Voice, Vision, Revision: A Writer's Guide to AI, Grades 9-12
Digital Learning Lab course
8 class sessions, 1.5 hours per class (12 hours of instruction)
January 13 - March 3
Tuesdays, 4:00 - 5:30 p.m. PST
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This course has been developed in partnership with the Digital Learning Lab (DLL), a UCI research lab leading the nation in developing innovative AI and computational thinking curriculum. To learn more about the DLL, visit their website at digitallearninglab.org. |
Course Description:
This innovative online course empowers emerging writers to thrive in the age of artificial intelligence by developing both strong foundational writing abilities and advanced digital literacy skills. Drawing on research-based strategies, students will learn to leverage AI as a creative collaborator—an insightful assistant when effectively prompted, rather than a substitute for their unique voice.
Students enrolled in this course will have free access to UCI’s award-winning PapyrusAI platform both during the course and for a full year after.
Through hands-on, media-rich writing projects, students will:
Guided by big-picture questions like: “What do we gain by collaborating with AI?”, “Can our voices remain authentic when machines can mimic creativity?” and “What roles can AI play when people write and what does each role accomplish?.” Students will deepen their understanding of writing as both an individual expression and a collaborative process. At the same time, students will learn and practice essential writing strategies that support success with or without AI tools.
By the end of the course, students will see writing not just as a solitary pursuit, but as an empowered conversation between humans and the tools we create.
Instructor Biography:
Melissa Danielle Wright is an experienced bilingual K-12 educator who has taught students in English Language Arts, English Language Development, and Bilingual classrooms throughout Southern California. She has passionately dedicated her career to the support of multilingual learners and now hopes to bridge the gap between all learners and digital literacy. Melissa earned her bachelor’s degree in English from UC Riverside and her Master of Arts in Teaching from the University of Southern California (USC). She is currently pursuing a Ph.D. in Education at UC Irvine, where she specializes in Teaching, Learning, and Educational Improvement. At UCI’s Digital Learning Lab, her research centers on designing pedagogical practices that empower students and educators to thoughtfully integrate artificial intelligence into the classroom—fostering creativity, critical thinking, and ethical inquiry. Melissa believes that when students learn to collaborate with AI as a thinking partner—not a replacement—they become better writers and gain deeper insights into their own voices, perspectives, and agency.
This innovative online course empowers emerging writers to thrive in the age of artificial intelligence by developing both strong foundational writing abilities and advanced digital literacy skills. Drawing on research-based strategies, students will learn to leverage AI as a creative collaborator—an insightful assistant when effectively prompted, rather than a substitute for their unique voice.
Students enrolled in this course will have free access to UCI’s award-winning PapyrusAI platform both during the course and for a full year after.
Through hands-on, media-rich writing projects, students will:
- Investigate the boundaries between human and AI-generated writing.
- Analyze the creative, ethical, and intellectual implications of AI in writing.
- Master the principles of effective prompt engineering, including the use of personas, constraints, and iterative refinement.
- Sharpen critical thinking skills by detecting bias, misinformation, and automation errors.
Guided by big-picture questions like: “What do we gain by collaborating with AI?”, “Can our voices remain authentic when machines can mimic creativity?” and “What roles can AI play when people write and what does each role accomplish?.” Students will deepen their understanding of writing as both an individual expression and a collaborative process. At the same time, students will learn and practice essential writing strategies that support success with or without AI tools.
By the end of the course, students will see writing not just as a solitary pursuit, but as an empowered conversation between humans and the tools we create.
Instructor Biography:
Melissa Danielle Wright is an experienced bilingual K-12 educator who has taught students in English Language Arts, English Language Development, and Bilingual classrooms throughout Southern California. She has passionately dedicated her career to the support of multilingual learners and now hopes to bridge the gap between all learners and digital literacy. Melissa earned her bachelor’s degree in English from UC Riverside and her Master of Arts in Teaching from the University of Southern California (USC). She is currently pursuing a Ph.D. in Education at UC Irvine, where she specializes in Teaching, Learning, and Educational Improvement. At UCI’s Digital Learning Lab, her research centers on designing pedagogical practices that empower students and educators to thoughtfully integrate artificial intelligence into the classroom—fostering creativity, critical thinking, and ethical inquiry. Melissa believes that when students learn to collaborate with AI as a thinking partner—not a replacement—they become better writers and gain deeper insights into their own voices, perspectives, and agency.