activities as a meaningful benefit. Important limitations and concerns included the worry that GenAI would inhibit learning, as well as ethical and equity-related concerns. Nearly half of instructors expressed concerns about whether using GenAI tools constitutes plagiarism or violates academic integrity. Nearly half of instructors also indicated concern about being able to detect whether a student completed an assignment with GenAI tools. Developing thoughtful guidance on technology use for assigned writing is important as it sets standards for academic integrity and supports learning. We used the survey data and applied backward design principles to develop the Brave New Words framework and three-step process described in this paper. This framework is intended to help instructors think through and ultimately develop guidelines for students on whether and how they should use technology for assigned writing. An example assignment and activity are used to demonstrate the framework.