Senior Instructor John Turner and Assistant Professor Dr. Cynthia Johnson, both with the Department of English, co-facilitated a panel on college writing and Artificial Intelligence (AI) at the 40th Annual Faculty Showcase on Teaching & Learning held Aug. 13. The showcase is hosted by Missouri State’s Faculty Center for Teaching and Learning (FCTL).

The panel is just one of several efforts Turner and Johnson have coordinated to assist faculty and — by extension — students in how to understand and write responsibly with AI. The pair also conducted a faculty learning community (FLC) event on writing with AI this past spring and will hold a similar session this fall.

Turner teaches professional and technical writing in the English department and has already taught three sections on AI and writing. Johnson, in addition to teaching, directs the English department’s composition program.

Developing strategies for writing with AI

During their August showcase, “From Essays to Algorithms: How AI is Reshaping College Writing,” Turner and Johnson co-facilitated a panel with five other experts on a variety of AI topics.

Showcase panelists included Bob Lynch, MSU Dual Credit composition instructor; David Brockway, English per course instructor; Dr. Jonathan Newman, associate professor of English and graduate studies director; Dr. Judy Tarbox, senior instructor of English and Michael Frizell, Director of Student Learning Services.

Transparency, Intentionality and Ethics (TIE)

The panel discussed how faculty can modify assignments and assessments with AI in mind, reviewed student perspectives of AI, and discussed how to incorporate the concept of Transparency, Intentionality and Ethics (TIE) in instructional AI.

“We want students to be transparent about their use of AI, whether through citations, written reflections or conversations with us,” Johnson explained. “Transparency not only helps us to further instruct students in ethical use, but it helps us to learn alongside them about the ways AI is shaping the writing process.”

Johnson also said it is important that faculty ask students to be intentional with their writing, even the parts that are AI produced.

“We want to be able to point out words, phrases or ideas in students’ writing and ask why, rhetorically, they chose to include them and not allow the answer to simply be that AI chose it for them,” she said.

Finally, it is essential that students approach their use of AI ethically, Johnson noted.

“On a global scale, we want them to reflect on the ways AI is impacting the world, and on a more local scale, we want them to reflect on how — and when and why — they’re using AI with transparency, intentionality and integrity,” she said.

Fall faculty learning community continues conversation about AI

Starting Sept. 10, Turner and Johnson will revisit and expand upon their Spring 2025 faculty learning community session. In “Rethinking College Writing in an AI Era,” participants will explore their options on how and when to implement AI in their courses. They will read Sidney L. Dorbin’s “AI and Writing” to supplement their learning.

Turner said the faculty learning community environment will be supportive and collaborative.

“As a community, we want the learning to be collaborative, and participants can help guide the direction of the discussion through their own needs and interests,” he said. Participants will examine the aims of college writing, discuss Dobrin’s book, evaluate student writing assignments, review AI policies and brainstorm on future implementations of AI in the classroom.

Johnson emphasized that the learning community session is open to all Missouri State faculty, “regardless of their views or comfort levels with AI.”

“Our aim is to create space for robust intellectual discussion about AI so all participants can walk away with more fully examined perspectives and practices,” she said.

Interested faculty can register through My Learning Connection.

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Helping students “demystify” AI

Spurred by concerns his professional writing students expressed about losing their jobs to AI, Turner began researching the technology in depth.

“It was clear from the beginning that AI would have a tremendous effect on both professional writing and college writing,” Turner said. “Major publications were announcing the end of college writing. I wanted to share what I learned with both students and colleagues.”

This fall, Turner will offer another course on AI, “Using AI Writing Tools Ethically.” The one-hour credit class is open to all majors/students and is a good option toward the required 40 hours of upper-division credit for Missouri State’s bachelor’s degree, Turner said.

“I’m interested in helping students demystify AI, so we will devote time to learning some basics about how AI platforms work,” Turner said.

Students will also learn about AI’s limitations, such as incorrect information and hallucinations, what constitutes ethical AI use in academia and how to avoid academic dishonesty. They will discuss AI biases and how to safeguard their work from them, especially stereotyped and derogatory perspectives.

“What I want students to take away ties back to something we came to in the FLC,” Turner said. “I want students to use AI with TIE in mind: Transparency, Intentionality, and Ethics.”