GrammarlyGO to Add New Features to Help Students Use AI Responsibly
- By Kate Lucariello
- 08/07/23
Grammarly writing software company will introduce new features in late August to GrammarlyGO in time for the start of fall quarter. The new features, student-focused prompts, guardrails, and the ability to cite generative AI transparently, will help students to "augment — not replace — their critical thinking and communication skills," the company said.
GrammarlyGO is an on-demand, generative AI tool. The new features will include:
- Suggested prompts to help students generate paper ideas and collaborate with the AI instead of having it do their work. The prompts, such as "brainstorm topics for my assignment" or "build a research plan for my paper," will help students "overcome the blank page problem," the company said.
- Feedback prompts and explanations to help students learn while they write. Students can ask GrammarlyGO to perform tasks like "evaluate the strength of a thesis statement" or "explore counterarguments." With the AI's explanations and recommendations, students can improve their critical thinking and communication skills.
- Auto-citations to simplify citing generative AI as the source to provide transparency to educators. Grammarly will cite GrammarlyGO, ChatGPT, and other AI tools in addition to the auto-citations it already provides from research websites and academic databases.
- AI guideline reminders to discourage students from writing complicated, long-form text and instead assist them in revising for conciseness and clarity. In-app messages will invite them to use GrammarlyGO to generate ideas for concise writing while still following school and instructor policies.
"Generative AI is here to stay, but the education industry is grappling with how to approach new technologies in ways that enhance student learning — not detract from it," said Jenny Maxwell, head of Grammarly for Education. "When educators prioritize fostering the responsible use of AI in their institutions and courses, they ensure students build critical thinking abilities and AI literacy that the workforce of today demands."
Grammarly has different plan levels, starting with free. These new features will be included in the free version, the company said. For more information on plan features and prices, visit the plan comparison page.
About the Author
Kate Lucariello is a former newspaper editor, EAST Lab high school teacher and college English teacher.