A regulator has warned that artificial intelligence has made it very difficult for universities to assess coursework, as students use the technology to pass assessments quickly.
The warning puts pressure on universities that rely on take-home essays and similar assignments to decide who earns a degree. Students who submit work produced or heavily shaped by AI can clear those assessments with little effort, undermining the link between a grade and what a student has learned.
One report says the regulator describes the task of assessing coursework as "close to impossible".
The assessment problem
Coursework has long been a central part of degree courses, sitting alongside exams. The regulator's concern is that the tools now available to students allow assignments to be completed quickly, which makes it hard for markers to tell whose work they are reading.
Universities are the institutions most directly affected, as they are responsible for the integrity of the qualifications they award. Students who complete their work honestly are also affected, because the value of a degree depends on public confidence that grades reflect genuine ability.
Pressure on universities
Pressure is likely to grow on universities to rethink how they test students, with the regulator's comments adding weight to calls for change. No timetable for any new rules or guidance has been set.
For now, responsibility for dealing with the problem rests with individual institutions, which will have to decide how far to move away from coursework and towards other forms of assessment.
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