A scholarly dialogue: writing scholarship, authorship, academic integrity and the challenges of AI

Abstract

Concerns about the role of technology and the quality of student writing in higher education are not new. Historically, writing scholars have been at the forefront of initiatives that scrutinise and integrate new technologies in higher education. This article contends that writing scholars are again uniquely equipped to assist students, teachers in all disciplines, and institutions of higher education in navigating the challenges created by the public availability of generative artificial intelligence (AI). Adopting a dialogical approach, the article brings together six scholars from diverse disciplinary backgrounds within the broad umbrella of writing studies. Through the lens of writing scholarship, this chorus of critical voices illuminates the important questions posed by, and possible responses to, AI in higher education. Although AI complicates key issues in higher education such as academic integrity, assessment, and authorship, writing scholarship provides an essential framework for educators to respond to these challenges. Collectively, these scholars map the history of writing scholars’ responses to technological change in higher education and suggest how writing scholars can contribute to the debates and discussions concerning the impact of AI on higher education.