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Seoul National University Engineering Students Caught Using AI for Assignments

From Hankyoreh · () Korean

Translated from Korean, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

News Named sources Context piece
  • Over half of the students in a computer engineering course at Seoul National University were caught using generative AI for coding assignments.
  • Students who self-reported received a zero for the assignment, while those who admitted it later received a D- for the entire course.
  • The incident highlights a growing concern over AI misuse in academia, with similar cases reported at other universities.

A significant academic integrity breach has occurred at Seoul National University's College of Engineering, where a substantial number of students were caught using generative artificial intelligence for a coding-intensive course.

In a computer networking course for 4th-year computer engineering students, 36 out of 62 students utilized AI to complete one or more of the four coding assignments. Professor Park Kyung-soo, who taught the class, had explicitly prohibited the use of generative AI in all course activities, emphasizing the importance of students grappling with problems and learning through trial and error during their academic journey.

Even when using AI for coding in the workplace after graduation, the process of thinking for oneself, experiencing failure, and finding answers is crucial during the learning phase.

— Professor Park Kyung-sooExplaining his rationale for prohibiting AI use in the course.

The consequences for academic dishonesty were stark. Students who voluntarily disclosed their use of AI for the assignment received a zero grade for that specific task. However, those who initially concealed their AI usage and later admitted to it during interviews faced a more severe penalty, resulting in a D- grade for the entire course.

The criteria for determining AI usage are unclear, and there is a possibility of unintentional penalties for students who submitted their own code.

— Computer Engineering Student CouncilExpressing concerns about the fairness of the AI detection methods.

Student representatives have voiced concerns, arguing that the criteria for detecting AI usage are unclear and could unfairly penalize students who may have used AI inadvertently or whose independently written code bears similarities to AI-generated output. Professor Park, however, countered that all 36 identified students admitted to using AI. He also noted that student council requests for self-regulation efforts to prevent recurrence have not yet yielded a response.

This incident at Seoul National University is not an isolated event. Similar cases of AI misuse have surfaced at other prominent South Korean universities. Last year, Yonsei University also dealt with a wave of students caught using AI for exams. Additionally, Seoul National University itself had previously identified AI misuse in a statistics experiment course and a general education course, where a significant portion of students faced invalidation of their exam results due to cheating.

All 36 students admitted to using artificial intelligence.

— Professor Park Kyung-sooResponding to the student council's concerns about the detection process.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by Hankyoreh in Korean. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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