Even amid the explosive growth of generative artificial intelligence and other digital tools, college students today are writing more than ever before, says Neal Lerner, professor of English at Northeastern University. But academic writing — whether of the self-sponsored kind that students might encounter in the humanities, or more rigid forms found in other disciplines — leaves a lot to be desired, he says.
In a book co-authored with colleagues at the University of Oklahoma and St. John’s University, Lerner brings some of the issues facing writing in higher education to light. “Teaching writing is really hard,” Lerner says. “It’s hard to do, it’s hard to teach, and there is no secret sauce.”
