To the editor: Here’s a surefire, low-tech solution to AI cheating in university exams. Let’s go back to how we used to cheat before computers (let alone AI) existed (“University AI Cheating War: Extreme Surveillance, False Accusations, and Disgusting Disruption.” June 12). Require all students to come directly to the classroom with an empty “blue book” and write their exam answers in cursive. There will be no prior exposure to the exam questions and the exam will be monitored to ensure that your phone is not used to aid in answering questions. This not only ensures that no AI is used, but also requires all students to learn and demonstrate mastery of cursive. Kill two birds with one stone!
No more “cheating” with AI. There is also no need for clumsy attempts to monitor student behavior through online interactions. This does not solve the problem of term paper writing, where students may still use AI for citations, data, and content. This could be one area where new AI technologies offer solutions for assessing students’ ability to produce coherent documents.
Stephen Hendlin, Newport Beach
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To the editor: I really appreciate the article in the Sunday paper about how the use of AI is undermining trust in universities. I especially appreciate that this article concludes with this comment from Tricia Bertram Gallant, Director of Academic Integrity at the University of California, San Diego: “This illusion that degrees can be awarded solely on the basis of unsupervised and unobserved research has perhaps finally come to an end.”
With so much research being done and worrying about the mental health and social isolation of generations currently coming of age, it only seems natural that students should learn and be tested in the most authentic environments possible. Why on earth don’t college professors want to require in-person proctored midterms and final exams unless classes are entirely online? Don’t ask too much.
If you want your degree, and frankly the in-person college experience, to mean anything, all parties need to actually be there for it.
Jennifer Enani, Los Angeles
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To the editor: AI has upended the myth that highly paid professors living in ivory towers are the main purveyors of knowledge. Knowledge is now accessible to everyone. What I remembered was origins of protestantwhen Christians decided they no longer needed a pope to communicate with God.
What I learned from my liberal arts education is that wisdom is needed to synthesize the meaning of everyday life. That is the connection between knowledge and wisdom. University professors need to understand this to avoid obsolescence.
Jim Johnson, Hemet
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To the editor: The answer to the AI cheating problem detailed on Sunday’s front page can be found on page A12, with Kathy Busewitz’s article on “distinctly human” skills (“5 human skills that AI still can’t match and why it can save your job.” June 11). Skills: Empathy, nurturing connections, critical thinking, having a conscience and making decisions.
Education is no longer about remembering facts. Education allows us to explore, practice and test our unique human qualities.
Patti Porter Firestone, Santa Barbara
