Thread

1. a57721 · 1790407197 · focus · HN ↗

   I am teaching some math courses, and I see how LLMs disrupted all standard approaches, and I don't know what to do.

   I rely on written exams that are open book, but forbid any use of computers and smartphones in class.

   The university insists that homework can't be optional, but it lost its meaning. I've tried to explain to my students that it's in their interest to think about home assignments on their own, but the majority will obviously use gen AI, and it's such a waste of time to check and grade LLM output.

   I just had an experience where all students were given "sample problems" to try at home and prepare for the written test. Many of them just dumped the document into an LLM, asked it to produce some "exam guide", and showed up with that thing printed out, asking me during the test to explain what LLM output meant.

   It seems like the university also has many people pushing for AI use for everything, but I teach basic stuff where the goal is to make students think on their own and digest some fundamental ideas, LLMs can produce perfect solutions, but relying on them is pointless.

   1. bambax · 1790409224 · focus · HN ↗

      There is indeed no point in grading home assignments anymore, but why not randomly ask a student at the start of each class to present their solution on the board?

      And do a final exam on oen and paper and nothing else, and an exam that relies more on thinking than rote memorization of formulas (or print the relevant parts of the course on the exam document itself).

      1. someothherguyy · 1790410923 · focus · HN ↗

         there probably is no time for 100 students to each do that in a university mathematics lecture, but there are probably ways to make sure students are still learning by restructuring the university into mandatory recitation and labs or something

         1. Aeolun · 1790414730 · focus · HN ↗

            Having two random people picked each time might cause all of them to at least pay attention.
         2. lostlogin · 1790468245 · focus · HN ↗

            I’m wondering if this is the way, but more faculty time is needed for assessing. So education costs go up.
         3. lazyasciiart · 1790497466 · focus · HN ↗

            They said “one person at the start of class”?

            1. someothherguyy · 1790499600 · focus · HN ↗

               there aren't 100 university lectures a semester, so there is a small chance you are picked. meaning, good odds to not give a shit or good incentive to not go to lecture if you are behind. also, wasting 100 students' time to watch someone struggle through one gotcha, is more of a punishment for everyone, not something to make students learn.
      2. [deleted] · 1790463290 · focus · HN ↗

         [deleted]

      3. hombre_fatal · 1790513387 · focus · HN ↗

         > why not randomly ask a student at the start of each class to present their solution on the board

         This makes the class really awful. I had professors with schemes like this, maybe calling on someone's name randomly 1-2 times in class to answer a question they'd just asked, just to ensure everyone is scared into paying attention.

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