Latest news with #KevinElliott
Time of India
11 hours ago
- Time of India
Why US colleges are turning to blue book exams to fight ChatGPT cheating
Why blue books are making a comeback in US classrooms amid AI concerns. (Representative AI Image) As artificial intelligence tools like ChatGPT reshape the way students study and complete assignments, many US colleges are taking a surprising step backward—toward pen, paper, and the iconic blue exam booklet. The humble blue book, first introduced in the late 1920s, is making a powerful comeback as educators look for ways to counteract a growing wave of AI-assisted academic dishonesty. According to The Wall Street Journal, blue book sales have surged in recent years, fueled by growing concern among professors about students using ChatGPT to complete take-home tests, write essays, and finish homework. While many students see AI as a helpful tool, educators are raising red flags about the integrity of academic work in the AI era. A return to handwritten testing across US campuses Roaring Spring Paper Products, the family-owned company that manufactures most blue books, reported a significant rise in demand. Sales are up more than 30% at Texas A&M University, nearly 50% at the University of Florida, and 80% at the University of California, Berkeley over the past two years, according to The Wall Street Journal. Each blue book costs just 23 cents in campus bookstores, making it a simple but effective tool for in-person, supervised exams. Professors are using the blue book to create AI-proof environments. As reported by The Wall Street Journal, Yale University lecturer Kevin Elliott adopted the blue book after discovering that some students had submitted essays with fabricated quotes from famous philosophers—a clear sign of AI-generated content. Elliott replaced take-home papers with in-class, handwritten blue book exams and told The Wall Street Journal the change worked so well that he plans to continue the approach next academic year. Faculty are worried, and students are using AI widely A January 2023 survey by as cited by The Wall Street Journal, revealed that nearly 90% of college students admitted using ChatGPT for homework, 53% used it to write an essay, and 48% used it during an at-home test or quiz. Another survey conducted in January by the American Association of Colleges and Universities and Elon University found that 59% of US college leaders believe cheating has increased since AI tools became widely available. Over half of those surveyed also said their faculty struggle to tell the difference between AI-written and student-written work. More than 70% of college professors expressed concern about how ChatGPT is impacting academic integrity, according to The Wall Street Journal. Still, some faculty recognize the complexity of banning a tool that will be widely used in professional settings. Arthur Spirling, a politics professor at Princeton University, told The Wall Street Journal that although he gives proctored blue book exams, he finds it 'strange' to ban a technology students will use in their careers. 'It is strange to say you won't be permitted to do this thing that will be very natural to you for the rest of your career,' he was quoted as saying by The Wall Street Journal. Balancing tradition with digital-age skills The shift to blue books is not without controversy. While some educators see it as necessary to preserve academic honesty, others question whether avoiding AI in the classroom prepares students for real-world work environments where AI tools like ChatGPT are likely to be commonplace. As of April, ChatGPT had 500 million global weekly users, up from 400 million in February, according to The Wall Street Journal. With AI tools becoming more powerful and accessible, the debate over their role in US education continues to intensify. But for now, the blue book stands as a symbol of the analog fight for academic integrity in the digital age. Ready to navigate global policies? Secure your overseas future. Get expert guidance now!
7NEWS
5 days ago
- Business
- 7NEWS
Pacific Airshow Gold Coast 2025 cancelled amid beach safety concerns
One of the biggest tourism drawcards has been sidelined for 2025, with the Pacific Airshow Gold Coast officially cancelled due to ongoing beach erosion. The high-octane aerial spectacle, set to return to Surfers Paradise from August 15–17, has now been pushed back an entire year, following the continued impact of Cyclone Alfred and relentless coastal conditions which have hammered the city's foreshore, Airshow director Kevin Elliott said on Friday. 'Our team had every confidence that the ongoing beach restoration efforts would have the sandy beach in Surfers Paradise in peak shape in time for this year's event. 'Unfortunately, a combination of severe weather, recurring king tides, and powerful swell created new safety concerns. It's been one step forward, two steps back. 'The decision to cancel this year's event timely and decisively is the right one.' The airshow had become a flagship event on the Gold Coast calendar, attracting over 200,000 aviation enthusiasts from across the country with major economic benefits for Queenslands ' tourism industry. But this year's hopes were dashed. John Warn, CEO of Experience Gold Coast, said that the three-day event would have injected $33 million into the economy. 'It is a big hit.' More than four million cubic metres of sand were lost from the coastline during Cyclone Alfred. Local authorities have been working around the clock to restore the beach. 'There has been such a monumental effort behind the scenes around beach restoration,' Warn explained. 'The money, the resources, the equipment and the team effort has been exceptional. 'Unfortunately, Mother Nature has not been on our side. 'We've had significant rainfall, huge swells, king tides on the back of a one in 50-year cyclone. 'It made it very, very difficult. 'Unfortunately it hasn't landed in our favour and we've had to make that really difficult decision.' No option but to cancel In recent weeks, contingency plans were explored – including date changes and venue shifts – but none met the event's strict safety and scale standards. 'Delivering a substandard experience is not what you've come to expect. And it's not what we're prepared to offer,' Elliott explained. 'After considering all alternatives ... we couldn't find a way to keep our community safe without compromising the show, either in the air or on the ground.' Ticket holders will receive full refunds. 'You've got access to a full refund or you can defer and hold your ticket for next year and we are asking and encouraging our accommodation providers to provide that same opportunity to customers who have also booked for the weekend,' Warn said. While 2025 is off the radar, organisers are already locking in dates for 2026, promising that the event will return 'bigger, faster and louder' from August 14–16. Gold Coast Mayor Tom Tate backed the decision, saying safety had to come first. 'Beach recovery works continue, but we cannot guarantee this section of coastline will be ready to welcome 200,000-plus people in August.' The cancellation is a blow to the city's tourism economy, especially after 2024's record-breaking turnout, where jets like the F-35 Lightning II and F/A-18 Super Hornet wowed crowds. Local businesses hailed the previous airshow as one of the busiest weekends of the year.
ABC News
5 days ago
- Climate
- ABC News
Beach erosion grounds Pacific Airshow months after ex-Tropical Cyclone Alfred
A popular airshow on the Gold Coast has been cancelled, with organisers blaming beach erosion caused by Ex-Tropical Cyclone Alfred. The Pacific Airshow, which last year attracted 270,000 spectators, was meant to take place over three days from August 15 on Surfers Paradise beach. The famous stretch of sand remains closed after large swells pounded the beach during ex-Tropical Cyclone Alfred in early March. The Gold Coast City Council had hoped to restore the beaches by Easter, with a sand-dredging barge brought in to replenish more than 4 million cubic metres of sand, but large swells and king tides have delayed the project. Until earlier this month, Pacific Airshow organisers were reassuring the public they were confident the city's eroded beaches would be ready in time for this year's event. However in a statement on Friday the event's director said extensive modelling revealed the site wouldn't be safe for spectators. "Our team is devastated to be forced to cancel Pacific Airshow Gold Coast 2025, but it's the right thing to do for everyone and the long-term restoration of the beach," said airshow director Kevin Elliott. He said organisers considered changing the date and moving to another location on the Gold Coast but could not find an option that wouldn't compromise the show or community safety. Mr Elliott said tickets holders would be given the choice of either receiving a refund or holding the tickets to use for the 2026 event. The Queensland government had estimated the event generates more than $33 million in overnight visitor expenditure for the Gold Coast, with more than 22,000 people flying to Queensland specifically for the event.
Entrepreneur
5 days ago
- Business
- Entrepreneur
College Professors Turn Back to Blue Books to Combat ChatGPT
Sales of the product have increased by up to 80% at universities across the country. As college students use ChatGPT to complete take-home tests, finish homework and write essays, professors are using blue books, or inexpensive, stapled exam booklets with a blue cover and lightly lined pages, to ChatGPT-proof the classroom. The Wall Street Journal reported earlier this month that demand is up for blue books, which cost 23 cents apiece in campus bookstores and were first introduced in the late 1920s. Blue book sales were up more than 30% at Texas A&M University, nearly 50% at the University of Florida and 80% at the University of California, Berkeley, over the past two years, the Journal found. Roaring Spring Paper Products, the family-owned business that manufactures most blue books, told the Journal that sales have picked up over the past few years due to AI use, as professors use the old-school books to conduct in-person exams in a classroom setting. The advantage of blue books is that students can't use ChatGPT and have to instead write their essays by hand under a professor's supervision. Related: College Professors Are Turning to ChatGPT to Generate Course Materials. One Student Noticed — and Asked for a Refund. Kevin Elliott, a Yale University lecturer in the ethics, politics and economics program, told WSJ that he switched from at-home essays to blue books in the spring semester when he realized students were using AI to write their assignments. He found that a few take-home papers included made-up quotes from famous philosophers, a clear sign of AI use. Elliott implemented a new system where students had to write essays in blue books for their final, and it worked so well that he plans to continue using blue books for the next academic year. Most college leaders think AI tools have led to widespread cheating. A survey released in January from the American Association of Colleges and Universities and Elon University found that the majority of university leaders (59%) report that cheating has increased on their campuses since AI tools have become widely available. More than half of these leaders believe that their faculty cannot tell the difference between AI-generated work and student-written papers. Meanwhile, a January 2023 survey from of over 100 educators and 1,000 students found that nearly 90% of college students had used ChatGPT to complete a homework assignment, 53% had it write an essay and 48% had used it for an at-home test or quiz. More than 70% of college professors expressed concern about how ChatGPT could be used to cheat on assignments. Related: Hiring Managers Want Workers With ChatGPT Experience, New Survey Says Still, some professors who restrict ChatGPT use through blue book exams admit that students could benefit from knowing how to use the tool to be more productive when they graduate. Arthur Spirling, a Princeton University professor of politics, told WSJ that although he gives proctored blue book exams, he thinks it is a "strange" situation to limit ChatGPT use in the classroom when students will be able to tap into it when they begin working full-time. "It is strange to say you won't be permitted to do this thing that will be very natural to you for the rest of your career," he told the outlet. ChatGPT had 500 million global weekly users as of April, up from 400 million weekly users in February.
Yahoo
24-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Panama City's Redfish Film Fest returns with 70+ documentaries
PANAMA CITY, Fla. (WMBB) – A one-of-a-kind film festival is returning to Downtown Panama City for its second year, and the excitement kicks off on Thursday, April 24th. Over 70 different documentaries are set to hit the screens across five different venues, all within walking distance of one another, during this year's Redfish Film Festival. The films vary in both length and genre and have been made by student, amateur, and professional filmmakers. There will also be non-documentary-related events taking place downtown throughout the weekend. This festival made a return to Panama City for many reasons, but one of the biggest is the way this event can inspire future filmmakers. Bay County offers free disposal of unwanted items this weekend 'You can ask questions of people who actually make films. You can get feedback on your own films,' said Redfish Film Festival Director Kevin Elliott. 'We want to have free programming, educational programming, so people who live here can be inspired by those who are already in the film industry. They can see that they have a future in this industry and learn that right here in their own town.' The festival begins with an opening night party at the Sapp House on Thursday. Then films will be played all day on Friday, April 25th, Saturday, April 26th, and most of the day on Sunday, April 27th. Certain documentaries are free to view, while others will require a pass to view. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
