How should school examinations change to respond to AI?

By Sienna Woods

With the recent rise of Artificial Intelligence, maths problems, essays and revision notes can be produced in seconds, yet school examinations still assume students work without it. The world was promised, by tech CEOs and global leaders, that AI would revolutionise society by creating jobs, improving productivity and leading to scientific breakthroughs. However, we are beginning to see that this may not necessarily be the case for the future and the impacts are entirely unpredictable.

The people who were meant to benefit most from artificial intelligence are the youths of today, who use technology more than anyone. Misinformation is prevalent online due to the power of AI and the difficulties distinguishing between fact and fiction. It has even given politicians and famous figures ‘plausible deniability’ when compromising images or news emerge about them online. Being able to think critically and evaluate digital media is important when forming opinions about material online. Experts are currently concerned about a variety of risks surrounding AI but the main worry for young people is job displacement and the instability of the future. Preparation for the AI labour market will be essential to overcome these challenges.

Over time, the education system has transformed significantly. The industrial revolution led to a greater demand for skilled labour and education became a priority which led to the development of public schools, and the establishment of the Elementary Education Act. It wasn’t until 1988 that the National Curriculum was introduced which was a standardised outline of what all schools needed to teach so that all students received a similar level of education. The content and structure of the curriculum has continued to evolve over the years but many key features have remained the same e.g terminal exams at the end of the course.

The government has encouraged schools to keep updated with the rise of digital learning by having interactive whiteboards for their presentations and using online resources for homework or marking. Education systems in the past have adapted according to labour market changes and since artificial intelligence is developing at such an unprecedented rate, it will be the next shift in this sector.

Exam policies punish students for using the tools that so many teachers rely on. Very little information has been provided by the Government on how AI should be applied in the classroom, and for the most part, it has meant that teachers can choose to use it as they see fit. Many teachers are now using AI to make their lesson plans, give students homework, and to mark work. Lots of staff believe that more assessments should be done in person so that students are supervised and not tempted to use AI. Policies are so outdated: they ban the very tools that define modern work. A solution could be to educate students about the negative impact on their own learning when they use AI.

Every time humans learn new information or skills, new connections and neurons are formed; strengthening or weakening existing neural connections which happens through a process called neuroplasticity. Relying on AI can cause cognitive offloading which is where cognitive tasks are delegated to external aids in order to reduce the mental processing of tasks. This can result in neural connections weakening in the brain over time, as they are not constantly being strengthened through active learning and so the brain's ability to build neural networks and retain memories could gradually be hindered. Vivienne Ming is a theoretical neuroscientist and author of ‘Robot-Proof’. After conducting her own research through an experiment with school children, she found that when working on the same assignment with the same AI agent, some students’ brain activity became ‘quieter’ as the high frequency gamma signals (which represent a state of peak mental focus) decreased. Students that actively engaged with the work and challenged the AI agent, however, had a greater intellectual benefit as the cognitive effort invested was greater. As a result, those who challenge what the AI system produces will ultimately develop a sharper brain. Therefore, examinations which develop these skills will be invaluable in preparing students for the world ahead where the job market is changing all the time.

We can determine whether AI tools will help us or harm us. Exams should test active engagement with AI, not passive consumption. Too many exams test memorisation but this is becoming outdated with our evolving technology. For recruiters nowadays, being AI literate is an essential skill which they test during interviews and practical tasks when hiring people. A recent survey of 1000 hiring managers conducted by Resume Genius found that 81% of hiring managers now consider AI-related skills a hiring priority. AI literacy is the ability to understand, use, and evaluate AI tools in a professional context. It is starting to become a baseline professional skill and jobs which previously didn’t value human skills are now looking for soft skills in future employees. Recently, accountancy firm PwC conducted research using over one billion job adverts across six continents on how the skills required of future employees are changing with the rise of AI. It is evident that interpersonal skills are valued most; creativity, face-to-face interactions, and initiative skills are increasingly popular which is a positive outcome in society as humanised roles become highly demanded in the job market. However, we are slowly losing the ability to develop these skills as these are the very qualities which AI risks eroding. Using ChatGPT to replace your own cognitive efforts, such as asking it for homework or relationship advice, removes the process of thinking, making a decision, and producing a creative outcome. Overcoming the temptation to use these AI tools takes self-discipline and the ability to be honest with yourself.

Currently, examinations do not properly equip young people for modern society and there are very few rewards for those who are critical, creative and individual. The education system could benefit from a new examination which integrates the use of AI and develops AI literacy skills in students. This could be completing work with the use of AI and referencing it or even comparing passages and identifying what parts have been written by AI. Longer essays written with strict time constraints may no longer be the most effective way to assess learning. David Smith from Sheffield Hallam University also believes that educators should do their best to ensure AI complements rather than replaces human cognition, critical thinking and ethical reasoning which can be achieved by institutions embedding the use of AI into the curricula in such a way that aids students’ studies rather than compromises them. If the exam could test the students ability to analyse and develop work produced by AI, then this could be especially beneficial for their careers in the future as it promotes critical thinking which AI is currently incapable of doing. It would help them to identify biases, justify evaluations, explain why a solution is correct and evaluate multiple possible answers. For example, a history exam might ask students to generate an essay using AI which they then analyse, evaluate and improve to develop these skills. 

Not only can students prepare for life beyond the classroom through written exams but also through interview and presentation practice. Soft skills are becoming increasingly important to employers as anyone can sit behind a screen talking to an AI agent but not anyone can present their ideas to other people and work collaboratively. In the future we may see exams diversifying, such as through oral exams and collaborative assessments which test these soft skills at school. If people want to succeed in life, the most important skills will be creativity, communication and teamwork.

AI is here to stay. Instead of banning it, examinations should allow students to explore and develop the skills that employers increasingly demand, which is being able to use AI critically, intellectually and ethically. Human skills are becoming ever more valuable; exams must evolve to reflect that.