SAALT Newsletter: April Edition

Not long ago, the most “advanced” tech in a lecture hall was a flickering data projector and a chalkboard with a weary Wi-Fi router perched nearby. Fast forward, and tools like ChatGPT, GrammarlyGO, and DeepL Write are transforming how we teach, learn, and write. The debate in universities has moved from “Should we allow AI?” to “How do we teach with it—ethically, critically, and effectively?” For language lecturers and academic literacy specialists, this shift is both daunting and exhilarating. It challenges us to rethink academic writing in ways that embrace AI as both collaborator and disruptor.

Beyond the Panic: What’s Actually Happening?

Since ChatGPT launched in late 2022, concerns about academic integrity have dominated discussions. But beneath the panic, something more interesting is emerging. South African students are using AI for more than ghost-writing. They turn to it to unpack difficult readings, explore alternative phrasing, and brainstorm ideas—especially when language barriers or a lack of individualised support stand in the way (Bosch et al., 2023). For many, AI isn’t a shortcut to cheating—it’s a coping mechanism. That’s not a scandal; it’s a signal. Students need more accessible, responsive academic support. If AI helps meet that need, maybe our pedagogy should evolve too.

Writing in the Age of AI: What’s at Stake?

Academic writing has always been about more than grammar and structure. It’s about shaping arguments, thinking critically, and developing a scholarly voice. But if a bot can generate a passable essay in ten seconds, we have to ask: if AI can do the task convincingly without insight or relevance, was it ever a good task to begin with (Bosch et al., 2023; Singh, 2023)? Rather than trying to “AI-proof” everything, we should focus on what makes human writing meaningful: lived experience, reflective engagement, multilingualism, and context-sensitive thinking.

Cool Tools, Smart Pedagogy

The tools are here—and they’re evolving. Notion AI summarises articles. Elicit.org helps generate research questions. MS Word, Writesonic, and Quillbot now offer real-time rewriting and style feedback. Instead of banning them, why not teach students to use them wisely? Imagine writing modules where students:

• Use AI to generate arguments—then critique them.
• Compare AI-written summaries with their own.
• Translate AI outputs into their linguistic and cultural contexts.
• Revise biased or inaccurate AI responses through a local lens.

These aren’t hypotheticals. Institutions like UJ, NWU, and Stellenbosch are already exploring these approaches (Bosch et al., 2023).