LLM-Supported Writing Instruction in First Year Composition
The LLM-Supported Writing Instruction in First Year Composition microcredential recognizes faculty who engage in a structured four-part workshop series exploring the ethical, practical, and pedagogical integration of large language models (LLMs) into first-year writing courses. Through collaborative learning and applied practice, participants deepen their understanding of how LLMs are trained, how they generate text, and the limitations and opportunities these tools present in the teaching of writing.
Faculty who earn this credential demonstrate proficiency in evaluating current research on AI and writing pedagogy, analyzing the pedagogical and ethical implications of student use of LLMs, and designing assignments that foster critical and reflective engagement with these technologies. Participants create and refine teaching artifacts such as assignment sheets, rubrics, lesson plans, or sample feedback that incorporate responsible AI-supported practices. They also reflect on evolving strategies for building studentsâ digital literacy, ensuring that first-year composition instruction responds thoughtfully to the challenges and opportunities of AI in higher education.
By completing this credential, instructors signal their ability to responsibly integrate AI tools into their pedagogy, advancing UMBCâs mission to prepare students for a rapidly changing digital landscape while safeguarding equity, authorship, and academic integrity.
Earning Criteria
- Complete the following required activities:
- Activity 1: LLM Knowledge Check (quiz).
- Activity 2: Written response summarizing key research and its classroom applications.
- Activity 4: Exit analysis of pedagogical, ethical, and rhetorical implications of student use of LLMs.
- Activity 6: Reflective response articulating a digital literacy strategy for first-year composition.
- Complete either Activity 3 or Activity 5:
- Activity 3: Design a classroom activity or assignment incorporating student use of an LLM, with a brief reflection.
- Activity 5: Produce a teaching artifact (e.g., assignment sheet, lesson plan, rubric, or sample feedback) using an LLM, with an accompanying analysis.
Additional Details
Learning Outcomes
2. Evaluate key arguments from current research on LLMs and composition pedagogy, connecting them to opportunities and challenges in first-year writing contexts.
3. Design a classroom activity or assignment that incorporates LLM-supported writing at one or more stages of the writing process, with attention to ethical and pedagogical goals.
4. Analyze the pedagogical, ethical, and rhetorical implications of student use of LLMs in first-year writing, including issues of authorship, labor, equity, and academic integrity.
5. Produce and reflect on a teaching artifact (e.g., assignment sheet, lesson plan, syllabus excerpt, rubric, or sample feedback) that demonstrates effective and responsible use of an LLM.
Time to earn
+1 410 455 2685