Writing with AI Empowering Multilingual Voices in English

This is a two-part assignment I designed for multilingual students in a 100-level introductory composition course. The primary goal is to raise students’ awareness of English language varieties, have them explore how and why multilingual writers may approach writing differently from monolingual English speakers, and guide them to critically examine potential biases in AI toward multilingual writers. The assignment also encourages students to be thoughtful and discerning in their use of AI tools during the writing process. The first part takes place in class where students select a paragraph from a previously submitted essay and prompt Microsoft Copilot to revise it in various English varieties, including Standard American English and the English variety they personally speak. They then analyze and document the similarities and differences among the versions. Students ask Copilot to explain its choices, referencing grammatical features of the respective English varieties, and evaluate the accuracy of its explanations—particularly in relation to multilingual writers like themselves. These observations are shared and discussed with peers and as a class. The second part of the assignment is a written reflection in which students analyze their experience with the in-class activity. They have the option to collaborate with AI during the revision stage but are required to explain how this experience contributes to their development as academic writers. Ultimately, the assignment aims to inspire students to embrace their linguistic identities while cultivating critical engagement with AI-generated content.