CLASS:COMM 416 AI & DIGITAL COMMUNICATION

COPY EDITING
WITH AI TOOLS
OVERVIEW
In this course, we will dive into the nuanced application of AI language model tools for copy editing, emphasizing not only
grammatical precision, but also the preservation and enhancement of the author's unique voice and style.

Each week, you will complete a different AI editing and writing prompt to submit on the class discussion board. In class, we
will go through our writing examples and discuss ways to improve what we edited and generated with AI tools. You will also
need to provide a summary of how many generations you did for each writing assignment and the prompts you used.

At the end of the semester, you will compile your writing samples into a digital portfolio that includes a short case-study
summary of your skills using AI (a walk-through of the prompts and process you used for each assignment).

SAMPLE WEEKLY DISCUSSION BOARD WRITING ASSIGNMENTS

WEEK ONE
WRITE AT LEAST A 1-PAGE SINGLE-SPACED STORY ABOUT A RECENT EVENT IN YOUR LIFE. DON'T WORRY ABOUT FORMATTING, AND ONLY CHECK
GRAMMAR AND SPELLING IF IT WON'T STRESS YOU OUT. THE INTENT IS TO LET YOU FREE-WRITE AND SEE HOW YOU CHOOSE TO EXPRESS YOURSELF
THROUGH WORDS. POST YOUR STORY AS A PDF OR WORD FILE ON THIS DISCUSSION BOARD, AND IN YOUR POST, ANSWER THE FOLLOWING REFLECTION
QUESTIONS:
Look at your word choices--do you use a lot of adjectives and adverbs to describe events (ex: beautiful, golden sunset, hot, humid day) or are you very
straight to the point? (ex: it was hot; I was hanging with friends at sunset)?
How much writing do you do outside of class assignments? (social media posts count)
Share a social media post or article from someone whose voice you admire and want to emulate in your own writing.

WEEK TWO
TAKE YOUR WRITING FROM WEEK ONE AND PLAY WITH CHATGPT TO FINE-TUNE YOUR FREE WRITING ASSIGNMENT TAKE MY SUGGESTIONS
FROM THAT FIRST ASSIGNMENT AND TRY A COUPLE DIFFERENT PROMPTS FOR CHATGPT. THEN ANSWER THE FOLLOWING QUESTIONS:
What were the prompts you gave ChatGPT to help you edit your writing?
Did you use what it offered verbatim, just use part of the suggested edits, or use what ChatGPT suggested as inspiration for your own rewrites
(any choice is fine)?

WEEK THREE
GO TO ONE OF THE FOLLOWING BLOGS AND LOOK AT THE STYLE OF THEIR WRITING: SPIN SUCKS | PR COUTURE | JENERATION PR
What do you notice?
How long are the paragraphs?
What does their lead (intro) look like?
Do they have hyperlinks to other ideas/resources?
How long are the posts?)
USING THE ARTICLES YOU LOOKED AT AS INSPIRATION GO TO CHATGPT AND PRACTICE A FEW PROMPTS TO GENERATE YOUR OWN BLOG
POST IDEAS. REMEMBER: GOOD AI WRITING PROMPTS NEED TO INCLUDE THE FOLLOWING COMPONENTS:
Clear: Remember that GenAI programs don’t interpret meanings in the ways that we do.
They cannot make assumptions about what is really intended as opposed to what is stated.
Specific: Prompts need to be specific so that the GenAI has sufficient details from which to extrapolate an output.
Vague prompts can result in vague or generic outputs. For example, asking a GenAI program to “write an essay about Wuthering
Heights” or “create an article about internet censorship” will not likely result in a strong output
Contextual: Prompts that don’t provide contextual details are more likely to result in outputs that miss the mark.
Provide as many contextual details and background information as possible, including the intended audience, the scenario the writing
is for (a piece of journalism, a brief professional email, etc.), and the intended tone and style.
Accurate: GenAI programs cannot currently discern between correct and incorrect information.
So, if you use inaccurate information as part of your prompt, GenAI will assume your prompt’s claims to be true, likely returning an
output that itself contains false information.
Ethical: Every academic discipline, profession, and personal situation brings with it a set of ethical expectations that should be accounted
for.
In general, prompts should avoid directing GenAI toward offensive, intentionally misleading and content that might lead to harm.