Class teaches lifelong learners to make AI a writing partner, not a ghostwriter

Matthew Vollmer still drafts much of his writing the old-fashioned way: longhand with pen and paper.

Artificial intelligence (AI) enters the process later. Sometimes he uses large language models to transcribe those handwritten pages. Sometimes he asks AI to spot patterns in his prose, suggest books he might want to read, or dig into the history of a place he’s writing about.

This fall, Vollmer, a professor of English and former director of Virginia Tech’s MFA program in creative writing, will explore those possibilities with a group that brings something artificial intelligence cannot: decades of lived experience.

His two-session course, “Collaborating With AI: How to Make Artificial Intelligence Your Writing Partner,” is part of the fall lineup from the Lifelong Learning Institute of Virginia Tech (LLI), which gives adults 50 and older opportunities to explore new interests, exchange ideas, and connect with others.

Registration is open for LLI’s fall term, which includes nearly 90 courses, lectures, field trips, and other learning opportunities in the arts, science and technology, history, current issues, and more. Classes begin Sept. 8. 

Continuing and Professional Education provides the leadership and institutional foundation for LLI, connecting the university with the broader New River Valley community. LLI draws on Virginia Tech faculty and retired faculty, community instructors, and other subject-matter experts. Volunteers also play an important role in shaping the program and supporting its activities.

Together, instructors, members, and volunteers create opportunities to learn and build intellectual, cultural, and social connections across the New River Valley and beyond.

The spell of AI

A willingness to explore new ideas is at the heart of lifelong learning. For adults who remain curious about how the world is changing — and eager to keep asking questions and trying new things — artificial intelligence offers plenty to investigate.

“You might be at first impressed — bewitched, even — if you ask AI to write the story for you,” Vollmer said.

But in his experience, the spell can wear off quickly.

AI-generated prose may be fluent and polished, he said, while still sounding as though it is striving to be profound. Writing compelling fiction requires something artificial intelligence cannot acquire: a life.

“To write compelling fiction you need not only to have read and processed information, but you need to live, to have lived,” Vollmer said.

That is part of what appeals to him about teaching the course to lifelong learners. Older adults have accumulated a “treasure trove” of experiences to draw on when composing stories, he said. Just as important is their willingness to question what they know.

“I especially love older adults who are humble enough to keep asking hard questions,” he said, “and who understand that as long as they are alive, they have more to learn.”

Learning what to ask

For Vollmer, learning to use AI well begins with learning what to ask of it.

A writer might ask a generative AI tool to identify patterns in a draft or suggest questions that could move a story forward. Vollmer encourages students to challenge the answers they receive, particularly when the feedback seems overly flattering or simply wrong.

A useful place to start is asking: “What questions should I be asking and why?”

Vollmer sees even more potential in AI as a research tool. A writer interested in Mountain Lake, for example, could use AI to begin investigating how the lake formed, why it periodically disappears, and what scholars have written about it. The writer could then follow those leads to primary sources and verified research.

AI may be less a shortcut to answers than an invitation to keep learning, one more tool for people who aren’t finished asking questions.

LLI offers something for everyone

That spirit of curiosity runs throughout LLI’s fall lineup. Members can explore what zombie outbreaks can teach about epidemiology, examine social justice through “The Twilight Zone,” learn to juggle or play pickleball, cook Moroccan cuisine, trace their family histories, or delve into economics, literature, art, and science.

And the learning doesn’t always happen in a classroom.

Fall field trips include visits to Falls Ridge Preserve, an organic farm, and Roanoke's Harrison Museum of African American Culture, as well as a float on the New River and a behind-the-scenes visit to the Virginia Tech Carilion School of Medicine. Some programs meet for several weeks; others are single-session offerings. Offerings range from in-person discussions and hands-on workshops to outdoor excursions and Zoom courses.

LLI draws heavily on knowledge found within Virginia Tech and the surrounding community. Current faculty members are among the instructors, as are retired and emeritus faculty who bring decades of expertise back into the classroom. Some retired faculty also return in a different role — as LLI members eager to learn from someone else.

This fall also marks the debut of the Hyer Speaker Series, named in honor of LLI co-founder Pat Hyer, emeritus associate provost for academic administration. The inaugural luncheon and keynote presentation will be held Tuesday, Nov. 10, at The Inn at Virginia Tech and Skelton Conference Center. Members can register along with their other fall selections.

“LLI really is built around curiosity,” said Shelly Jobst, director of Continuing and Professional Education, part of Outreach and International Affairs. “There’s no pressure to earn a grade or work toward a credential. People can follow an interest they’ve had for years, try something completely new, or simply enjoy learning alongside other people who are just as curious as they are.”

Visit the Lifelong Learning Institute website to explore the complete fall course catalog and learn how to become a member.