A case study of digital-based university writing classes for writing ethics practice : Focusing on awareness of generative AI use and comparison of written works

This study focuses on finding ways to practice writing ethics in college writing classes. It is a case study of a class that aims to elicit self-awareness as a subject of writing ethics by surveying college students’ perception of writing ethics as subjects of writing and comparing their own writing with writing created by generative AI in digital-based writing. From 2023 to 2024, University A conducted a survey on awareness of writing ethics and column writing every semester, and in 2024, based on the previous survey, students answered a survey by comparing their own writing with writing created by generative AI. Even in the era of generative AI, the essence of writing is to establish self-identity by expressing one's own perception and thoughts through letters and communicating with others. In that sense, writing is a task that reflects the subject of the writing and at the same time reestablishes self-identity beyond the subject. This is because the use of electronic media as a writing tool requires an immediate and efficient method that utilizes the mediation and hypermediation of electronic media. In a survey on awareness of writing ethics, students reported that the use of similarity check apps increased, and many recognized that plagiarism was not a major problem, but they responded that specific practices were needed, such as education on citations, annotations, and references in the solution. They also believed that the writer using generative AI should have the ability to judge information. As a result of comparing and reviewing citations and annotations, outline composition and draft feedback, and their own writing and generative AI writing in the actual colAbstract umn writing process, they recognized the advantages of generative AI over simple information delivery, reliability issues without sources, and dependency issues, and they clearly recognized that it was not the writing they wanted or wrote. In contrast, their self-esteem for their own writing increased, and they responded that when using generative AI, clear indication of sources or citations, writing centered on their own originality, ethical responsibility, and critical thinking were important as writing ethics measures. Writing ethics can be fostered through the self-awareness and ethical practice of the writer, rather than sanctions or penalties.