In classrooms, reactions to the increasing role of artificial intelligence have varied, with some educators expressing deep concern and others embracing the change. As ChatGPT nears its third anniversary, students and teachers have lodged numerous complaints and defenses, with some cases standing out for their intense backlash.
According to New Zealand’s Stuff, 115 postgraduate students at Lincoln University were stunned upon learning they have to retake a coding exam in person after their instructor suspected some of them used AI to cheat. An email leaked to Stuff revealed a “high number of suspected cases” of unethical AI use during the test. The email acknowledged the possibility of students having prior coding experience but deemed it unlikely across many submissions.
The unnamed instructor decided that the only fair solution was for students to retake the exam in person and verbally explain their code. This method aligns with school policies against unethical AI use. “If you wrote the code yourself, you can explain it,” the instructor wrote, emphasizing that inability to explain indicated cheating.
The strict approach led some students to view it as an overreaction. An anonymous student told Stuff, “What makes this particularly difficult is the atmosphere it has created,” with many feeling under suspicion despite doing nothing wrong. The student added that defending their work through live coding felt stressful and unconventional.
The same student noted the email suggested disciplinary action if they didn’t comply or failed the test. The instructor added that students suspected of AI use or those failing to re-book their exam would be reported to Lincoln’s provost. “That atmosphere of ‘one slip and you’re guilty’ is what is creating such unease,” the student said.
While educators have previously failed students under false AI suspicion individually, this situation recalls the 2023 case at Texas A&M University, where a professor failed half his class due to incorrect AI detection by ChatGPT. The Lincoln lecturer’s name remains undisclosed, preventing direct queries about the reaction, though it likely involves strong words.
More on AI and academia: Founder of Google’s Generative AI Team Says Don’t Even Bother Getting a Law or Medical Degree, Because AI’s Going to Destroy Both Those Careers Before You Can Even Graduate.
