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AI-Assisted Writing & Critical AI Literacy

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AI-Assisted Writing and Critical AI Literacy

Can writers compose with GenAI in ethical ways that uphold authorial authority, academic integrity, enrich composing processes, and improve the quality of the writer’s reasoning and written communication?

  1. AI Theory – How Does AI Affect Human Agency, Reasoning, Writing, Teaching, Learning, and Creativity?
    1. Algorithms of Oppression: How Do AI Systems Reinforce Racial and Gender Biases?
    2. Can AI Empower Authorial Agency?
    3. Decoding Bias: Understanding the Impact of Predictive AI Algorithms on Marginalized Communities
    4. Data Discrimination: The Ethics of Predictive AI in Information Retrieval
    5. How Does AI Reconfigure Composing Processes?
    6. How Is Writing With AI Different From Other Developments in Communication Technologies?
    7. Technological Redlining: The Role of AI in Perpetuating Inequality
    8. The Illusion of Neutrality: How Search Engines Reflect Systemic Racism
    9. What Are the Advantages of Writing Without AI?
    10. What Are the Affordances of Composing with AI?
    11. What Are the Constraints of Composing with AI?
    12. What Is the Future of Authorship and Copyright?
    13. Why Should Writing Faculty Resist GenAI?
    14. Who Should Own Creative Works Informed by AI?
  2. AI Tools – What Are the Best AI Tools for Students and Professional Writers?
    1. Commercial Generative AI Writing Tools
    2. Open-Source AI and LLM Tools for Writers
      1. Meta’s Llama: A Game-Changer for Writers and Creatives
      2. Nous Hermes: An Open-Source LLM for Advanced Applications
      3. Alibaba’s Qwen: A Versatile AI and LLM for Multilingual Tasks
      4. Google’s Gemini: A Multimodal AI and LLM for the Future
    3. Types of AI Tools
      1. AI Design Tools
      2. AI Tools for Researchers
      3. AI Search Tools
      4. Generative AI
        • Text to Video AI Tools
        • Text to Audio AI Tools
        • Text to Image AI Tools
      5. Predictive AI
      6. AI Writing Coaches and AI Project Management Tools
  3. Critical AI Literacy – Can GenAI Be Used Ethically and Responsibly?
    1. Ethical Challenges Posed by Generative AI
      1. AI Privacy Alert: How to Safeguard Your Personal Data
      2. AI’s Threat to Copyright and Academic Integrity
      3. AI’s Threat to Human Agency and Cognitive Development
      4. AI’s Threat to Political Discourse
      5. AI’s Threat to Human Labor
      6. Bias in AI: Favoring Dominant Voices, Silencing Others
      7. Is AI Based on Theft or Fair Use of Intellectual Property?
      8. The Hidden Environmental Costs of AI: Energy, Water, and Waste
    2. Ethical Guidelines for Responsible AI Writing
      1. Using AI for Schoolwork: What You Need to Know
      2. Using AI for Workplace Writing: What You Need to Know
      3. When and How to Cite Generative AI in Your Writing
  4. Critical Thinking and AI – Can AI Help With Reasoning and Critical Literacy?
    1. How To Dialog With AI and Your Inner Voice to Advance Your Thinking
    2. How to Use AI to Analyze Citations and Scholarly Conversations
    3. How to Use AI to Assess or Develop Credibility and Authority
    4. How to Use AI to Assess Evidence and Citations
    5. How to Use AI to Assess Research Interpretations and Conclusions
    6. How to Use AI to Assess Research Methods and Methodologies
    7. How to Use AI to Avoid Confirmation Bias
    8. How to Use AI to Detect AI-Generated Content
    9. How to Use AI to Identify Misinformation
  5. Learning and AI – Can AI Help With Learning?
    1. How to Use AI as Thought Partner or Teaching Assistant?
    2. How to Use AI for Paraphrase and Summarization
    3. How to Use AI for Personalized Learning
    4. How to Experiment with Chatbots to Develop Your Writing Style?
    5. How Can You Work with AI Tool to Better Manage Your Writing Processes?
  6. Research on AI and Writing – What Does Research Say About the Affordances and Constraints of AI for Students and Professional Writers?
    1. How Does AI Alter Students’ Writing Processes?
    2. What is the Effect of AI on Creativity?
    3. Does AI Diminish Human Agency?
    4. How Does AI Affect Learning?
    5. What is the Impact of AI on Reasoning?
  7. Rhetorical Reasoning and AI – How Can AI Facilitate Rhetorical Reasoning so Your Rhetorical Stance Makes Sense Given Your Rhetorical Situation?
    1. How to Use AI to Strategize Rhetorical Moves
    2. How to Use AI to Adopt an Appropriate Rhetorical Stance
    3. How to Use AI to Develop Credibility and Authority
    4. How to Use AI to Develop Effective Rhetorical Appeals
    5. How to Use AI to Understand Your Rhetorical Situation
  8. Style and AI – How Can You Use AI to Adopt a Writing Style that is Appropriate to Your Rhetorical Situation?
    1. AI and Brevity – How to Use AI to Achieve Brevity
    2. AI and Clarity – How to Use AI to Enhance Clarity
    3. AI and Clutter – How to Use AI to Simplify Complex Ideas
    4. AI and Coherence – How to Use AI to Enhance Coherence in Your Writing
    5. AI and Diction – How to Use AI to Improve Diction
    6. AI and Organization – How to Use AI to Help Structure Information
    7. AI and Inclusivity – How to Use AI to Promote Inclusivity
    8. AI and Unity – How to Use AI to Foster Unity
  9. Writing Processes and AI – Can You Use AI Without Sacrificing Agency, Authority, or Creative Flow?
    1. AI and Flow – How to Be in Creative Flow When Composing With AI
    2. AI and Invention – How to Use AI to Generate Innovative Ideas
    3. AI and Planning – How to Enhance Prewriting Strategies with AI
    4. AI and Research – How to Use AI to Expedite and Improve Research Processes
      1. How to Use AI as a Research Assistant?
      2. How to Use AI as a Research Tool
    5. AI and Collaboration – How to Train AI to Be Your Thought Partner
    6. AI and Document Design – How to Use AI to Improve Document Design
    7. AI and Editing – How to Train AI To Edit Documents
    8. AI and Organization – How to Use AI to Help Structure Information
    9. AI and Planning – How To Use AI to Improve Writing Planning
    10. AI and Revision – How to Train AI to Engage in Structured Revision

Citation – Citation Conventions and Citation Styles in Academic & Professional Writing

Why is citation important to academic and professional writers? What are the APA and MLA guidelines for citing sources?

  1. APA – Publication Manual of the APA: 7th Edition
    1. APA Abstracts
    2. APA Body
    3. APA Citations
      1. APA Paraphrase
      2. APA Quotations
      3. APA Summary
      4. APA Footnotes
    4. APA Format – General Formatting Guidelines
    5. APA References
    6. APA Sections
    7. APA Title Page
  2. Attribution — What is the Role of Attribution in Academic andn Professional Writing
  3. Citation Guide – Learn How to Cite Sources in Academic and Professional Writing
    1. [See Also: Citation – How To Cite Generative AI To Ensure Academic Integrity]
    2. Citation – How to Connect Evidence to Your Claims
    3. Citation & Voice – How to Distinguish Your Ideas from Your Sources
    4. Citation Conventions – What is the Role of Citation in Academic & Professional Writing?
    5. Citation Conventions – When Are Citations Required in Academic & Professional Writing?
    6. Paraphrasing – How to Paraphrase with Clarity & Concision
    7. Quotation – When & How to Use Quotes in Your Writing
    8. Summary – Learn How To Summarize Sources in Academic & Professional Writing
  4. Citation Tools
  5. MLA – MLA Handbook, 9th Edition
    1. MLA Citation – MLA In Text Citation
    2. MLA Format
    3. MLA Works Cited

Collaboration – Strategies for Collaborating in Academic & Professional Writing

What is the role of collaboration in academic & professional writing?

  1. Coauthorship – How to Work with Coauthors
  2. Collaboration Tools – The Collaborative Tools You Need for Success on School Projects
  3. Conflict Resolution – How to Manage Conflicts & Keep Projects On Track
  4. Critique – A Research-Based Guide to Criticism in Academic & Professional Writing
    1. Methodological Pitfalls: Common Flaws Across Research Communities
    2. Methodological Pitfalls: Flaws Unique to Specific Research Communities
    3. Provide Feedback in Group Situations
  5. Peer Review – How to Make The Most of Peer Review
  6. Team Leadership – How to Be the Team Leader Everyone Wishes They Had
  7. Teamwork – Why Winning Teams Have It And How To Get It
    • Managing Group Projects

Design – The Visual Language That Shapes Our World

Why does “design” play such a profound role in communication, persuasion, clarity — and, especially, technical communication?

  1. Design Principles – The Big Design Principles You Need to Know to Create Compelling Messages
  2. Elements of Art – How to Leverage the Power of Art to Make Visually Compelling Documents
  3. Elements of Design – Master the Fundamentals of Visual Composition
  4. Information Design and Architecture
  5. Page Design – How to Design Messages for Maximum Impact
  6. Universal Design Principles – How to Design for Everyone
  7. Usability & User Experience
  8. Visualization Techniques

Discourse – Why Is Knowledge of Discourse Concepts So Important to Writers?

What do you to understand about discourse, discourse conventions, modes of discourse, and discourse community?

  1. Causes & Effects
  2. Classification
  3. Comparison & Contrast
  4. Dialogue – The Difficulty of Speaking
  5. Definition
  6. Description
  7. Discourse Conventions
  8. Exemplification
  9. Exposition
  10. Narration

Related Concepts

In order to identify types of discourse, writers and readers engage in ‘Rhetorical Analysis.” To guide that analysis, they also need to understand the concepts of “Discourse Conventions and Discourse Community?”

Genre – Why Is Knowledge of Genre Important to Writers?

What are common genres of discourse in school and professional settings?

  1. Annotated Bibliography
  2. Argument, Argumentation
  3. Autobiography
  4. Conclusions – How to Write Compelling Conclusions
  5. Cover Letter, Letter of Transmittal
  6. Executive Summary
  7. Formal Reports
  8. Infographics
  9. Instructions & Processes
  10. Introductions
  11. Literature Reviews – How Scholars, Empiricists, Creatives & Designers Frame Scholarly Conversations
  12. Pitch
  13. Presentations
  14. Problem Definition
  15. Progress Reports
  16. Proposals
  17. Recommendation Reports
  18. Research Proposal
  19. Research Questions – How Scholars, Empiricists, Creatives & Designers Frame Inquiry
  20. Research Protocol
  21. Reviews and Recommendations
  22. Subjects & Concepts
  23. Team Charter

Grammar – What Are the Fundamentals of Grammar?

What are the conventions of standard written English that govern how sounds, words, phrases, clauses, and syntactical structures can go together?

  1. Mechanics
    1. Capitalization
    2. Punctuation
      1. Apostrophes
      2. Capitalization
      3. Colons
      4. Commas
        1. Phrases, Essential and Non-Essential Phrases
      5. Dashes
      6. Ellipses
      7. End Punctuation
      8. Hyphens
      9. Italics
      10. Parentheses
      11. Periods, Question Marks, Exclamation Points (End-Punctuation)
      12. Quotation Marks
      13. Semicolons
    3. Spelling
  2. Modifiers, Modification
  3. Parallelism, Parallel Structure, Parallel Construction
  4. Sentences
    1. Parts of a Sentence
      1. Independent Clauses, Dependent Clauses & Phrases
      2. Subjects, Verbs, & Objects
    2. Common Sentence Errors and How to Avoid Them
      1. Comma Splice
      2. Run-on Sentences
      3. Sentence Fragment
      4. Subject-Verb Agreement
    3. Sentence Patterns
    4. Sentence Structure – Syntax
      1. Coordination & Subordination
      2. Primer Sentences
      3. Subject-Pronoun Agreement
    5. Sentence Types
  5. The 9 Parts of Speech
    1. Articles
    2. Conjunctions
      • Coordinating Conjunctions
      • Subordinating Conjunctions
    1. Nouns
    2. Prepositions
    3. Pronoun – Guide to Writing with Pronouns
    4. Verbs

Information Literacy – How to Differentiate Quality Information from Misinformation

Why is authorial agency, deep fakes, and information evaluation so important in an age of AI?

  1. Authority & Credibility – How to Be Credible & Authoritative in Research, Speech & Writing
  2. Evidence – The Heartbeat of Successful Communication
  3. Information Ethics – Will AI Alter the Future of Academic Integrity?
    1. Academic Integrity – What is Academic Dishonesty?
    2. Copyright- – A Comprehensive Guide to U.S. Copyright Law
    3. Intellectual Property – How to Protect Ideas
    4. Plagiarism – Reimagining Authorship & Citation Practices in The Age of AI
  4. Information Evaluation – How to Critically Evaluate Information
  5. Information Literacy Ecosystem – Core Concepts
    1. ACRL Information Literacy Framework
    2. Archive – What Do Writers Need to Know About the Archive?
    3. Canon – Why is the Concept of the Canon So Important to Writers?
    4. Empathetic Information Literacy
    5. Information, Data, Content – Building Blocks of The Digital Information Age

Literacy and Semiotics – From the Printing Press to the AI Revolution – What You Need to Know about Power and Literacy

How is literacy a commodity (a source of income) and a form of power?

  1. Cognitive, Intrapersonal, and Interpersonal Literacies
  2. Communication
  3. Critical Literacy
  4. Digital Literacy
  5. Quantitative Literacy
  6. Semiotics: Sign, Signifier, Signified
  7. Symbolic Communication
  8. Symbolic Systems
  9. Visual Language
  10. Visual Literacy
  11. Writing

Related Topics

For a additional information about contemporary literacies, see Information Literacy and AI-Assisted Writing and Critical AI Literacy.

Mindset – Why Is Mindset So Important To Your Writing Process?

How can a growth mindset empower you to robustly engage in thinking and writing processes?

  1. Growth Mindset
    1. Have Faith in the Writing Process
    2. Why Write?
  2. Habits of Mind – How to Foster Intellectual Growth
  3. Intellectual Openness
    1. Demystify Research Methods
    2. Demystify Writing Misconceptions
  4. Professionalism & Work Ethic
    1. Why Does Practice Matter?
  5. Resilience
  6. Self-Regulation & Metacognition
    1. Balance Believing with Doubting
    2. Develop Effective Writing Habits
    3. Establish a Comfortable Place to Write
    4. Overcome Discouragement
    5. Reading and Disruptive Emotions
    6. Play the Believing Game
    7. Play the Doubting Game
    8. Reading and Disruptive Emotions
    9. Scheduling Writing
    10. Why Does Practice Matter?
    11. Why Should I Keep a Writer’s Log?

Organization – Mastering Writing Structures for Academic and Professional Success

  1. Organizational Patterns
    1. Announcements, Signposting, & Organizational Theses
    2. Causal Order
    3. Chronological Order
    4. Deductive Order, Deductive Reasoning, Deductive Writing
    5. Given-to-New Order
    6. Global Perspective – Rhetorical Perspective
    7. Inductive Order, Inductive Reasoning, Inductive Writing
    8. Local Perspective
    9. Metalanguage
    10. Spatial Order
    11. Transitions – Transition Words – Transitional Phases
  2. Organizational Structures
  3. Paragraphs
    • Flow, Transitions, Coherence @ Paragraph Level
    • Paragraph Transitions
    • Sentence Order within Paragraphs
    • Topic Sentences & Paragraph Development
    • Unity @ the Paragraph Level
  4. Sentence Schemas

Research – Introduction to Research Methods and Methodological Communities

How do investigators determine which methods to employ – textual, empirical (qualitative or quantitative), or creative?

  1. Epistemology – Theories of Knowledge
  2. Applied Research, Basic Research
  3. Research Ethics
    1. Human Subjects Research
    2. Informed Consent
    3. IRB (Institutional Review Board)
  4. Research Methodology
  5. Research Methods
    1. Creative Methods
    2. Design Research Methods
    3. Empirical Research Methods
    4. Informal Research Methods
    5. Mixed Research Methods
      1. Corpus Linguistic Analysis – A Bird’s Eye View of Writing
      2. Usability & User Experience Research
    6. Scholarly Research Methods
      1. Citation Analysis
      2. Genre Analysis
      3. Literary Criticism
        1. Critical Disability Studies
        2. Critical Race Theory – Beyond Myths: What the Debate Misses
        3. Feminist Criticism
        4. LGBTQ + Criticism
        5. Marxist Criticism
        6. New Historicist Criticism
        7. Post-Colonial Criticism
        8. Post-Structuralist, Deconstructive Criticism
        9. Psychological Criticism
        10. Reader-Response Criticism
        11. Russian Formalism and New Criticism
        12. Structuralist Criticism
      4. Rhetorical Analysis
      5. Textual Analysis

Rhetoric – How To Decode Rhetorical Situations And Communicate With Power

Why is rhetorical knowledge so critical to persuasion, power, and clarity in communications?

  1. Medium, Media
  2. Occasion, Exigency, Kairos – How to Decode Meaning-Making Practices
  3. Perspective – What is the Role of Perspective in Reading & Writing?
  4. Purpose – Aim of Discourse – Intention
  5. Rhetorical Listening – The Importance of Breaking the Silence When It Matters
  6. Rhetorical Moves and Academic Writing
  7. Rhetorical Reasoning
    1. Rhetorical Appeals
      1. Articles
        1. Beware of “Oh, that makes sense”: Ethos in Context
        2. Diplomacy, Tone, and Emphasis in Business Writing
        3. Ethos
          1. Fallacious Ethos
        4. Intrinsic Authority
        5. Logos
          1. Fallacious Logos
        6. Netiquette (Digital Ethics)
        7. Pathos
          1. Using Pathos in Persuasive Writing
        8. Rhetorical Appeals: An Overview
    2. Rhetorical Devices
    3. Rhetorical Modes
  8. Rhetorical Situation
    1. Audience Awareness – How To Boost Clarity in Communications
    2. Register
    3. Subject, Topic
    4. Text, Composition
    5. Writing Tools
    6. Writer, Speaker, Knowledge Worker
  9. Rhetorical Stance
    • Tone
    • Voice
      • How to Develop an Effective Voice, Tone, and Persona
  10. Rhetorical Theory – The Ultimate Tool for Effective Communication

Style – Why Is How You Say Something So Important?

Understand why your writing style informs your personal power and clarity of expression.

  1. The Elements of Style
  2. Writing Styles
  3. Why Don’t Students Use Plain Language?

Related Concepts: Audience – Audience Awareness; Discourse Community; Rhetoricity

What does theory, research, and scholarship tell us about the creative process?

The Writing Process – Research on Composing

  1. Discovering Your Unique Writing Process: A Guide to Self-Reflection
  2. Drafting – Composing – Writing
  3. Editing
  4. How to Leverage Inner Speech and Process Pedagogy with Generative AI
  5. Invention
  6. Preliminary Research
  7. Visual Brainstorming
  8. Planning – What Are the Dispositions and Planning Strategies of Successful Writers?
  9. Prewriting
  10. Problem-Solving Strategies for Writers: a Review of Research
  11. Rereading
  12. Revising- Revision
  13. Sharing – Publishing
  14. The 7 Habits of Mind & The Writing Process
  15. The Embodied Writing Process – How to Tap Your Creative Potential
  16. The Ultimate Blueprint: A Research-Driven Deep Dive into The 13 Steps of the Writing Process

Writing Studies – Portrait of an Emerging Field

What do the Fields of Rhetoric and Composition, Technical and Professional Communication, Computers and Writing Tell Us About Creativity and Communication?

  1. Communication Studies
  2. Composition Studies
  3. Business and Professional Communication
    1. What is Workplace Writing or the Discipline of Professional and Technical Communication?
    2. An Overview of Professional and Technical Communication
    3. Cognitive, Intrapersonal, and Interpersonal Competencies
  4. Psychology & Writing Studies
  5. Rhetoric & Technology
    1. Why Study Rhetoric? or, What Freestyle Rap Teaches Us about Writing
    2. Research on Mindset & Intrapersonal Competencies
  6. Writers @ Work
    1. An Interview with Trent Hergenrader
    1. Interviews with Writers: Maureen Seaton
    2. An Interview with Stephanie Vanderslice