In a dramatic shift in policies, Princeton University has decided to bring back an old system of exam administration. It has come to a shocking conclusion to have all exams supervised by faculty members for the first time since 1889. It looks as if there are some seismic shifts going in this prestigious university. One may only guess that the problem lies in the latest development of science – the emergence of generative artificial intelligence, such as ChatGPT.
Since 1893, when an honor code had been introduced at Princeton, exams had been written under the assumption of mutual trust. Neither faculty members nor students needed to have any concerns, as all exams were conducted without being controlled by the teacher. This practice worked great for over a hundred years. Everything changed when huge language models came into play.
To be perfectly honest, this policy change looks quite inevitable, as there is always the risk to doubt whether students will use artificial intelligence. The most practical solution is simply to monitor what students do during the examination. It might not sound particularly good, but I think it is an efficient approach to the problem.
Needless to say, the described situation affects not only Princeton. Stanford University and MIT, for instance, are fighting against the same problem of artificial intelligence. However, the approaches used there are different. While one university prohibits using generative AI tools, another university tends to incorporate AI into its curriculum.
The question is whether this approach is really effective. First of all, it completely changes the atmosphere during exams. Moreover, it seems that the honor code is doomed not to work because the introduction of the mentioned changes means the introduction of mistrust.
I have to admit that it looks like a short-term solution to a bigger problem, and the real question is how long the discussed practice will exist. Will it be stopped as soon as better ways to control artificial intelligence emerge?
In any case, Princeton students will be able to enjoy the novelty for a while.
0 Comments