UK OfS warns universities they will face penalties if they do not change exam formats

1. 04:52
   Hacker News AI

   AI makes it 'close to impossible' to assess university coursework,regulator says

   England's higher education regulator, the Office for Students, said the credibility of university degrees is under threat from prolific AI use in essays, dissertations and open-book exams, and warned institutions that failing to design valid assessments could breach registration conditions and lead to sanctions. The OfS called for far greater use of AI-free assessment, including in-person exams and oral vivas, after a report with Advance HE interviewing over 300 students and staff at 127 universities and colleges found AI use was rife and some staff said pervasive AI may render assessment close to impossible in some areas. Universities UK said many institutions have already made substantial changes to assessment, including more in-person exams, presentations, vivas and process-based assessment.

1. 19:54
   The Decoder

   UK regulator threatens universities with sanctions unless they adopt AI-proof exam formats

   England's higher-education regulator, the Office for Students, says AI makes it "close to impossible" to fairly grade student coursework and is urging universities to bring back traditional exams and in-person presentations, the Guardian reports. A joint OfS and Advance HE survey of more than 300 respondents at 127 institutions found students use AI heavily for essays and dissertations, often undetected, and receive similar grades to those working without it. The OfS warns it could sanction institutions that don't develop reliable formats, while many universities are already moving toward oral exams, process-based assessments, or tasks where students critically revise AI-generated text.

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