AI-free exams coming to UK universities
The Office for Students (OfS) says it will require institutions to ensure assessments are valid and reliable measures of students’ knowledge and skills. In many cases, this will require the use of secure (AI-free) assessments.
In a report published on Wednesday (11 November), the Higher Education regulator said there are several risks AI poses for the effective assessment of students’ work and the credibility of qualifications, as well as the potential for AI to benefit higher education.
The OfS noted that many institutions continue to use unsupervised assessments that can be completed to a high standard using AI tools without substantive engagement from students.
In the roundtable discussions and interviews that informed the research, students described peers who had completed assessments using large language models, sometimes in just a few minutes, and received a similar grade to those who had completed the assessment themselves.
Staff participants raised concerns that assessments do not consistently and reliably assess students’ knowledge and skills.
Discussions with students and staff also found that:
- Use of AI among teaching and professional services staff varies significantly, both within and between institutions. Some staff are developing innovative approaches, while others use AI rarely or not at all.
- Many students use AI in sophisticated ways to support their studies. However, students and staff expressed concerns that some uses displace the cognitive effort required for deep learning.
- Many students find their institution’s or department’s policies on AI difficult to understand. Some also felt that staff use of AI had reduced the quality of learning materials.
- AI literacy training for staff is often limited and generally voluntary, with levels of participation typically low.
- Students see AI literacy as important to their future employment prospects and would welcome more opportunities to develop AI skills.
“AI is rapidly reshaping higher education. This is a huge opportunity for universities and colleges to leverage the technology for the benefit of students and society. We’ve seen fantastic examples of this opportunity being seized across the sector,” said Josh Fleming (Director of Strategy and Delivery at the OfS).
Fleming also noted that AI presents a generational risk to the system as it stands, threatening to undermine students’ learning and institutions’ ability to assess them.
“We need to see far greater efforts to tackle these risks, including far greater use of AI-free assessment. The scale and pace of both the challenge and opportunity presents a novel challenge for the sector and us as the regulator. We will continue to work with universities and colleges to help them reap the benefits of AI while avoiding the risks.”
Outcomes of the report
In response to the research findings, the OfS said it will require institutions to ensure assessments are valid and reliable measures of students’ knowledge and skills.
In many cases, this will require the use of secure (AI-free) assessments. Institutions must also ensure courses are up-to-date and require students to develop relevant skills.
The regulator said it will also hold institutions to account when they fall short. “Where evidence suggests institutions have not met our requirements, we deploy our regulatory levers, which include imposing specific conditions of registration, monetary penalties or suspending access to student support funding and/or OfS grant funding,” it said.
The OfS will also offer support to universities and colleges to strengthen their approaches to AI, including by clarifying how OfS regulatory requirements apply in the context of AI and sharing examples of effective practice.
