ESSAY WRITING IN A TECHNOLOGICAL WORLD: THE IMPACT OF ONLINE SOURCES ON STUDENTS’ WRITING

The genre of the essay has received considerable scholarly attention as the most ubiquitous form of university students’ assessment in English-speaking countries. However, the way in which the huge potential of the Internet can affect student writing has been neglected to some extent, apart from the recent concern with the development of Artificial Intelligence and its potential to enhance or even author students’ assignments. This exploratory study examines the use of web-mediated sources in the essays submitted by postgraduate students enrolled on an English-taught master’s degree at the University of Napoli Federico II. The findings suggest that online resources occupy a highly visible position in students’ writing and may contribute to the evolution of the genre of the essay.