Although I’m genuinely tired of hearing this phrase, I have to start with it because it’s an undeniable fact: The launch of ChatGPT on November 30, 2022 marked a seismic shift in the landscape of higher education. I consider myself lucky to have had a front-row seat when witnessing the transformative impact of AI on higher education in my country: I have recently transitioned from working in a writing center to leading a Competence & Career Center at a German University of Applied Sciences. Additionally, I work as a freelance trainer conducting seminars on “AI and Academic Writing” for academic staff at German universities. From this perspective, I can say that the last year and a half has been incredibly exciting. This blog post explores the journey of writing centers through this unprecedented AI revolution and draws on my own experiences.
When ChatGPT launched, I was the sole employee at my university’s writing center. Having previously explored AI’s impact on academic writing, I welcomed the sudden surge of interest in this topic. While many university staff members were shocked, I celebrated the awakening to AI’s transformative potential in higher education. Prior to ChatGPT, the intersection of AI and writing was largely considered a niche topic, and those of us who explored it were often not taken seriously. The broader academic community had yet to grasp the full scope of these technologies and their groundbreaking implications.
Overnight, our quiet corner became a hub of innovation. As a writing pedagogy expert, I was thrust into conversations and decision-making processes previously out of my reach. This newfound attention provided a platform to share core insights with a broader audience. In strategic meetings, I advocated for the continued importance of academic writing skills in an AI-assisted world. Our message resonated beyond our usual audience, reaching administrators, a diverse range of academic staff, and students who had previously overlooked our services.
The AI boom intensified cross-departmental collaborations, transforming previously loose connections into close-knit partnerships. My writing center found itself involved in strategically important discussions, contributing to policy decisions that would shape our approach to AI in higher education.
At our university, key initiatives included:
- AI Think Tank: Our Teaching and Learning Center (which includes our writing center, see Figure 1) collaborated with the Vice President for Teaching and Learning, and the Department of Higher Education Pedagogy to launch a think tank on generative AI in higher education. This forum brought together representatives from all university stakeholder groups to discuss the ethical, pedagogical, and practical implications of AI in academia. Within the think tank, we collaborated to revise academic integrity statements that address AI use. We paid attention to the delicate balance between maintaining academic standards and acknowledging the reality of AI tools in students’ workflows. The think tank also produced guidelines on “AI in Academic Writing” for both academic staff and students.
- Library Partnership: We cooperated with the library to develop workshops on AI-assisted research techniques. These sessions covered topics such as using AI for literature reviews, critically evaluating AI-generated summaries, and maintaining proper citation practices in an AI-assisted research process.
- Academic Staff Development: We offered courses for academic staff on integrating AI tools into writing-intensive courses. These workshops sparked discussions on changing writing assignments and assessment in an AI-enabled world. To put it somewhat sardonically, we could have offered the same seminars as before on “Writing-Intensive Teaching” or “Writing Across the Curriculum,” simply adding the word “AI” to the title, and suddenly everyone would have attended. Our main points finally gained traction with an audience.
- Collaboration with the IT Center: With my background in academic writing, I was involved in discussions about which AI tools the university should use in the future. This involved evaluating tools, assessing data protection policies, and ensuring alignment with university values.
However, as 2024 progressed, we observed a gradual decline in AI fervor. The initial shock had worn off, and a new normal set in. Some instructors adapted significantly, others partially, and some not at all.
For me, this has led to disappointment as the hopes tied to generative AI, such as a widespread shift from teaching to learning (Barr & Tagg 1995), were not fully realized. My key concerns in this regard are firstly, critical thinking and reflection during student writing processes, and secondly, ensuring that academic staff stay both up to date and personally engaged with AI developments in higher education.
- For students, the key question is how to bring them to the writing center when they believe generative AI can handle everything. Many expect AI tools to ease their work without further engaging in the writing process. We noticed a decline in visits to the writing center, especially for basic writing tasks. Additionally, students producing polished text using AI often struggle with deeper analysis and argumentation. How can we encourage them to discuss AI-generated texts and reflect on their writing process?
- For academic staff, there is a need to manage expectations and keep up with relentless AI developments. While no major ‘ChatGPT moment’ is likely soon, continuous and subtle advancements are occurring, and they often go unnoticed. Helping those who do not stay constantly updated understand these changes is challenging. At my own university, I started an AI monthly newsletter to inform both students and academic staff about AI developments in higher education. However, this cannot replace hands-on experimentation with AI tools which is essential for understanding their evolving capabilities.
Moving forward, we must stay engaged, counteract ‘hype fatigue’, and remain open to ongoing AI developments without succumbing to fear or complacency. Continuous self-education, collaboration, and adaptability are crucial, as simplistic as this demand may sound.
In February 2024, my role at the writing center ended and in March 2024, I stepped into a new position as head of our university’s Competence & Career Center. As you can see in Figure 1, the Competence & Career Center brings together diverse units, including the writing center (where I worked previously), career service, peer mentoring, Service Learning projects, intercultural competence programs, and a part of the university’s Green Office (sustainability department). Together, we foster future skills in students. This transition gave me a fresh perspective on the challenges and opportunities facing writing centers and higher education. I find myself asking how we can collaboratively address the challenges posed by AI. After all, these challenges extend beyond writing centers. Those challenges require comprehensive promotion of transformative competencies. Those competencies are needed by students as well as by educators to remain capable in the future. The challenges posed by AI require a fundamental shift in teaching and learning.
In the end, it is about nothing less than reimagining education in an AI-enhanced world.
Our goal must be to prepare students not just to write in an AI-augmented world, but to think critically, act ethically, and adapt to technological change. Writing centers have a crucial role in this mission, but they cannot do it alone. The future of higher education in an AI world lies in breaking down organizational silos, fostering collaboration, and taking a holistic approach to future skills development. It’s a challenging road, but also an exciting opportunity to redefine support services in higher education and shape the future of learning. As we navigate this uncharted territory, writing centers must remain adaptable, innovative, and committed to their core mission of fostering critical thinking and effective communication, even as the means of achieving these goals evolve. By embracing change and collaborating with diverse stakeholders, we can ensure that higher education remains a bastion of meaningful learning an AI-enhanced world.
Text-generating AI may ultimately lead to the disappearance of writing centers as we know them, as traditional academic writing may no longer play a central role in higher education. However, this makes it all the more important for us to join forces with other units of the so called Third Space (Whitchurch 2008) to ensure that even if students no longer engage in classical writing, they can still develop the underlying competencies such as critical thinking, metacognition, and more. After all, these are core competencies that remain valid regardless of technological advancements. At its heart, the question is about what constitutes good education—and as writing centers, we certainly have much to contribute to this conversation.
References
Barr, R. B. & Tagg, J. (1995). From Teaching to Learning. A New Paradigm for Undergraduate Education. In: Change. The Magazine of Higher Learning 27 (6), pp. 13–26.
Whitchurch, C. (2018). Being a Higher Education Professional Today: Working in a Third Space. In: Bossu, C. & Brown, M. (Eds.): Professional and Support Staff in Higher Education. Springer, pp. 11–22.
