Leslie Dupont, PhD, earned her degree in Rhetoric, Composition and Teaching of English in 1999. She is also an experienced editor and writer, having published two textbooks on writing. With over 30 years of teaching experience, Leslie is especially suited to her roles as both a writing coach and an English Language Specialist to scholars and professionals across cultures and disciplines. Over the years, she has worked with populations from across disciplines, cultures, nationalities, ethnicities, gender identities, and ages in both higher education and the private sector. At present, she works directly with students, staff, and faculty in the College of Nursing at the University of Arizona. Leslie is experienced in individual, small-group, and large-group teaching and workshop contexts, both online and in person. She is strongly committed to inclusivity and individual empowerment. Through teaching and coaching, Leslie takes a strong mentoring approach, encouraging independence and confidence in writing.

Workshop Title: Teaching Synthesis—With and Without AI


Overview and Purpose:
The process of synthesizing and paraphrasing research then smoothly integrating this material into one’s writing is challenging for multiple reasons: insufficient training in effective ways to paraphrase; unfamiliarity with the synthesis process; fear of inadvertent plagiarism; difficulty knowing how to incorporate synthesized, paraphrased knowledge; and the challenges of reading, writing, thinking, and simultaneously translating in multiple languages. A relatively new layer added to this complexity is how and whether to use generative-AI tools in academic writing. The purpose of this workshop is twofold:

1. to engage in strategies for demystifying the synthesis and paraphrasing processes and
2. to explore as writing-support specialists, rather than AI experts, ways that generative AI can be used to facilitate synthesis and paraphrasing ethically and usefully.

Audience and Aims:
This workshop is targeted primarily to writing specialists and educators; however, anyone who is interested is welcome to join us. The workshop will focus on working with the following tools within academic writing and writing-support contexts:
• a step-by-step process for paraphrasing effectively
• a guide for identifying and synthesizing themes across source materials
• a strategy for integrating synthesized, paraphrased information smoothly and accurately in writing
• an interactive discussion on the roles and uses of generative AI in synthesis and paraphrasing

Expected Learning Outcomes:
Participants will leave the workshop having done the following:
• applied practices for teaching and using synthesis and paraphrasing in academic writing
• adapted tools to meet the academic writing needs of their students and/or themselves
• generated strategies to guide writers to use critical thinking with generative-AI tools