The Paranoid Memorandum: A Generative AI Exercise for Professional Communication

This classroom activity, by Jason Crider, is from TextGenEd: Teaching with Text Generation Technologies in the WAC Clearinghouse Repository.

The abstract from the site explains:

This classroom activity engages students in an undergraduate technical and professional writing course in the critical evaluation of workplace communication alongside the specter of AI writing platforms. In small groups, students draft workplace memorandums according to prompts featuring an imaginary scenario. At random, each group is told the degree to which they can, cannot, or must use AI to author their memo. Finally, we take turns critically evaluating and revising each group’s memorandum.

Key Features of This Assignment

Critical Evaluation of AI in Writing
The exercise emphasizes the importance of understanding how AI tools like ChatGPT can impact writing, encouraging students to critically evaluate and strategically use these tools while maintaining authentic communication in professional contexts.
Experiential Learning through Simulation
By simulating real-world scenarios and varying the degree of AI usage, students experience firsthand the challenges and nuances of integrating AI into workplace communication, fostering deeper learning and engagement.
Promoting Ethical AI Use
The assignment highlights the need for ethical considerations in using AI, ensuring students recognize the importance of originality and integrity in their writing, and understand the limitations and responsibilities of relying on AI-generated content.