Sit exams in person? It’ll make us anxious, students complain

STUDENTS are in mutiny over the return to in-person exams at Glasgow University, claiming it is causing ‘anxiety’ and ‘sadness’.

So-called open-book, online exams were introduced for Life Sciences students in 2020 due to the lockdowns during the Covid pandemic.

Now academic chiefs say some students will have to sit this summer’s exams in the traditional closedbook, handwritten format following cheating concerns.

But outraged undergraduates are saying two months is not enough notice for the switch - and also claim their mental welfare is being harmed since they have never learned how to sit a proper in-person exam while at university.

Rosie McCrone, a fourth- year microbiology student, said it had left students feeling ‘very low’ and ‘sad’.

She told the BBC:‘I’ve not felt this anxious since I was a teenager in school. Up until now we’ve been tested on the way we format an argument, we’ve never been tested on our ability to recall information.’

The university said the switch, affecting third and fourth-years, was made over fears artificial intelligence could be used to cheat online.

A university spokesman said: ‘ We are taking this step so that we can assure all students - together with the quality bodies that accredit degrees, as well as future employers - that the Life Sciences exams are

‘Concerns over online cheating’

reliable and the grades subsequently awarded are too.

It comes amid concerns strides in AI technology is undermining teaching. One of the most popular new tools is ChatGPT, a chatbot developed by OpenAI which is capable of writing essays. It can also solve science and maths problems, and produce working computer code.

In response to the student mutiny, Chris McGovern of the Campaign for Real Education said: ‘Glasgow University is doing the right thing. It should stick to its guns. Online exams favour cheats and undermine the integrity of the exam system. Grade inflation at universities is a runaway train.

‘Snowflake students have been mollycoddled far too much and for far too long. They need a reality check. If an honest assessment terrifies them, they should not be at university.’