This session examines the transformative impact of Generative Artificial Intelligence (GenAI) on language and literature education. With tools like ChatGPT, Gemini, Grammarly, and multimodal AI platforms becoming widely accessible, both educators and students face new opportunities and challenges. This session explores how instructors integrate GenAI into teaching, how students—especially multilingual learners—navigate issues of authorship and identity, and how critical engagement with these tools can be fostered. We will discuss its influence on pedagogy, learning processes, assessment, creative expression, and academic integrity across multiple language contexts (Italian, French, German, Spanish, and English L2). Moving beyond technological novelty, the session critically assesses GenAI’s role in shaping humanities education.
Rationale
This session addresses an urgent need within the Modern Languages Association (MLA) for a focused discussion on GenAI’s integration into academia. No longer hypothetical, AI tools now shape student writing, research, and creative work. Educators must share empirical insights, best practices, and critiques to ensure responsible and effective use. Ignoring GenAI risks losing control over pedagogical direction and failing to equip students for a future where AI interaction is routine. This session fosters a nuanced understanding of GenAI’s transformative potential and its risks, such as bias and equity concerns. Rather than reactive policies, it promotes proactive engagement to shape an equitable and effective educational future.
Relation to Existing Scholarship
This session intersects with key areas of research. It builds on Computer-Assisted Language Learning (CALL) while focusing on GenAI’s advanced capabilities in text generation, conversation, and multimodal composition. It engages with debates in Composition Studies and Rhetoric regarding authorship, originality, plagiarism, and multilingual writers' voices (addressed in Presentation 4). It contributes to Digital Humanities through AI-driven multimodal composition (Presentation 2) and critical digital literacy. In Applied Linguistics and Sociolinguistics, it explores linguistic identity, cultural representation, and algorithmic bias, considering whether AI reinforces or challenges power dynamics in academia.
Session Structure
This 75-minute session balances presentations and discussion. The first 50–55 minutes will feature four presentations (12–14 minutes each), followed by a 20-minute moderated discussion. This ensures time for audience participation, allowing attendees to pose questions, share experiences, and engage with panelists in a collaborative exploration of GenAI’s implications for language and literature education.
Individual Presentations
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“Generative AI Tools in Teaching, Learning, and Assessment” (Teresa Lobalsamo & Dellannia Segreti)
This presentation provides empirical insights into using GenAI (e.g., ChatGPT) in foundational Italian and French courses. It examines how GenAI enhances writing proficiency through specific exercises while addressing effectiveness, limitations, and strategies for maintaining academic integrity. -
“Doing Digital Multimodal: Creative AI in the Language and Literature Classroom” (Megnan McInnis-Domínguez)
Expanding beyond text-based applications, this presentation explores AI-driven multimodal composition (voice, image, video) in Hispanic literature and language learning. It highlights pedagogical approaches that use AI for simulated conversations, visual interpretation, and narrative adaptation, fostering critical digital literacy. -
“Perceived and Measurable Effects of Prompt Engineering in the Language Classroom” (Alexander E. Pichugin)
This presentation examines the role of prompt engineering in German language instruction. It provides practical strategies for teaching students how to interact effectively and critically with GenAI, supporting the session’s goal of fostering informed AI use. -
“Writing in the ‘Third Space’: Multilingual Authorship in the Age of GenAI” (Abdullah Al-Musayeb)
This presentation explores the experiences of Bangladeshi multilingual students in U.S. academia, examining how GenAI influences their scholarly voice and cultural identity. It highlights potential risks of erasure and the need for pedagogical strategies that support diverse student writers navigating algorithmic influence.
Diversity of Voice
This session brings together presenters from Canadian and U.S. institutions, representing multiple language contexts (Italian, French, Spanish, German, English L2) at different stages of their academic careers, and diverse educational settings, from foundational language courses to literary analysis and multimodal composition. Methodological approaches range from empirical classroom studies to critical analysis of multilingual student experiences. This variety ensures a comprehensive exploration of GenAI’s impact, covering pedagogical strategies, creative applications, and equity considerations.