At the University of Southern Denmark (SDU), disciplinary action is being taken against a student caught cheating using the popular chatbot from OpenAI, ChatGPT. This incident marks the first known example of chatbot cheating at SDU, following reports of 18 students using ChatGPT during their exams at five primary schools in Sønderborg. Minister of Children and Education Matthias Tesfaye has also established an expert group to investigate the impact of digital aids on cheating throughout the next year.
Professors at SDU’s Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology have discovered fake articles that were referenced in a student’s assignment. This led to the conclusion that ChatGPT was used to cheat in the assignment. The professors are currently discussing ways to combat this form of cheating, including introducing more oral exams or written assignments with paper and pencil. There have been concerns among professors at other institutions, including the Technical University of Denmark, about how to ensure that students don’t cheat with the help of AI.
Sune Lehmann, a professor at DTU Compute, notes that generative chatbots often hallucinate or invent things and that fake research papers have been invented purporting to be written by him. He believes fact-checking chatbots that can review collections of laws or article databases are currently being developed, but it’s important for students to be careful. Lehmann also co-authored an appeal in Politiken with Professor Anders Søgaard from the University of Copenhagen on the many challenges related to generative AI.
SDU’s Dean of the Faculty of Science, Marianne Holmer, says the university is currently working on guidelines for how ChatGPT should be used by professors and students. The use of ChatGPT is currently prohibited, and any student caught using it will face disciplinary action. Holmer highlights the importance of professors and students understanding ChatGPT and its challenges within their specific subject area. She also notes that oral exams will be introduced more frequently to combat cheating. Additionally, it’s the students’ responsibility not to cheat, and the university has made it clear that using ChatGPT constitutes cheating.
