Educator embraces AI tools for community college English classes

My 12-year-old twins can prompt ChatGPT with alarming fluency. They’ve generated AI music, transformed family photos into wispy Van Gogh-style portraits, and built a chatbot that mimics their favorite anime characters. As their mother, I’d love to say it’s because they’re brilliant, and of course they are, but the truth is less flattering and far more important.

My children are AI literate because of a weighted mix of luck and privilege. My husband and I have graduate degrees and jobs that require computer fluency. Their Pennsylvania school district, Haverford, consistently places among the top districts in our state. Their middle school benefits from stable funding, high-quality teachers, and a strong IT department, all leading to discussions about AI in their sixth-grade classrooms.

It’s a 20-minute drive from their school to Delaware County Community College, where I’ve been teaching for over a decade, and many of our students come from underperforming high schools. My classrooms are filled with recent graduates who have been taught that AI is little more than a contentious cheating machine. One of my returning adult learners told me she’d heard of AI but had no idea what it was. After class, I gave her a quick demonstration of ChatGPT on our overhead projector. She sighed and said, “Well, now I know why my daughter’s suddenly getting through her homework so fast.”

This knowledge gap? It’s not just technological. It’s generational, socioeconomic and institutional. And it’s growing wider by the day. As first-year writing professors at community colleges, if we don’t meet this moment with intention, we will leave our most vulnerable students behind.

I felt this realization as a call to action and I didn’t just dive in; I cannon-balled. Over the past six months, I’ve clocked more than 150 hours building my fluency across multiple large language models. I studied the terminology immersed myself in the ethics and mechanics of generative tools and leaned on the IT minds in my family. I read books listened to podcasts had long conversations with colleagues about what equitable ethical AI should look like in our courses.

In May I received a grant to provide my fall Composition I students with ChatGPT subscriptions These students will meet in a computer lab giving us space to explore these tools in a collaborative setting With OpenAI access students will benefit from faster responses voice-to-text custom learning tools Sora OpenAI's image video generator deepen engagement readings Throughout semester collect data administer surveys gauge how access shapes learning digital literacy

And I've used grant funding integrate AI-detection tool Pangram into Composition II course summer Rather leaving play Sherlock Holmes scrutinizing student prose malfeasance Pangram's findings offer transparency both student instructor Unlike detectors I've used past Pangram identifies subtly humanized AI-generated writing removing familiar crutch many students reached avoid messier process developing writers

The most effective tool I've employed is the AI Transparency Journal shared Google Doc where students track every interaction throughout semester log each prompt how responded what surprised them struggled creating record process experimentation growth

In current summer Composition II course started experiment uploaded syllabus introduced themselves using custom prompt background goals past experiences writing asked identify might enjoy could challenge help grow

The results were eye-opening Students reported feeling more prepared reflective before reading single assigned text Even those initially skeptical about surprised personalized insightful responses felt Several shared reflections stayed me:

“The response felt like it understood both good hard stuff about me It even helped connect love reading Quran diverse literature exploring”

“I never expected suggest keeping personal phrase list help vocabulary That idea alone changed approaching class”

“Honestly like having horoscope read — more useful clarity helped understand syllabus better than just reading own”

Even those didn't feel response effectively captured learning style appreciated offered game plan tackling accelerated course Most importantly inspired metacognition reflection writing before cracked first literary text

ChatGPT generated image based lines Langston Hughes's "Let America Be America Again." I'm writing grading posts halfway mark six week course poetry unit selected favorite passage either Langston Hughes’ “Let America be America Again” Dunya Mikhail’s “The War Works Hard,” used free generator create picture capture themes posted evaluated well captured held imaginations

Many enthralled journal responses averaging twice long required While few disappointed eager explain why second part assignment asked respond least one other most opted respond two three different posts

After passed halfway point paused compare progress against same ENG 112 course year ago integrated Pangram formal tools This summer began 37 actively submitting work earning A's B's consistently completing assignments contrast last started Week Four engaged finished C higher threshold transfer eligibility

Craiyon generated image based lines Dunya Mikhail’s “The War Works Hard.” garbled show difficulties prompting highly metaphoric verse struggles wide-scale integration had Zoom calls previous walking less technically inclined steps navigate interfaces

But no one complained; one student 50s shared done little more emailing Facebook After longer video calls emailed "Dr Ray Thank you time today glad showing never understood stuff thought learn English class"

Beneath trial error something else emerging engagement community newfound energy indescribable undercurrent floats positively charged learning space virtual one So leave need guidance navigating technologies fail teach engage ethically intelligently widen skills gap reinforce equity spent careers trying dismantle It's shift conversation fear responsibility ready meet here