I won't use generative AI for myself, but as a college writing teacher, I have to address it with my students. Every semester, I ask an AI program (in this case, ChatGPT) to tell students the pros and cons of using it. This way, I -- a 61-year-old -- am not telling them about AI. AI is telling them. I post these documents on our course page, and we discuss them early on. I asked ChatGPT to generate such documents for me today, and it occurred to me to post them on my blog in case any other teachers out there would like to use them. (This way, you don't have to use AI and make it waste any more energy, water, etc.) So here they are!

From ChatGPT

8/15/2025

You said:

I teach college composition courses.How can you help my students without actually writing essays for them?

ChatGPT said:

I can be useful to your composition students without crossing into “doingthe work for them” by functioning as a thinking partner, skills coach, andfeedback tool rather than a ghostwriter.
Here’s how that might look in practical terms:

1. Prewriting & Idea Development

Brainstorming prompts: Offer structured brainstorming exercises to help students find a topic or angle.

Question-driven guidance: Ask them Socratic-style questions to clarify their stance or refine a thesis.

Mind-mapping help: Suggest how to group their ideas into themes, or show them common essay structures (argumentative, analytical, compare/contrast).

2. Research Skills & SourceEvaluation

Finding credible sources: Teach them how to identify scholarly articles, credible news, or primary sources.

Summarizing practice: Show examples of how to paraphrase without plagiarism.

Source analysis: Walk through how to determine a source’s bias, scope, and relevance.

3. Thesis & Structure Coaching

Help them test their thesis statements against criteria (specific, arguable, supportable).

Offer outline templates for different essay types.

Demonstrate how to sequence ideas logically (e.g., strongest-first vs. building-to-climax structures).

4. Style & Clarity

Grammar tutorials: Give mini-lessons on common issues (comma splices, fragments, subject–verb agreement).

Tone adjustments: Show how to shift from casual to academic voice.

Sentence variety: Provide examples of how to break up choppy writing or streamline overly complex sentences.

5. Revision & Feedback

Rubric-based checklists: Students can self-assess before submission.

Modeling revision: Show how to take a vague paragraph and make it concrete, without giving them the final answer.

Feedback on drafts: Highlight strengths and point out areas needing more evidence or clarity—but leave the rewriting to them.

6. Academic Integrity Support

Explain what counts as plagiarism (including “patchwriting”).

Teach citation basics (MLA, APA, Chicago).

Provide sample in-text citations and works cited entries for the sources they bring.

Sample “Boundaries” for My Help

✅ Explain concepts, structures, and strategies
✅ Give examples on a different topic than the student’s
✅ Help them revise their own words
✅ Teach citation and research skills
❌ Write paragraphs for them
❌ Supply fully formed thesis statements on their actual assignment topic
❌ Insert evidence or arguments they didn’t find themselves

If you’d like, I can put together a “composition help menu” youcould give to your students so they know exactly what kinds of AI-assistedguidance are ethical and useful in your class. That way, they can get helpwithout crossing into academic dishonesty.

You said:

Yes, please.

ChatGPT said:

Here’s a “Composition Help Menu” you could hand to your studentsso they understand what kind of AI-assisted guidance is ethical and effectivefor your course.

College Composition – AI Help Menu

How to get writing help without crossing into academic dishonesty

✅ Ethical &Helpful Uses

You can ask AI to:

Understand the Assignment

Rephrase your professor’s instructions in simpler terms.

Explain differences between essay types (argumentative, analytical, narrative).

Plan Your Essay

Generate brainstorming questions to explore your topic.

Suggest possible angles or approaches (but you choose the topic).

Create outline templates you can fill in.

Strengthen Your Thesis

Test your thesis statement against clarity/arguability criteria.

Suggest how to make your claim more focused or specific.

Improve Organization

Show models for essay structure.

Suggest logical flow of points without adding new ideas.

Practice Writing Skills

Explain grammar rules and give practice examples.

Demonstrate how to vary sentence structure or improve clarity.

Enhance Revision

Identify vague or unsupported sections in your draft.

Point out overuse of passive voice or unclear pronouns.

Offer general ways to make a paragraph more engaging.

Support with Research Skills

Explain how to evaluate a source’s credibility.

Show proper MLA/APA/Chicago citation format for the sources you provide.

❌ Not Allowed

You should not ask AI to:

Write any part of your essay for you.

Give you a finished thesis statement for your assigned topic.

Find sources and insert them directly into your paper.

Rewrite your draft so extensively that it no longer sounds like you.

Provide “ready to submit” paragraphs or essays.

💡 Pro Tip forAcademic Integrity

Always keep a record of your work before and after AI help.
This proves that the ideas and final writing are yours—and that AI was used asa tool, not a ghostwriter.

Example of Ethical AI Use

Before AI: “I want to write about social media, but I don’t know how to focus mytopic.”
AI Help: Suggests questions like: “How does social media affectself-esteem?” or “Should schools limit social media use?”
After AI: Student picks one question, develops their own thesis, doestheir own research, and writes the essay.

You said:

What limitations do you have when itcomes to helping college composition students?

ChatGPT said:

When helping college composition students, my main limitations fall into threecategories—ethical, pedagogical, and practical.

1. Ethical Limitations

These protect academic integrity and prevent ghostwriting:

No original work for graded assignments
I can’t write thesis statements, paragraphs, or essays on their specific assigned topic in a way that would count as submitting AI-generated work as their own.

No direct insertion of research
I can’t pick sources for them and embed them into finished drafts—they need to find and read the sources themselves.

No heavy rewriting
I can’t rewrite so extensively that it changes the voice to the point where it’s no longer the student’s work.

No bypassing learning
My role is to guide thinking and skill-building, not to complete the work that the course is designed to teach.

2. Pedagogical Limitations

These are about helping them learn instead of simply fixingtheir papers:

I can’t replace reading or class participation
If they haven’t read assigned texts or participated in class discussions, I can’t supply that experience.

I won’t give “final answers” without explanation
I can model an example, but I’ll explain why and how so they can replicate the process themselves.

I can’t guarantee a specific grade
Writing quality is judged by the instructor’s criteria, which I can’t override.

I won’t skip the struggle stage
Some confusion and trial-and-error are part of becoming a stronger writer.

3. Practical Limitations

These affect how well I can give feedback:

I can’t read the student’s mind
I need them to tell me their intended audience, tone, or purpose for the piece.

I may not have access to course-specific rubrics
If they don’t share the grading rubric, I can only give general writing advice.

I can’t check against proprietary plagiarism databases
I can explain plagiarism rules and show how to paraphrase or cite, but I can’t scan their work like Turnitin does.

I can’t replicate an instructor’s unique style or grading quirks
Every professor has personal preferences—my advice will be based on general best practices unless they share your exact expectations.

ChatGPT said:

Here’s the Boundaries of AI Help in College Composition handout ina clean, ready-to-copy format.

Boundaries of AI Help in CollegeComposition

How to use AI responsibly while keeping your work your own

1️ ⃣   Ethical Limitations

AI will not:

Write original work for graded assignments – no thesis statements, paragraphs, or essays on your assigned topic.

Insert research for you – you must find, read, and evaluate your own sources.

Heavily rewrite your work – AI won’t change your writing voice into something unrecognizable.

Replace the learning process – AI is a guide, not a ghostwriter.

2️ ⃣   Pedagogical Limitations

AI will not:

Replace reading assigned texts or participating in class.

Give “final answers” without explaining why.

Guarantee you a specific grade.

Skip the necessary struggle stage of writing that builds lasting skills.

3️ ⃣   Practical Limitations

AI cannot:

Guess your intended audience, tone, or purpose unless you tell it.

Access your specific course rubric unless you share it.

Check plagiarism the way Turnitin or other databases can.

Mimic your instructor’s personal grading style or preferences exactly.

💡 Reminder:
AI is a learning partner, not a shortcut. Use it to clarify, practice,and strengthen your skills—never to replace your own thinking and writing.