Is Grammarly useful for improving essay-writing skills? Ecuadorian undergraduate polytechnic students’ viewpoints

Purpose The influence of technology on language learning is growing on a global scale. Due to the rapid changes in the language teaching and learning industry, the traditional classroom is no longer the focal point for language learning. This research aims to identify Ecuadorian undergraduate polytechnic students’ perceptions of using Grammarly to improve their writing skills, the challenges they face when using this AI and the improvement level after using Grammarly. Design/methodology/approach This research follows a mixed-methods design, using a survey, students’ writing samples and semi-structured interviews for data triangulation. Findings Results suggest that participants positively perceived using Grammarly. At the same time, they pinpointed several challenges, such as the suggestion that every time participants executed Grammarly, it suggested new corrections, an issue that has not been identified in other studies. Originality/value Research on AI’s uses and usefulness is still a new field. Moreover, data from Ecuador is almost nonexistent. Thus, this paper aims to close that gap by illuminating the issue.