Using AI feedback in a college writing course

Choose a task that needs revision

Start with one assignment that asks students to make and support a claim. Give the draft stage a purpose: students should have enough writing to examine, and enough time to change the argument before the final deadline.

For example, ask students to recommend a campus change, support it with specific evidence, explain the connection, and consider a limitation. Inline’s grocery-bus essay demonstration shows how a draft can meet part of that task while leaving a reasoning gap to revise.

Choose a learning question before choosing a metric. “Do students explain how evidence supports a claim after feedback?” is more useful for this assignment than simply counting feedback requests.

Make permitted AI use clear

State which uses your course permits, what students should disclose, and what work they must do themselves. Inline is designed to ask questions about writing; students decide which feedback to use and write the revisions.

Explain the submission record before students begin. Joining an Inline class or linking an assignment does not share a private draft. When a student deliberately submits, the teaching recipients receive a fixed copy of that draft, every retained saved version, all saved feedback and Brainstorming questions, and recorded writing-activity totals. Students preview that complete record before submitting; later edits and other documents remain private.

Confirm your institution’s privacy, accessibility, and support requirements before starting a pilot. The app privacy policy and institutional FAQ are starting points for that review.

A draft-to-revision classroom routine

1. Set up the assignment. After professor access is approved, create a class and assignment in Inline. Invite students using the class link or code and explain the purpose of the draft stage.
2. Let students write a first draft. Students add the assignment context and request passage-specific feedback. They read each comment beside the writing it concerns.
3. Ask for a revision decision. Have students identify one comment they will act on, explain the problem in their own words, and choose a change. They can also explain why a comment does not fit their intent.
4. Revise before the final review. Students make their changes and reread the argument. The essay revision checklist can support a peer review or a short classroom discussion at this stage.
5. Review the submitted process. When students submit, compare the saved drafts and feedback in the course workspace. Leave your own comments where a decision needs further discussion.

This is a suggested teaching routine. A reflection or revision decision can be part of your assignment instructions; it is not an automatic score produced by Inline.

What to look for in a pilot

Feedback that fits the assignment

Read a sample of comments beside their source passages. Identify which questions expose a meaningful gap and which miss context or overemphasize a minor issue.

Revisions that address a problem

Compare the earlier passage with the revision. Look for a clearer claim, better-supported evidence, or an explanation that was previously missing. A large amount of changed text is not necessarily a better revision.

Student judgment

Ask students why they accepted, changed, or rejected a suggestion. Being able to explain a decision gives you something concrete to discuss about their writing.

Usefulness for the teaching team

Record where the submitted history helps a conference or written response, and where the workflow adds work. Ask students what remained confusing or inaccessible.

A small course pilot can reveal useful examples and workflow problems. Establishing broader learning gains takes a separate evaluation design; the number of users or feedback runs alone does not establish them.

Use revision history as context for a conversation

Inline shows saved writing and recorded activity. It does not provide an AI-detection or cheating score, and a short history does not establish misconduct. Work completed elsewhere may be missing.

A practical use is to ask a student why a claim changed, how they selected new evidence, or which feedback helped them reconsider a paragraph. The professor remains responsible for interpretation and assessment.

Plan a course or writing-program pilot

Bring an assignment, the approximate number of students, your teaching goals, and any institutional requirements. A pilot can start with one course or a teaching team. Pro access is available through participating professors during the pilot.