As artificial intelligence rapidly reshapes higher education, the College of Professional Studies (CPS) at Northeastern University is taking proactive steps to redesign its writing and language support ecosystem.
The goal? To expand access, improve learning outcomes, and integrate AI literacy into writing instruction—while ensuring scalability and cost-effectiveness.
Project Goal
To provide comprehensive, scalable, and AI-integrated writing and language support for all CPS students, faculty, and staff—empowering learners to thrive in academic and professional communication across disciplines.
Opportunities
- Embed AI writing tutors directly into platforms students already use (Canvas, Student Hub)
- Support the writing needs of more learners, including in high-need programs (e.g., English foundations, EdD, DLP, DPS)
- Reduce reliance on costly third-party tools while developing students’ 21st-century communication skills
Summer 2025 Pilot Overview
Objective
To test the effectiveness of AI-powered writing and language tools compared to the existing Online Writing Lab (OWL), specifically within CPS’s introductory English course sequence.
Benefits of AI Integration
- Increased access to feedback anytime, anywhere
- Lower costs for writing and tutoring support
- AI skill-building for students, faculty, and staff (e.g., prompt engineering, chatbot creation)
- Improved scalability across multiple programs
Selection criteria included: chatbot functionality, LMS (Canvas) integration, FERPA compliance, scalability, and cost.
Why It Matters
This pilot reflects CPS’s core values:
- Access: Reaching more students with real-time support
- Equity: Supporting diverse learners, including multilingual and first-gen students
- Innovation: Leading in AI integration and experiential, future-ready learning
By reimagining our writing support infrastructure through the lens of AI, CPS can model what student-centered, skills-based education looks like in the age of AI.