Ivy League Cheating Scandal: How Serious Is It?

According to the website Ars Technica, scores fell by 50% when economics professor Roberto Serrano insisted on an in-person exam after becoming suspicious.

Why was Prof Serrano suspicious? He had permitted the students to write their mathematical economics midterm at home. This was done as an exception because of student anxiety due to a violent incident on campus last year. However, the class average shot up to a staggering 96 out of 100.

It seemed implausible that such a high average should suddenly be achieved. What made it more questionable was that some of the questions were harder than usual. Prof Serrano had decided to make the questions more challenging as the students would have extra time to complete the closed-book exam.

Aside from the high average, some of the answers seemed odd. The professor noted that they had 'a very convoluted style'. When he ran the questions through ChatGPT, the results were strikingly similar to many of the answers given in the exam.

This led to Serrano calling for the in-person exam. What happened next was shocking.

Eighteen students suddenly dropped the course. Of those who stayed on the course, nine didn't bother attending the final exam.

And what happened to the average of 96 out of 100? It fell dramatically to 48 out of 100.

All of this leads to the unpleasant reality that cheating is viewed by some Ivy League students as acceptable.

Prof Serrano has been horrified by the cheating he uncovered. As someone who has overcome obstacles due to blindness and gone on to be hugely successful in his profession, he decided not to simply let this issue be swept under the carpet.

Brown University is now grappling with the fallout of this scandal, which has sparked a conversation around the use of generative AI and academic integrity.

Then there is the issue of cognitive function.

Memorising and problem-solving are important cognitive functions that need to be used. Like a muscle that shrinks without exercise, the brain too can suffer when not used adequately.

Ultimately, while AI is a very useful tool, it can be harmful to our cognitive capacity if we use it to feed us answers for everything instead of doing proper research and study. The type of study that is essential to retain information and perform well in exams.

At the heart of the matter, though, is the fact that a number of people are willing to get to the top no matter the means. Even when they are already elite students who have the capacity to study for the exam and do well in the usual way.

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Vocabulary

Implausible

(adjective)

Meaning: Something that is difficult to believe.

Example: The theory she propounded was utterly implausible.

Convoluted

(adjective)

Meaning: A line of reasoning that is complicated and difficult to follow.

Example: The student gave a convoluted reply.

Grapple

(verb)

Meaning: Try hard to deal with a problem.

Example: The company is grappling with a sudden drop in sales.

Cognitive

(adjective)

Meaning: Relating to the process of memory and reasoning.

Example: Cognitive function can be enhanced by learning and regularly using a second language.

Fallout

(noun)

Meaning: The secondary consequences of a negative event.

Meaning: There was a fallout between the two friends after the business failed.