United Kingdom’s education department has launched a crackdown against students after around 400 of them were found cheating in exams with ChatGPT. The reports from the country claimed that at least 377 students faced departmental probes for cheating with the help of ChatGPT and around 150 students have been found guilty, news platform India Today said.
The report adds that around 40% of the universities in the UK are experiencing this issue. The universities include globally reputed institutions like LSE, UCL, and the University of Glasgow. The information was revealed through the Freedom of Information Act.
Educators around the world had mixed reactions to the ChatGPT-like AI technology. On one hand, it can help students with the right kind of information and other ways of learning, but students may misuse the platforms for cheating, finishing their homework, etc.
Anti-plagiarism software’s
The universities in the UK have started using an anti-plagiarism software called Turnitin, but there are concerns regarding the accuracy of the platform. Recently, the University of Kent found 47 of its students using ChatGPT and other artificial intelligence platforms to complete their assignments. Such acts leave no option for universities and they are forced to give zeros to the concerned students.
Many institutions in the country or all across the globe are not even trying to detect these cheating cases as it might harm their reputations. This short-sighted view not only suppresses the scale of the problem but also compromises the future of the students.
False alarms
With repeated instances of cheating, some false alarms are also being raised with innocent students facing penalties for their original work. Recently, a faculty member at the University of Bolton wrongly flagged a student’s work as completed by ChatGPT, prompting experts to recommend thorough consideration and avoiding stricter penalties on students.
Updated: 07 Jul 2023, 07:34 PM IST