Words Don't Come Easy to Me – Teaching Academic Writing to Engineering Students in the Age Of AI

The competence of academic writing is currently still a central requirement for obtaining an academic degree. However, in teaching academic writing, lecturers have to deal with the two challenges of decreasing reading competence in young people and increasing use of artificial intelligence (AI) in reading and writing assignments. In engineering in particular, literacy understood as reading and writing competence is essential - whether for understanding complex tasks, analysing case studies or dealing with technical documents such as the product requirements document. Against this background, it is crucial to develop strategies and discuss modern approaches to specifically promote students' reading and writing skills and thus create an essential basis for successful scientific work and problem-solving. This workshop aims to stimulate an interactive exchange and develop practical solutions in the three core areas strengthening reading competence, developing academic writing skills, and substituting for reading and writing assessments.