Exploring Opportunities and Challenges of using ChatGPT in Professional Writing Instruction

This research paper examines the implications of employing artificial intelligence (AI) tools, such as ChatGPT, for generating academic and professional texts that closely resemble human-authored content. The utilization of AI tools presents both opportunities and challenges for educators, particularly from ethical and legal standpoints. The potential impact of AI tools on organizations, society, and individuals can be both beneficial and detrimental. This article focuses on investigating the challenges faced by educators in light of the availability of free access to ChatGPT for students, drawing insights from the teaching experience of a professional writing course. The study involves analyzing various samples of professional writing, including letters, memos, and reports generated by ChatGPT, and evaluating those using rubrics previously employed in the writing course. These samples are then compared with writing samples produced by students as part of their course requirements. The findings indicate that while ChatGPT excels in generating linguistically accurate samples, it struggles with assignments that require research components such as data collection and presentation. Thus, educators need to consider this analysis of ChatGPT’s performance when designing writing course assessments and rubrics.