The English Language Support (ELS) team hosted an engaging AI Writing Workshop on 18 September 2025, led by Ms. Shannel Carnett. The event, titled ‘HOW TO USE AI TO BRIANSTORM IDEAS FOR YOUR ESSAY,’ drew a large turnout of enthusiastic students eager to enhance their essay-writing skills using AI tools. The workshop focused on leveraging AI to brainstorm ideas for evaluation essays, guiding students through identifying essay types, developing prompts according to given topics, and validating sources.

Ms. Carnett shared practical steps, including using platforms like poe.com and the HKBU GenAI Platform to generate ideas for benefits-and-drawbacks essays, which students will be working on in their English Academic Writing I course. Aside from teaching students how to brainstorm ideas, she also stressed the importance of verifying sources through the library catalogue and identifying relevant evidence from the journal articles found.

Students were highly attentive, actively participating in games and eagerly asking questions about crafting effective prompts and verifying AI-generated sources. The interactive session, enriched with QR code activities, fostered a dynamic learning environment. Feedback highlighted the workshop’s clarity and applicability, with students excited to apply AI-driven strategies to their writing. Ms. Carnett’s engaging delivery made complex concepts accessible and inspiring.

The ELS team looks forward to hosting more workshops to support students’ academic success. Visit our website for upcoming events.