Science & Tech · AI · 2 hrs ago
Berkeley professor replaces homework grades with in-person exams
UC Berkeley mathematician Richard Borcherds has stopped grading homework because he says AI-generated answers are difficult to distinguish from students’ own work.
He says online exam scores have risen as students use AI to answer questions.
Borcherds argues that grading homework only for correct answers can encourage students to use AI and penalize those who work on their own.
His students are now assessed through in-person exams without electronic devices.
Berkeley previously found AI-detection software unreliable, and it lets professors set course rules for AI use.
The change reflects a wider challenge for educators trying to assess what students can do themselves, but the sources do not say whether other professors will adopt the same approach.
University of California, Berkeley professor Richard Borcherds has stopped grading his mathematics students’ homework.
He says AI-generated answers have made it nearly impossible to distinguish student-written work from AI-produced submissions.
Students in his classes are now assessed through in-person exams without electronic devices.
Borcherds says online exam scores have risen as students use AI to answer questions.
Berkeley previously found AI-detection software unreliable and allows professors to set course AI policies.
- Who
- Richard Borcherds, a mathematics professor at the University of California, Berkeley.
- What
- He has stopped grading homework and assesses students through in-person exams without electronic devices.
- When
- Not stated.
- Where
- The University of California, Berkeley.
- Why
- He says AI makes it difficult to distinguish student work from AI-generated answers and that grading for correctness can encourage AI use.
This story does not have two clearly opposing sides.
Berkeley evaluated AI-detection software and found it unreliable.
Borcherds stopped grading homework and shifted assessment to in-person exams without electronic devices.
- Professor
- Richard Borcherds
- University
- University of California, Berkeley
- Homework policy
- Borcherds no longer grades homework
- Exam format
- In-person exams without electronic devices
- AI detection
- Berkeley found AI-detection software unreliable
What people are saying
Online exams are now a waste of time as several students just use AI to answer the questions. I cannot tell which students are using AI, but I notice the average score increases a lot in online exams.
Grading for correctness just adds a huge incentive for them to use AI for homework instead of doing it themselves and penalizes students for honesty. And paying to grade AI generated answers is a waste of time and money.