Taking Exams in Blue Books? They’re Back to Help Curb AI Use and Rampant Cheating
When writing by hand, visible motor methods in the mind that help studying are extra lively, mentioned Sophia Vinci-Booher, an assistant professor of academic neuroscience at Vanderbilt University. Vinci-Booher has additionally discovered that handwriting will increase letter recognition greater than typing does.
Generally, when note-taking and testing modes align, a pupil is extra seemingly to carry out higher than when the modes don’t align, mentioned Vinci-Booher. For instance, if examination solutions are required to be handwritten, a pupil who additionally writes their notes by hand might be extra seemingly to do higher on the examination than if that very same pupil had been to kind their solutions.
This faculty yr, Coupet discovered that the overwhelming majority of his college students had by no means taken a hand written examination in faculty. When he introduced out the blue books for the primary examination of the 2024-25 faculty yr, he had to give detailed directions about blue guide requirements, like the place to write your identify.
Coupet seen a direct distinction in take a look at outcomes.
The college students who didn’t come to class typically confirmed their lack of preparation in their examination solutions, and Coupet seen extra variation in these college students’ solutions. Students who weren’t ready for the examination additionally struggled to apply motive to their solutions—an necessary ability to grasp for future coverage makers, he mentioned. Previously, these struggles had been masked by use of tech and what college students truly didn’t know was obscured.
For now, Coupet will keep on with blue guide exams as a result of it suits inside his pedagogical fashion.
Grading in Blue Book
Alexandra Garrett, an assistant professor of historical past at St Michael’s College, has by no means recognized something totally different. She joined the college at St. Michael’s College through the 2022-2023 faculty yr, and has solely taught in-person lessons. All three exams in her course on early American historical past are carried out in a blue guide.
Although Garrett sees loads of spelling errors in written exams, she doesn’t issue grammatical inconsistencies right into a pupil’s closing rating. She does anticipate college students to give thorough and content material pushed examination solutions.
While some educators may marvel about studying handwriting, Garrett mentioned that she’s solely had to ask college students to learn their solutions out loud, due to illegible handwriting, twice in her profession.
Administering blue guide exams doesn’t appear to be as well-liked of a alternative as of late although. According to Garrett, some extra skilled professors at her college have expressed shock when she says that she’s ditched digital exams. But persistent plagiarism and unauthorized use of ChatGPT in pupil essays, have deterred Garrett from digital exams, and she doesn’t see herself shifting away from blue books any time quickly.
“I’ve never not done blue books for exams and I have no incentive to change it,” mentioned Garrett.
