There's something elusive about good writing. We recognize it instinctively, even if we can't explain why it works - it just 'sounds right.' It's more art than science, but it has technical aspects: the logical ordering of thoughts, the mechanics of phrasing and word choice, syntax, etc. These elements should be teachable if we can articulate some underlying principles. And that's precisely why, if we want an AI to help us teach writing, we must go even deeper - it needs to internalize these principles itself and then apply them appropriately when providing student feedback. This is what I've been exploring at Barnard College through a grant-funded project directed by Professor Benjamin Breyer.
We have built a set of AI-assisted tools that help students develop academic reading and writing skills. These tools are based on the original work and exercises that Prof. Breyer has developed over the years, and focus on training students to analyze arguments, paraphrase texts, and write argument summaries.
While these tools are still in development, we plan to make them publicly available soon.