{"id":51278,"date":"2025-09-30T03:09:04","date_gmt":"2025-09-30T03:09:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/51278\/"},"modified":"2025-09-30T03:09:04","modified_gmt":"2025-09-30T03:09:04","slug":"universities-give-up-using-software-to-detect-ai-in-students-work-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/51278\/","title":{"rendered":"Universities give up using software to detect AI in students\u2019 work"},"content":{"rendered":"

One of the presidents of Massey\u2019s Tertiary Education Union branch, Dr Angela Feekery, told RNZ academics had not used AI detection consistently.<\/p>\n

Some used the results as a guideline but others would accuse students of cheating if the tool suggested their work consisted of more than a certain percentage of AI-generated content.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere\u2019s been a lot of research coming out basically saying that AI detection doesn\u2019t work overly well. There\u2019s a lot of tools that students can use to check if their work is going to be detected by AI and they can fool it anyway,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

\u201cPretty much a decision\u2019s been made to turn it off because it\u2019s ineffective.\u201d.<\/p>\n

Feekery said there were other ways to spot AI use, such as checking a document\u2019s version history to see if it was created in two minutes rather than over several days, or simply using professional judgment.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve been teaching for 25 years. I\u2019ve been marking student writing for years. I know what it looks like, and it\u2019s not what they are submitting now. In many of the cases, when you\u2019ve got students who can write better than I can in first year, there is an issue.\u201d<\/p>\n

Feekery said academics were still trying to figure out the best ways to assess students in the age of AI.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe don\u2019t have the solution yet, but there\u2019s certainly a lot of conversation around it and students are at the centre of those conversations. I can hand on heart say that the student experience is at the centre of the conversations we\u2019re having around this,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

University of Auckland<\/a> graduate teaching assistant Java Grant was organising a conference on AI for the Tertiary Education Union next month.<\/p>\n

He said Massey\u2019s decision made sense from a technical standpoint.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s really hard to differentiate what might be generated by an AI tool, unless there\u2019s some telltale signs, something like \u2018I can\u2019t answer this because I\u2019m a large language model\u2019,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

He said many academics were choosing to use forms of assessment where AI cannot be used.<\/p>\n

\"AcademicsAcademics are choosing to use forms of assessment where AI cannot be used. Photo \/ 123rf<\/p>\n

\u201cThere is so much sensitivity around falsely accusing students of using the tools and so currently the best solution that we\u2019ve found at the course level, with instructors and tutors working together to think about how we might make sure students are learning the content, we\u2019ve personally gone to in-person, on-paper tests, but it\u2019s increased the workload hugely.\u201d<\/p>\n

University of Auckland computer science senior lecturer Dr Ulrich Speidel said relying on student honesty for remote assessments was open to abuse.<\/p>\n

\u201cAbsolutely nothing stops them from having a second device floating around or a friend or a helper. With exams like this I would probably look at, depending on the class and the background and the demographics of the class, I would look at probably between 30 and 60% of the class availing themselves to illicit help,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Speidel said the figure was based on his experience and on research.<\/p>\n

However, he said automated monitoring of digital exams could be hacked, as could supposedly secure on-campus digital exams.<\/p>\n

Speidel said Auckland debated the use of automated AI detection several years ago and decided it wasn\u2019t worth it because it could not definitively prove whether a student had used AI for their work.<\/p>\n

Massey University<\/a> said its online assessments such as online essay submission or quizzes were not scrutinised.<\/p>\n

\u201cThese are part of a wider assessment approach that ensures that students\u2019 work is appropriately validated at key points in their study,\u201d it said.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe impact of Generative Artificial Intelligence [GenAI] means that all universities are reviewing their approaches to assessment. Like many others, Massey no longer uses AI detection as significant concerns have been raised about the reliability of the approach.<\/p>\n

\u201cRather than using unreliable detection tools, the university is prioritising preventative measures such as secured assessments for those assessments where GenAI is not allowed. As part of this process, Massey is currently undertaking a process of consultation to determine future approaches to the delivery of examinations.\u201d<\/p>\n

Massey said students were permitted to use AI in all assessments, except those that could be secured in ways that prevented, rather than detected, AI use.<\/p>\n

These included laboratory and studio-based activities, oral assessments and examinations.<\/p>\n

\u201cTurning away from detection does not mean we are simply delegating thinking, reasoning and rigorous academic practice<\/a> to AI. Rather, it signals that we recognise our environment is shifting, and we must adapt accordingly.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe are working to develop AI literacies across the university so we can effectively support students to use AI as part of their academic toolkit, ensuring they engage with it in ways that are ethical, learning-centred, and uphold academic integrity.\u201d<\/p>\n

Approaches to AI<\/p>\n

How the eight universities approach online exam security and detection of AI in student work:<\/p>\n

Auckland<\/p>\n

Uses online invigilation for remote exams.Does not endorse AI-detection tools.<\/p>\n

AUT<\/p>\n

Does not run remote, online examinations.Unclear whether it uses AI detection software for student work.<\/p>\n

Waikato<\/p>\n

Conducts some exams online and some remotely.Uses AI-writing detection tool.<\/p>\n

Massey<\/p>\n

Offers remote, online open-book assessments and tests without automated monitoring.Does not use software to check for AI use in student work.<\/p>\n

Canterbury<\/p>\n

Uses monitoring tools for online assessments.<\/p>\n

Lincoln<\/p>\n

Uses videoconferencing technology to monitor remote online exams.Uses software to check for AI use in student work.<\/p>\n

Victoria<\/p>\n

Seldom uses digital exams and does not use online proctoring.Does not use AI detection.<\/p>\n

Otago<\/p>\n

Has very few digital exams.Uses plagiarism detection software, but RNZ understands some academics do not use its AI detection function.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"One of the presidents of Massey\u2019s Tertiary Education Union branch, Dr Angela Feekery, told RNZ academics had not…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":51279,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[20],"tags":[365,363,364,31510,44248,14154,78,5126,111,139,69,8183,3767,145,61,8600,810,3382,4576],"class_list":["post-51278","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-artificial-intelligence","tag-ai","tag-artificial-intelligence","tag-artificialintelligence","tag-detect","tag-gerritsen","tag-give","tag-in","tag-john","tag-new-zealand","tag-newzealand","tag-nz","tag-software","tag-students","tag-technology","tag-to","tag-universities","tag-up","tag-using","tag-work"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/51278","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=51278"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/51278\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/51279"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=51278"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=51278"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=51278"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}