Writing a Critical Academic Essay: With or Without Chatgpt?

Incorporating Chat Generative Pre-Trained Transformer (ChatGPT) into education, particularly into Academic Writing (AW), has not only altered perceptions of modern technology but also reshaped the process of teaching itself. However, specific applications of ChatGPT in AW classes still remain to be in the focus of attention of numerous educators causing heated debates among them. Hence, this article explores potentials as well as pros and cons of integrating ChatGPT into AW instruction within University curricula. Specifically, it revolves around the process of training master students how to create effective critical academic essays. The primary objective of this study is to establish a comprehensive framework for engaging ChatGPT in the English AW course. Employing the methods of theoretical positioning, comparative analysis, and qualitative research, the article first examines the complex nature of ChatGPT, elucidates its major characteristics, advantages, and possible challenges it can create, then it illuminates the stages that students are supposed to go through when composing critical academic essays. The article also highlights potentials of ChatGPT in assisting students at different stages of the writing process, from topic selection to proofreading. Additionally, it emphasizes the importance of reasonable and justified usage of ChatGPT to avert students’ parasitism and overdependence on it, which may result in reducing their mental capacities and AW expertise. Finally, this paper contributes valuable insights into the ongoing integration of artificial intelligence into education and underscores the necessity for further research aimed at delving into the issues related to the objective assessment of students’ works co-authored with ChatGPT as well as the long-lasting effect of incorporating ChatGPT into AW instruction.