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February 25, 2026 \u2014 5:00am<\/p>\n
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Remove items from your saved list<\/a> to add more.<\/p>\n Save this article for later<\/p>\n Add articles to your saved list and come back to them anytime.<\/p>\n Got it<\/p>\n AAA<\/p>\n Students at the University of Queensland received a rude shock ahead of their first classes on Monday, with in-semester exam timetables extended to Friday nights and Sundays.<\/p>\n A memo sent to students pointed to the need for more in-person exams, which Deputy Vice-Chancellor Professor Kris Ryan attributed to the increasing use of artificial intelligence.<\/p>\n First-year music and law students Ciara and Izzy said discussions among fellow students online had centred on the desire to confine university attendance to weekdays.<\/p>\n \u201cI guess the growing trend is that it\u2019s not any more, but people need to work, people need time off, and I agree with all of that,\u201d Ciara said.<\/p>\n \u201cThey were pretty upset [online] that some of the exams were being held over the weekend.\u201d<\/p>\n Related Article The in-semester exams \u2013 which are held in addition to end-of-semester testing \u2013 precede larger assessment tasks in the middle of the year, and were previously held between Monday and Saturday.<\/p>\n Under the new timetable, exams could be scheduled as late as 7.15pm on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays, or as early as 8am on all three days.<\/p>\n The memo sent to students said there would be a \u201csignificant increase in the number of in-semester examinations\u201d. In semester one, this would include two complete weekends across March and April, and Saturday, May 2.<\/p>\n Second-year advanced humanities student Ethan said the change reduced flexibility across those weekends.<\/p>\n \u201cLast year, I had in-semester exams for all my subjects, and I think a lot of people have professors and teachers who have said there\u2019s going to be an increase in exams,\u201d Ethan said.<\/p>\n The deputy vice-chancellor said the AI response formed part of teaching redesigns for all of the university\u2019s courses.<\/p>\n \u201cAs part of this change, we are moving to more in-person, secure assessments,\u201d Ryan said.<\/p>\n \u201cWe understand that extending these times may create challenges for some students.\u201d<\/p>\n He said the University of Queensland was prepared to work with students to offer support and ensure the expanded timetable did not disadvantage them.<\/p>\n The institution was also \u201cactively exploring longer-term approaches to better accommodate the increasing need for in-person exams\u201d.<\/p>\n Professor Niusha Shafiabady, head of the Australian Catholic University\u2019s information technology discipline, said in-person exams were an \u201cinterim solution\u201d to AI.<\/p>\n \u201cThe problem, when the assessment can be tackled with AI so easily, might be that the assessment itself is not authentic,\u201d Shafiabady said.<\/p>\n Related Article \u201cIt\u2019s not really measuring the student\u2019s learning and the thinking process.\u201d<\/p>\n Parts of the higher education sector, Shafiabady said, had remained reluctant to use the technology, despite ethical AI use being a teachable skill.<\/p>\n \u201cWe are not avoiding AI any more, and I don\u2019t think anybody is, but there is still the kind of fear about AI,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n \u201cWe think AI is a magic box, and we think it\u2019s something we don\u2019t understand.\u201d<\/p>\n Start the day with a summary of the day\u2019s most important and interesting stories, analysis and insights. Sign up for our Morning Edition newsletter<\/a>.<\/p>\n Save<\/p>\n You have reached your maximum number of saved items.<\/p>\n![\"UQ](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/30d7af4bc8a9118f7a24e0498d9aed45698f979b8fc2bf03a2ce5c418bdc00a0.jpeg\")
UQ students Ciara (left) and Izzy (right) agree with concerns raised by their peers about the new exam timetable.Catherine Strohfeldt<\/p>\n![\"Summer](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/00dfcd4e85f157a25f97eb4a3977fdcc22aa20b82d9e3f006e22458d43f0dade.jpeg\")
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Second-year UQ students Ania (left) and Ethan (right).Catherine Strohfeldt<\/p>\n![\"Deep](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/f227260ca9fd83a3ce0dc2e4ff3521b3631397cef6d39ef9266c89206ffd5bd8.gif\")
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