(C) K-campus

SEOUL — Seoul National University (SNU) is reeling from allegations of widespread cheating during a final examination for an undergraduate course, prompting the institution to overhaul its digital testing protocols and accelerate the release of AI usage guidelines.

The Incident: Log Records Reveal Anomalies

According to university officials on Sunday, nearly half of the 36 students enrolled in a general education course offered by the College of Natural Sciences were flagged for suspicious activity during their final exam. The course was a "Military Remote Lecture," designed specifically for students currently fulfilling their mandatory military service, with both lectures and exams conducted entirely online.

To prevent academic dishonesty, the testing software was designed to log instances where students navigated away from the exam window. Upon review, a teaching assistant discovered that approximately 15 students had multiple logs indicating they had accessed other browser tabs or programs during the test.

Limitations and Immediate Response

Despite the suspicious logs, the university faced a technical hurdle: the system recorded when a student switched windows, but not what content they viewed. Due to this lack of definitive proof, the presiding professor opted not to pursue formal disciplinary action. Instead, the entire exam was declared void, and students were required to submit an alternative research assignment to receive their final grades.

Systemic Changes and AI Integration

The incident has ignited a debate over the integrity of remote testing. In response, SNU’s central administration is drafting a comprehensive "Anti-Cheating Policy." Key measures under discussion include:

Offline Primacy: Returning to in-person, proctored exams as the standard.
Assessment Redesign: For necessary online tests, shifting toward "Open-Book" formats or project-based evaluations that prioritize critical thinking over memorization.
AI Guidelines: Establishing a clear framework for the use of Artificial Intelligence. This includes a mandate for professors to explicitly state their AI usage policy in course syllabi.
"The goal is to move beyond mere surveillance and create an environment where academic integrity is maintained through the nature of the assessment itself," a university representative stated. The school is currently collecting feedback from faculty and students before finalizing the new directives for the 2026 academic year.