Unisa slams AI cheating scandal reports
The University of South Africa (Unisa) has slammed reports of an “AI scandal” surrounding its latest examinations.
This came after reports that hundreds of examination papers had been marked as “disciplinary cases” after it was discovered that students allegedly used banned AI tools.
Students enrolled at Unisa write online exams, making invigilating particularly challenging compared to on-site examinations.
Allegedly, Professor Tersia Botha wrote to students on 24 June 2024 explaining that the business management department was “preparing dishonesty reports for hundreds of students” in the Strategic Implementation and Control module.
However, Unisa says these reports are inaccurate, adding that “hundreds of students” is an exaggeration.
“We would like to set the record straight and clarify that the situation is not a ‘scandal’ as portrayed,” said Unisa.
Unisa said it effectively promotes the use of AI tools in academics, provided they are used ethically in line with its Policy on Academic Integrity.
“Recognising both the potential benefits and risks of AI in education, Unisa is working on measures to ensure that students are guided accordingly against misuse or unethical use of AI,” it said.
It reiterated that it views academic integrity as a very serious matter and adopts a zero-tolerance approach against any form of misconduct and dishonesty.
It didn’t directly say how many papers were flagged as “disciplinary cases” but outlined its policy around AI and academic integrity.
Unisa said it views the use of proctoring tools — online exam invigilation services — as a necessity to ensure the credibility of its examinations and, thus, its qualifications.
“It is a critical aspect of the assessment process that the university cannot compromise on,” said Unisa.
It added that it clearly communicates examination rules and rules about using proctoring tools to all students before exams commence.
“In the event of any suspicion of violation of the exam rules, a flagged student(s) will be subjected to further investigation,” it said.
“Where the suspicions are confirmed, they are referred to the Student Disciplinary Unit for the requisite action in line with relevant policies, including the Academic Integrity Policy.”
It added that disciplinary actions are applied fairly and consistently, without favour or prejudice, following the principle that an individual is innocent until proven guilty.
Students are allowed to register for other modules and remain in the system until their investigation and disciplinary processes are concluded.
“The university respects its students and therefore restricts any correspondence and engagement between itself and the affected students,” Unisa added.
“The university does not conduct student discipline through the media.”
Unisa’s stance on AI tools
Unisa said it supports students’ use of AI tools like ChatGPT. However, this must be done in a way that maintains the students’ integrity.
“Recognising both the potential benefits and risks of AI in education, Unisa is working on measures to ensure that students are guided accordingly against misuse or unethical use of AI,” it said.
These include finalising its guidelines and Policy on Artificial Intelligence, introducing a compulsory Academic Integrity course, and finalising its position on the use of AI in academia.
Unisa said the Academic Integrity course will equip students with the skills required to uphold academic integrity principles.
This includes upholding honesty, fairness, accountability, and the responsible and ethical use of generative AI tools.
“Furthermore, the university continues to take proactive measures and continues to use proctoring and AI tools such as the Invigilator App, Moodle, and IRIS to secure academic integrity,” it said.
“The university also promotes the usage of Turnitin, a web-based text-matching software that has an AI content detector as one of its measures to protect academic integrity. ”
Unisa added that it is confident in the efficacy of these measures in identifying misconduct during academic assessments.
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