Feed the Prompt, Shape the Paper
A Low-Lift, High-Impact Lesson for Teaching Research and Writing Skills with AI
Happy Friday, work friends! In today’s post, I share the AI-powered classroom activity I developed during a recent faculty workshop on ethics and AI in teaching. I first discussed this experience in Wednesday’s no-cost post.
Here, I share a private recording made just for paid subscribers of Notes From a Work Friend. If you’re curious how to adapt the lesson I designed—without adding to your grading load—this post is for you.
In the recording, I begin by acknowledging the root problem: students’ wide range of emotions around writing and the massive amount of time often required to grade writing assignments.
Then, I walk through the in-class lesson I created to address both without compromising academic rigor.
This lesson saves hours of grading and shows students—visually and interactively—how:
Historical context and source bias shape AI-generated arguments
Argument clarity is affected by inputs (and how that connects to research habits)
College writing requires discernment and critical thinking
Whether you're AI-curious or AI-fatigued, my presentation offers enough information for you to tailor the lesson plan to your specific discipline, institution, and classroom context.
Photo by Wan San Yip on Unsplash