Argumentative Writing Software: Perceptions of Undergraduate Students toward Artist Prototype

Abstract

We examined how university students perceived the feasibility and usability of an argumentative writing support software or tool, Artist, for a research and development approach. Artist assisted undergraduate students in their arguments using natural language processing (NLP) and cutting-edge artificial intelligence (AI) technologies. 30 students majoring in science and social science, participated in this study at a Thai University. To test the various prototype interfaces, the participants were divided into two groups. Based on an analysis of the insightful feedback from the focus group, the first group was interviewed. Then, the second interface was modified for technological development. Subsequently, the second group tested the second prototype, and the focus group interviews were conducted again. The results verified that undergraduate students benefited from a graphical representation in their argumentative writing. With the help of this learning system, the range of ways to create argumentations was determined using discourse analysis, argumentation analysis, and ChatGPT recommendations. Regarding ChatGPT, participants felt differently about it, especially in terms of its utility. We examined the effectiveness of the argumentative writing tool and proposed how to improve it.