Three-Stage Metacognitive Reflection Framework for AI Engagement

Liping Yang and Michael Harker
Georgia State University

In this assignment, students pause to engage in micro-level metacognitive reflection during AI interactions. They will examine how they exercise judgment as writers, the strategies they use to build and organize knowledge, and how AI models support or challenge those strategies. Students will also reflect on AI performance, its strengths and limitations, and how its output shapes their writerly identity. These reflections help students navigate the balance between human and machine agency, build awareness of their writing habits, and identify areas of growth. Ultimately, the assignment cultivates AI literacy, encouraging intentional, strategic use of AI rather than passive acceptance or rejection. 

Learning Goals

  • Develop metacognitive awareness of the writing process and product
  • Cultivate independent thinking and maintain authorial control; build agency in human–machine collaboration by making thoughtful, purposeful writing decisions
  • Strengthen writers’ ability to critically evaluate AI-generated content and understand the limits and affordances of the generative AI tool
  • Transfer what students learned from engaging with AI to other writing tasks or real-world contexts

Original Assignment Context: As students worked on components toward a major final project in the Business Writing course, they followed this assignment structure whenever they engaged with AI: preliminary thinking and drafting, guided AI engagement, and reflection. This reflection component guided students through a three-step reflective process—before, during, and after using AI—encouraging them to slow down, assess their decisions, and take ownership of both the writing and learning process.

Originally developed for an upper-level Business Writing course as well as the departmental AI curriculum, this reflection activity is also applicable to any composition course that incorporates AI engagement.

Materials Needed

  • Access to a safe and reliable large language model (LLM); ideally, a university-approved AI platform
  • Reflection templates (attached later) 

Time Frame: Student independent reflection: 30-45 minutes  

Overview: As I began designing assignments that integrated AI into the writing process, I realized it wasn’t enough to introduce students to AI simply because it’s there or because “writing has always been a technology.” Meaningful engagement requires more than step-by-step instructions. We must reposition students’ roles as writers: Why would they choose to work with AI? How do they understand their relationship with it? My goal was to help students see AI as a powerful but limited writing partner—one that demands critical thinking, intentional planning, and reflective practice.

This recurring reflection assignment was implemented over 45 times in the Spring and Summer 2025 business writing courses, where students used AI at most stages of the writing process. Each AI-supported activity concluded with tailored reflection prompts designed to foster a critical, independent relationship with AI. Students followed a three-stage framework—before, during, and after using AI—that guided them to pause, assess their decisions, and take ownership of their writing and learning. This chart synthesizes the major themes from these reflections.

The outcome was a stronger sense of student agency in human–AI collaboration. Students became more independent and intentional AI users—fully in control during writing, yet supported when needed. Several students noted that the process helped them better understand the value of their own voice, thinking, and creativity, which part of the AI engagement they found most helpful and why, and how fundamentally different the way machines “speak” and “think” is from how humans do. One student shared that working with AI challenged her to be more aware of her ideas and even caused her to “overthink” her own writing at times—but in doing so, she gained a deeper appreciation for her process, idea, and voice in her authorship.

Assignment

(for a better visually designed assignment sheet, please kindly see here)

Three-Stage AI Engagement Reflection Chart

This reflection chart guides you through a structured reflection process for engaging with AI in your writing. It is divided into three key stages—Before, During, and After—to help you plan your AI use, think critically while using it, and reflect on what you learned. Use this chart to track your decisions, evaluate your AI engagement, and develop your awareness of your writing and thinking. The goal is to help you stay in control of your writing while using AI as a support.

Three-Stage Metacognitive Reflection Framework for AI Engagement

Stage

Reflection Questions

Your Notes / Responses

Stage 1: 

Before Using AI

Plan your engagement, think of yourself as the captain of the writing process

- What am I trying to do with this part of my writing?

- Why do I feel the need to use AI here?

- What kind of support do I need—idea generation, grammar, structure, etc.?

- How will I stay in control of my writing when using AI?

- What do I want AI to help with, and what do I want to do myself?


 

Write your plan and intentions before using AI

Stage 2:

During AI Use

Engage critically, treat AI as a conversation partner, not a decision-maker.

- What did the AI suggest?

- Does it reflect my purpose, audience, and voice?

- Is this idea accurate, helpful, or biased?

- What would I accept or revise from the AI’s response?

- Am I making the final decision, or is AI leading?

Summarize the AI output, note what you kept or changed, and explain why

Stage 3: 

After Using AI

Reflect on the process and how you can transfer it beyond this assignment.

Writing Knowledge & Understanding:

- Did AI help you better understand your topic, or did it distract you from your original goal?

- Did it give you new ideas, or just repeat things you already knew?

- Has it changed the way you think about what "counts" as knowledge in writing?

Writing Strategies & Process:

- Has using AI changed the way you write?

- What part of your writing process feels different now—planning, drafting, revising, or organizing your ideas?

- Are you adjusting your writing to match what AI suggests?

- Do you think those changes are helping you learn and grow as a writer, or are they making you rely on AI too much?

Feelings & Judgments:

- How did working with AI make you feel about your writing and thinking?

- Did it boost your confidence or make you feel like your voice was being challenged?

- Did you feel in control of the writing process, or did AI seem to take over?

- Did AI feel like a helpful partner—or more like something that got in the way of your ideas?

Reflect on what you learned and how you will approach AI use next time.

Acknowledgements

This essay is a collaborative project authored by Liping Yang and Dr. Michael Harker. Yang served as the primary writer, drafting the essay and articulating its central arguments, examples, and pedagogical applications. Harker contributed through supporting the project’s development and situating it within broader conversations in composition pedagogy. Together, the authors worked to review and refine the manuscript, and both approve the final version for publication.

This assignment is adapted from my chapter, “Artificial Intelligence and Writing,” published in Our Guide to First-Year Writing (freshman composition textbook) by TopHat in 2025.

Yang, Liping, Tiffany Gray, and Megan Hall. “Artificial Intelligence and Writing.” Guide to First-Year Writing, Top Hat, 2025.