Western Governors University teams up with Grammarly to sharpen student writing skills

Grammarly has announced a new collaboration with Western Governors University (WGU), a prominent provider of online higher education.

They aim to enhance the writing capabilities of WGU's students and faculty by offering access to Grammarly’s real-time writing support and the newly introduced Writing Score API.

The Writing Score API, a proprietary technology by Grammarly, offers real-time document quality assessments, aiding students in producing clear and correct writing. This tool will be accessible to WGU students later this summer, with plans to extend it to the broader education market by the end of the year.

Jenny Maxwell, Head of Grammarly for Education, emphasised the ongoing importance of writing skills, even in a workforce increasingly integrated with generative AI:

“Even in the generative AI–connected workforce, writing is as essential as ever, with knowledge workers spending 19 hours per week on written communication.

To ensure students are prepared to succeed in today’s workplace, they must learn effective writing and editing skills. Grammarly’s partnership with WGU will empower students to improve their writing skills, increase the likelihood of earning a degree, and ultimately maximize their career opportunities.”

Grammarly, founded in 2009, has focused on enhancing everyday writing through AI. By integrating its AI writing tools into WGU’s systems, Grammarly aims to improve student writing and foster AI literacy.

Integration of Grammarly’s Writing Score API into WGU’s learning management system allows students to upload assignments and receive a writing score ranging from 1 to 100. This score helps identify areas for improvement in spelling, grammar, syntax, and overall clarity, providing students with actionable feedback for revisions before submission. 

The API leverages Grammarly’s existing writing score technology, previously exclusive to the Grammarly Editor, and extends its functionality to any application. This widespread application in higher education aims to set a standard for writing quality, enabling faculty to focus more on students' ideas rather than basic corrections.

Debbie Fowler, WGU Senior Vice President of Academic Delivery, expressed enthusiasm about the collaboration:

“WGU is thrilled to partner with Grammarly and pilot the Writing Score API at scale. WGU makes higher education and professional career advancement attainable for everyone by identifying system-wide barriers and investing in solutions to eliminate them.

“We are excited to embed this in-the-moment feedback into how we teach while our instructors remain student-centric. By incorporating this AI technology, we can provide truly personalized learning and meet students where they are.”

The partnership highlights a shift among higher education institutions toward embracing AI technology. While some institutions are grappling with AI's implications, WGU’s move shows a proactive approach to integrating AI to enhance educational outcomes.