The role of the Writing Center in an AI-powered world

As writing expectations evolve across disciplines and as generative artificial intelligence (AI) tools become more common in academic life, the CU Boulder Writing Center remains an important campuswide resource for helping writers think critically, communicate clearly and develop their own voice. 

Led by Eric Klinger, the Writing Center supports undergraduate and graduate students, faculty and staff at every stage of the writing process while also helping the campus community navigate thoughtful, ethical approaches to emerging writing technologies. 

Provost’s Post spoke with Klinger about how the Writing Center serves campus writers, why writing remains central to learning, and how the center is approaching conversations around AI and writing at CU Boulder.

How does the Writing Center complement classroom teaching and expectations around writing?

Writing is a type of performance. As with any performance, preparation takes time, and it is critical to success. The Writing Center is a supportive rehearsal space for voicing ideas, asking questions and developing more effective written communication skills. Classroom instruction generally focuses on the finished performance. Assignment directions lay out format and length requirements, while readings, lectures and classroom discussions set expectations for how ideas should be validated and conveyed. 

What’s often missing is attention to the writing process itself. Students are expected to know how to write for an audience of experienced scholars, yet they’re still learning the different conventions and practices of academic discourse. At the Writing Center, they can ask questions about stylistic choices and explore different ways to make their writing clearer and more engaging. 

The Writing Center complements classroom instruction by offering one-to-one conversations with writing specialists who help each student to develop writing skills that enable them to learn and perform at their best potential.

What writing help do you offer that’s designed specifically for graduate students?

The Writing Center offers a suite of services for graduate students including standard 50-minute one-to-one sessions, workshops, and extended support in the Graduate Writing Support (GWS) program. GWS participants receive support in managing large writing projects such as theses and dissertations through regularly scheduled submission deadlines and recurring appointments with the same graduate writing specialist. This allows for deeper conversations that address issues like coherence and cogency across chapters in a manuscript. GWS sessions supplement the expert guidance of advisers and provide space for writers to seek stylistic advice and feedback from an outside reader. Because space in GWS is limited, students must apply to participate.

How does the Writing Center help students use AI in ways that support learning rather than replace it?

The key to using any tool for learning is human interaction: communication, collaboration and consensus seeking. The Writing Center enables conversations and relationship building that foster critical awareness and mindful expression. Students visiting the Writing Center frequently ask questions about using AI ethically and maintaining their own voice when writing. 

Because the writing process is critical to literacy and learning, it’s essential that students act as pilots, not passengers, when they employ AI. We show them how to understand and evaluate results rather than automatically accepting them. We show them strategies to refine prompts that enable critical inquiry, not easy answers. We model Socratic questioning to help them develop and express their own ideas, so that what’s in the papers they write represents their authentic thoughts and voices.

How about faculty, staff, alumni or other university affiliates?

The Writing Center also supports faculty and postdocs who are writing for publication. We help them interpret and apply advice from reviewers and colleagues. We help staff to use writing as a professional development and leadership tool by showing them ways to communicate more efficiently and effectively. We also support faculty and alumni who are drafting materials for career advancement such as teaching statements, resumes, CVs, personal statements and cover letters. 

University affiliates typically come in with course-related projects. For instance, affiliates from an intergenerational writing course seek support with writing biographical profiles of their undergraduate partners in class. In some cases, these affiliates might not have been in a college class in forty or fifty years, so they appreciate the opportunity to talk about their writing and brush up on their skills.

What writing skills do you think are even more important in an AI‑enabled world?

Writing is one of the most powerful learning tools we have. It enables what we value most in research and learning: exploration, discovery, expression, conversation, and consensus building. Skills like asking probing questions and analyzing information for ourselves are more important than ever. Writing offers a distinct opportunity to exercise these capacities. When we write, our perceptions and opinions become manifest, and we reflect on ideas that might otherwise be fleeting or scattered. Ultimately, we develop ownership of our thoughts and practice our ability to participate in conversations that shape our world. 

The key to meaningful learning is to remain active and engaged. The intentional effort and critical practices we employ when writing, such as reflection and refinement of expression, enable us to remain conscious of how and what we’re learning.