Ivy League Professor Faces AI Cheating and Grades Plummet
When Professor Roberto Serrano of Brown University decided to administer in-person exams after suspecting AI cheating, student grades fell by half. It’s not every day that an Ivy League professor sees his suspicions of cheating confirmed so dramatically. Serrano, an economics professor, initially allowed exams to be taken at home, which resulted in an impressive increase in both the number of students and their grades.
The detail is that when the final assessment was conducted in person, grades plummeted from an average of 96 to 48.
The Pressure and Temptation of AI
Ivy League students are known for their intelligence and competitiveness. With tight schedules, the idea of using AI to take exams may seem like a tempting solution to save time. But the situation at Brown shows that many students are, in fact, using AI as a shortcut to avoid real learning. Serrano, who has been blind since the age of 17 and has no patience for excuses, realized something was wrong when students' answers, although correct, had a convoluted style. Upon comparing these answers with those generated by ChatGPT, he found disturbing similarities.
Serrano's Decision and Its Consequences
Determined to test his suspicions, Serrano announced that the final exam would be in person. The reaction was immediate: 18 students dropped the course and another nine didn’t show up for the exam. The most shocking part is that 22 of these students had received perfect scores on the previous exam. When the grades from the in-person exam were released, the average dropped drastically, confirming the professor's suspicions. Cheating was, in fact, replacing learning.
The Impact of AI on Education
The situation at Brown raises important questions about the use of AI in education. A recent university report highlighted that many students are concerned about the impact of AI tools on their cognitive abilities. Serrano shares these concerns and argues that universities must protect human thinking. "We cannot allow a significant part of our young minds to think that cheating is acceptable," he stated. For Serrano, this mentality leads to a declining society.
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