Rejuvenating the essay

So how do we revitalise the essay? A renaissance of the essay requires a focus on the processes of reflection, research and writing, emphasising the different elements that make up the essay as much as the output. This approach sees assessment not as the final evaluation or testing of learning, but an integral part of the learning process itself. Any renaissance of the essay necessitates acceptance that, just as in other forms of academic writing, the essay is something that iterates over time and is something that improves with feedback from peers and reviewers. The most important learning often comes from the mistakes we make along the way – something we, as teachers and students alike, should learn to value.

The sudden arrival of ChatGPT in November 2022 sparked widespread concern in university communities about the viability of the essay (and similar long form writing) as a form of academic production and assessment. On 18 June 2024, a group of academics from King’s College London and the London School of Economics and Political Science came together to explore the future of the essay in the age of AI. While acknowledging academic integrity challenges posed by increasingly sophisticated generative AI tools, the starting point for the discussion was a broad acceptance of the value of the essay and a commitment to exploring ways to make the essay work in an AI enabled age.

The 10-point manifesto below syntheses the joint conclusions of the participants in the workshop and subsequent asynchronous exchanges and refinement. We use "essay" in the broadest sense and assume “other long form writing” is implicit throughout. We also state that a defence of the essay includes and implies reflection on all assessment, the engagement with alternative, authentic and dialogic assessment in addition to use of essays and that where “writing as a way of thinking” is considered key, this does not in any way connote a belief that thinking must involve writing. The aim of the manifesto is to stimulate debate, foster reflection and provide educators and students alike with an analytical framework for reimagining the essay as a dynamic tool for learning and assessment in the AI era.

This Student Manifesto for Assessment in the Age of AI is the outcome of dialogue, feedback and reflection among a diverse group of students at undergraduate and postgraduate levels as well as general course students, across multiple departments, both qualitative and quantitative, at LSE.

Generative AI may not end up killing the essay, but it has dealt it a body blow. We have a moment here to consider how best to help it recover – or if we want it to recover at all. 

Considering the rhetorical techniques on display in so many video essays, our proposal here is simple: Undergraduates can effectively develop writing and research skills by experimenting with the video-essay genre.

This is what good writing looks like: It is a genuine struggle with ideas. It models that big questions don’t deserve fast, easy answers. Yes, it requires a substantial amount of class time. I use about 30 minutes every other week to devote to these exercises. I’ve developed a single workbook for my philosophy courses that outlines all these steps—including space to write and then reflect on their progress between sessions. From my own experience, I can say it is all working quite well.