THE USE OF LLMS IN ACADEMIC WRITING INSTRUCTION FOR FIRST-YEAR STUDENTS IN THE ENGINEERING BACHELOR PROGRAMMES
Year: 2024
Editor: Grierson, Hilary; Bohemia, Erik; Buck, Lyndon
Author: Almlie, Gunvor Sofia; Roaldsøy, Eline Øverbø; Lande, Ingrid; Heimdal, Anette
Series: E&PDE
Institution: University of Agder, Norway
Page(s): 479 - 484
DOI number: 10.35199/EPDE.2024.81
ISBN: 978-1-912254-200
ISSN: 3005-4753
Abstract
To cater for students’ dire need of writing instruction in the transition from upper secondary school to higher education, Norwegian universities have established writing centers as part of their general library services. However, university teachers still experience that students are struggling to meet requirements in their distinct courses and programs. In research on academic writing in higher education there seems to be a vacancy: Academic writing instruction in the disciplines. The students’ unpreparedness for academic writing is an acknowledged problem in higher education entry courses and programs. Students are expected to demonstrate their knowledge in written assignments and examinations but are not sufficiently prepared for writing in their respective disciplines. The array of writing courses offered vary from discipline-specific courses to the more general writing courses the libraries offer. The effects of these courses are rarely measured. This article evaluates the use of large language models (LLMs) as learning assistants alongside with academic staff. The academic writing instruction was prepared in collaboration between university teachers and the library’s writing center. The aim was to evaluate and obtain understanding on how to use LLMs effectively in academic writing instruction. A survey was conducted to research students' experiences with LLMs as academic writing instruction, and how staff’s instruction can be improved. The results illuminated that LLMs can be powerful tools alongside with academic staff instruction when students are trained well in using them efficiently. Some students reported however, that using LLMs for academic writing was more time consuming that first expected. They still found teaching and supervision from staff useful, both to achieve the learning outcomes for the course, but also for use in other writing situations in their education. Still, LLMs seems like a useful tool for writing supervision.
Keywords: Large language models, academic writing instruction, engineering sciences, higher order writing elements