UCLA Faculty Association: Let's ask chatGPT about the Australian solution

Saturday, January 14, 2023

Let's ask chatGPT about the Australian solution

Source: https://amp.theguardian.com/australia-news/2023/jan/10/universities-to-return-to-pen-and-paper-exams-after-students-caught-using-ai-to-write-essays

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In response to the article in The Guardian suggesting pen-and-paper exams to prevent use of artificial intelligence programs on exams in Australia, yours truly decided to ask chatGPT about this issue:

Question: The Guardian newspaper has a story that in Australia, university students are required to answer exam questions using a pen and handwriting rather than a computer to prevent them from utilizing artificial intelligence programs to write the answers. Is this necessary?

It is possible that requiring students to answer exam questions using a pen and handwriting rather than a computer could prevent them from using artificial intelligence programs to write the answers. However, it is also possible that students could find other ways to cheat, such as using a computer to write their answers and then transcribing them by hand. Ultimately, the effectiveness of this approach in preventing cheating would depend on the specific measures in place to detect and prevent cheating, as well as the sophistication of the artificial intelligence programs that students might attempt to use.

Question: What specific measures are you suggesting?

There are several measures that can be taken to detect and prevent cheating on exams, including:

-Proctoring software to monitor students during the exam

-Using plagiarism detection software to check for similarities between exam answers and other sources

-Randomly selecting questions for different students

-Implementing strict protocols for the handling and storage of exam materials

-Using multiple versions of the exam

-Monitoring the use of prohibited devices like mobile phones or laptops during the exams

-Using handwriting analysis techniques to confirm whether the handwriting is original or not.

These are a few examples, and different institutions may have their own specific measures in place to detect and prevent cheating. The key is to have a combination of different measures in place that can detect different types of cheating.

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