4 Transformations Students Want From an AI Writing Class

My impetus for teaching AI and writing emerges from my research into the creator economy, leading me to treat my classes more like a…

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My impetus for teaching AI and writing emerges from my research into the creator economy, leading me to treat my classes more like a creator classroom (see previous post).

Cohort classes are big in the creator economy. Set up as an alternative to asynchronous and static online courses, students sign up to complete a curriculum together, usually with a mix of reading, live meetings, and online interaction.

One thing is crucial for a successful creator classroom:

A clear deliverable that transforms the student or solves a problem.

For example, in Ship30, students write 30 atomic essays in a month together (deliverable) to create a writing habit (transformation) and overcome common obstacles to becoming an online writer (solved problem).

I’ve been struggling with this bit for my new class on AI & Storytelling. The course outcomes set by the department are clearly articulated (see my last newsletter), but what is the concrete deliverable and what kind of transformation will drive student motivation?

(Let’s be honest … most students are not motivated by the outcomes were create).

So I asked my students … another key to education in the creator economy. Never lose an opportunity for feedback … especially when working with “beta users.”

At the end of our first class, I had students write their answers to these two questions on the back of an index card:

• How do you want to be different at the end of the semester?

• What problem do you think this class will solve for you?

Below are some aggregated paraphrases of what students told me.

Students feel a need to learn what AI is and how it will impact them … but no one is really teaching that in the classroom.

Last semester, very few students knew anything about GPT3 … now most of my students have heard of these new technologies. But most know very little about AI (except what they see on TikTok). Students should leave the university being able to articulate the effects of AI on their lives and professions.

Transformation: Students will describe AI and the ways it might impact their profession to important audiences in their life.

Students wonder if they can actually make money with their writing, and seek clarity about the opportunities that exist with AI to extend their creative work in profitable ways.

Yes, I suppose this is a bit capitalistic … one solid critique of the creator economy. But there is nothing truly more capitalist than our higher education system. If this is what students are looking for, why not at least consider it?They know there are opportunities to make money online, especially writing. They want to know how!

Transformation: Students will learn the roles AI and storytelling play in the creator economy and discover ways they can participate.

Students shared their lack of confidence in their ability to write creatively.

Honestly, just writing a micro story every week will probably do this for them. But practice analyzing text, both AI and human, will help them learn how to edit and revise in creative ways … not just wait for the muse to strike.

Transformation: Students will gain increased confidence in evaluating and refining narrative through collaborating with AI-generated stories.

Finally, the students also shared their worries about the implications AI will have on society.

While we will explore the negative potential of AI, it is even more important that students learn the right use of these technologies. How might they bring positive transformation to society?

Transformation: Students will learn how to use AI and stories in beneficial ways.

The question for me now is what deliverable will show these transformations to students and their audiences. Last semester, my students published in collections all over Medium. They became digital writers.

This semester I want to do more than just publish micro stories or develop short stories for Medium … which is not a story friendly venue.

I am considering having students building an interactive story on a platform like Twine … what I might argue is a deeper definition of digital storytelling than just generating text.

By the end of this course, students will be a credentialed digital storyteller with a published interactive story, driven by AI technologies.

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