The Effectiveness of AI-Powered Writing Assistants in Enhancing Essay Writing Skills at Undergraduate Level

Abstract

Artificial Intelligence (AI) has its transformative function in education by providing AI writing assistants like ChatGPT and Grammarly. AI tools have emerged as a prominent resource for improving writing performance at the advanced levels of education, hence, this study seeks to explore the potential of these tools to improve the essay writing of undergraduate Pakistani students. Using a mixed-methods approach, the research investigates changes in grammar, coherence, vocabulary, and overall academic writing for students over the eight-week period. The population of the study is BS students of Management Sciences at University of Education and data were collected through pre- and post-test essays and instructor’s evaluations to evaluate the impact of AI-generated feedback versus human feedback on students' learning experience. The results show that the use of AI writing assistants has a positive impact on student writing in terms of accuracy, structural organization and self-revision, while challenges related to excessive dependence on AI and ethical concerns around academic integrity remain. The study also investigates students’ perceptions of AI-assisted learning and the implications for pedagogy within higher education. From the findings, there are suggestions made on how to best incorporate AI writing tools into the university curricula. This study adds to the continuing conversation about AI in education; it also informs the study of its role in enhancing writing skills in underdeveloped academic contexts like Pakistan.