Investigation into Academic Dishonesty at Brown University After AI Use
布朗大學調查使用 AI 導致的學術不端行為
Introduction
A professor at Brown University has reported a large difference between student scores on a remote midterm and a later in-person final exam, suggesting that students used artificial intelligence without permission.
布朗大學的一位教授報告，學生在遠端期中考與隨後的實體期末考之間分數差異巨大，顯示學生在未經許可的情況下使用了人工智能。
Main Body
The problem began when Professor Roberto Serrano decided to give a mathematical economics midterm online. He did this to support students who were stressed after a fatal shooting on campus in December. However, this change led to unusual results: 40 out of 86 students got perfect scores, and the class average was 96. This was much higher than the usual average of 65 to 80, even though the exam was more difficult. Professor Serrano noticed that some answers looked exactly like those produced by ChatGPT, so he decided to make the final exam in-person and supervised.
問題始於 Roberto Serrano 教授決定將數學經濟學的期中考改為線上形式。他這樣做是為了支持那些在 12 月校園發生致命槍擊案後感到壓力巨大的學生。然而，這一改變導致了異常的結果：86 名學生中有 40 人獲得滿分，全班平均分高達 96 分。儘管考試難度增加，但這遠高於通常 65 到 80 分的平均水平。Serrano 教授注意到某些答案與 ChatGPT 生成的內容完全一致，因此他決定將期末考改為實體監考。
After the professor announced the in-person requirement, 27 students dropped the course, and 22 of those had previously received perfect scores. For the students who stayed, the class average dropped to 48, and 19 students failed. Consequently, the university's Vice President for communications, Brian E. Clark, confirmed that the case was sent to the academic code committee on July 8 for a formal review.
在教授宣布實體考試要求後，有 27 名學生退課，其中 22 人先前曾獲得滿分。對於留在課程中的學生，全班平均分下降至 48 分，且有 19 名學生不及格。因此，大學負責傳訊的副校長 Brian E. Clark 確認，該案件已於 7 月 8 日提交至學術準則委員會進行正式審查。
Furthermore, this incident has started a wider conversation about the loss of academic standards due to easy cheating tools. Technology experts and alumni are now debating whether students who rely on AI can actually think critically. As a result, Professor Serrano has announced that he will no longer use take-home exams or homework-based grades to prevent future cheating.
此外，此事件引發了關於作弊工具普及導致學術標準下降的更廣泛討論。科技專家與校友目前正在爭論依賴 AI 的學生是否還能進行批判性思考。因此，Serrano 教授宣布，他將不再使用帶回家考試或以作業為基礎的評分方式，以防止未來再次發生作弊行為。
Conclusion
Brown University is now carrying out a formal review of the cheating allegations while teachers change how they test students to stop AI-driven plagiarism.
布朗大學目前正對作弊指控進行正式審查，而教師們也正在改變測試方式，以阻止 AI 驅動的抄襲行為。
Vocabulary Learning
⚡ The 'B2 Power-Up': Moving from Basic to Complex Links
At the A2 level, you likely use simple words like and, but, and so. To reach B2, you need to show the relationship between ideas using Logical Connectors.
Look at these three 'evolutions' found in the text:
1. The Result Chain
- A2: Students used AI, so the grades were high.
- B2: "Consequently," the university sent the case to the committee.
- Coach's Tip: Use Consequently or As a result at the start of a sentence to sound more professional and academic.
2. Adding Information
- A2: And people are talking about AI.
- B2: "Furthermore," this incident has started a wider conversation...
- Coach's Tip: Instead of repeating and or also, use Furthermore to add a strong, secondary point to your argument.
3. The Contrast Shift
- A2: The exam was hard but the scores were high.
- B2: ...the class average was 96... "even though" the exam was more difficult.
- Coach's Tip: Even though is a 'bridge' word. It connects two opposite ideas in one smooth sentence, which is a classic B2 hallmark.
🚀 Quick Guide: Swap your words
| A2 Word | B2 Upgrade | Context |
|---|---|---|
| So | Consequently | Cause Effect |
| And | Furthermore | Adding a new point |
| But | Even though | Unexpected contrast |
💡 Pro-Tip for B2 Fluency: Stop thinking in short, chopped sentences. Start using these connectors to glue your ideas together into longer, more sophisticated thoughts.