● Exams at Princeton University must now be proctored after students and faculty raised concerns about the “widespread” use of AI to cheat, nj.com reports. The new policy — which takes effect July 1 — reverses a longstanding interpretation of the honor code which held that proctors were not necessary and that students should report any suspected wrongdoing. The honor code has governed in-class exams since 1893.
● Dean of the College Michael Gordin wrote in a letter cited by nj.com that undergraduates and faculty are “realistic in understanding that having an instructor supervising examinations will not eradicate cheating,” but that there should still be a “significant deterrent effect.”
● Gordon said “ease of access” to generative AI products on small personal devices helped drive the demand for proctors. He said the policy change should “reduce pressure on students to notice and report concerns while they are themselves completing exams.” Princeton’s honor code will still obligate students to report any suspected cheating. Gordin’s letter states that having proctors will also help solve the problem of students being reluctant to report academic misconduct out of fear of being outed on social media.
From college admission scandals to rigged basketball games meant to help gamblers win big bets, the world of higher education in the U.S. is rife with examples of people doing dishonest and deceptive things to take some sort of shortcut to success for themselves, family and friends.
Even institutions of higher learning themselves are under fire for misleading students and their families about the true cost of college by wrongly counting loans as financial aid and using other deceptive practices. Officials at some institutions — such as Columbia University and Temple University — have been caught submitting faulty data to magazines that do college rankings in an attempt to boost their spot in the rankings and thereby induce more students to enroll.
With the advent of generative AI and its uncanny ability to write entire books on complex subjects in a matter of seconds, it’s hardly surprising that some of today’s college students might be tempted to turn to AI for help with coursework or exams for which they haven’t studied.
Many institutions have struggled to develop and implement policies around the use of AI because the process can feel “daunting,” an EdTech: Focus on Higher Education article states. In the case of Princeton, the university moved to proctor exams only after hearing from different student and faculty groups about their concerns that AI was widely being used to cheat. The move also came after the Undergraduate Student Government did a survey that found most students would either “favor proctoring or are indifferent to any change.”
