GenAI use rises with scaffolding in ethical essay writing
Scaffolding GenAI Use in Ethical Essay Writing: A Three-Year Experience Report in Introductory Computing
Computers and Society
Summary
Writing essays about ethics in computing can be tough for students. This paper looks at how first-year students used AI tools to help with ethical essays over three years. Through surveys and grades, the authors found that many students used AI mainly to fix grammar and style, especially when guided by a structured workflow. Importantly, using AI didn't by itself improve essay grades, but students showed more careful thinking when the AI use was supported by clear rules.
What this means in practice
- •For curriculum designers: Create supportive frameworks that guide ethical use of AI in writing assignments to improve student critical engagement.
- •For educational software developers: Develop writing tools that incorporate scaffolding features to encourage responsible AI use in student essay writing.
Authors
Asma Shakil, Paul Denny, Jun Seo, Gauravkumar Hirani, Sean Longyu Ma, Claus Brabrand
Abstract
As society, ethics, and professional practice become increasingly integrated across the computer science curriculum, technical courses need practical ways to support ethical reasoning. Ethical essay assignments offer one approach, but little is known about how students use GenAI when writing such essays. This experience report examines GenAI use across three years of ethical essay assignments in a large first-year computer systems course. Across six post-essay surveys from 2024 to 2026, we analyzed 1,894 responses, linked survey data with essay grades in 2025 and 2026, and introduced a scaffolded responsible-use workflow in 2026. Under voluntary-use policies, AI adoption remained steady at around two-thirds of students, rising above 90% when use was scaffolded. Students reported mainly using AI for help with grammar and style, while tool use diversified beyond ChatGPT in 2026. Grade-linked analyses showed that AI use did not independently predict essay quality, while marker evaluations indicated high levels of critical engagement when use was scaffolded. Overall, GenAI's pedagogical value appears to depend on how assessment design guides students to evaluate and critically engage with AI-generated suggestions.