Guardian investigation finds almost 7,000 proven cases of cheating – and experts says these are tip of the iceberg

Guardian investigation finds almost 7,000 proven cases of cheating – and experts says these are tip of the iceberg

Thousands of university students in the UK have been caught misusing ChatGPT and other artificial intelligence tools in recent years, while traditional forms of plagiarism show a marked decline, a Guardian investigation can reveal.

A survey of academic integrity violations found almost 7,000 proven cases of cheating using AI tools in 2023-24, equivalent to 5.1 for every 1,000 students. That was up from 1.6 cases per 1,000 in 2022-23.

Figures up to May suggest that number will increase again this year to about 7.5 proven cases per 1,000 students – but recorded cases represent only the tip of the iceberg, according to experts.

The data highlights a rapidly evolving challenge for universities: trying to adapt assessment methods to the advent of technologies such as ChatGPT and other AI-powered writing tools.

  • gedaliyah@lemmy.worldEnglish
    246·
    17 hours ago

    Most people aren’t paying for the education. They are paying for the degree. The education they could get for £1.50 in late fees at the library. This is not something new.

    • notabot@piefed.socialEnglish
      14·
      17 hours ago

      University is about a lot more than the piece of paper you get at the end. If it’s of any real quality, and you are actually engaged with it, you’ll be learning from experts in your chosen field, amongst engaged and eager peers, whilst also being exposed to different viewpoints on everything from what to have for lunch through the latest innovations in your field, and adjacent ones, to the geopolitical state of the world. The people you meet, and the connections you form can, and often do, form the bedrock of your working life from then on.

      All of that does make the assumption that you actively engage with university life and those around you. Make friends in different subjects, seek out your professors during office hours and talk to them about their interests, join clubs, do stupid, but ultimately harmless things.

      It also assumes you are attending a ‘good’ university, rather than a profit driven degree mill, and those might be harder to find in some places than others.

    • Flamekebab@piefed.socialEnglish
      2·
      16 hours ago

      Seems like an awful lot of debt to go into for something that’s really not that valuable. If the certificate is the goal then a masters or PhD will end up being what’s needed and faking your way through undergrad won’t do much good.

      • Ech@lemm.eeEnglish
        31·
        14 hours ago

        This is a story ask about the UK, not the US, though I imagine the situation is similar.

          • Ech@lemm.eeEnglish
            31·
            14 hours ago

            Who’s going into debt to be at university in the UK?

            • Zombie@feddit.ukEnglish
              3·
              11 hours ago

              The English. £9,000 a year isn’t easy when you’re 18, throw on top rent, food, transport, socialising, many people go into debt.

              Student loans have more generous terms than ordinary loans, and you only pay them back when earning more than ~£25k (depends on the loan) but that’s still debt.

      • amorpheus@lemmy.worldEnglish
        21·
        13 hours ago

        A certain percentage are just there to pick up a degree to increase their future income. It’s not hard to imagine they’d take any available shortcuts.