As the graduation season approaches, the use of AI technology in thesis writing by college students has attracted widespread attention. Recently, the Mycos Institute released a survey report showing that although teachers generally recognize the auxiliary role of AI in thesis writing, how to standardize its use and prevent students from over-relying on AI has become an urgent practical problem to be solved.
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The survey shows that the phenomenon of college students using AI tools to assist in thesis writing has become increasingly common. Among the surveyed teachers, only 21% clearly oppose students using AI to write theses, while 58% of teachers said whether or not to support it depends on the specific situation. Only 21% of teachers have an opposing attitude toward AI-assisted writing. When asked about the problems existing in undergraduate graduation theses, 46% of teachers believe that students "over-rely on AI-generated content" during writing.
In order to identify AI-generated content, college teachers have adopted various methods in the process of thesis guidance and review. The survey shows that 64% of teachers check whether the overall logic and language style of the thesis are consistent, which is considered to be the most effective method. Secondly, 51% of teachers will test students' understanding of the research content through Q&A.
It is worth noting that 41% of teachers said they would use professional AI detection tools to judge the originality of the thesis. However, the limitations of these detection tools also raised concerns. There were reports pointing out that some classic works were incorrectly marked as AI-generated content, while some students' original works were judged as AI-generated, indicating that the current AI detection technology is still not perfect, and relying solely on detection tools can easily lead to misjudgment.
In addition to the challenges brought by technical applications, the necessity of the graduation thesis itself has also sparked discussions. The survey results show that nearly half of the respondents (47%) support canceling the graduation thesis, and more than three-tenths (31%) clearly oppose it. Many teachers and students believe that there is a disconnect between the graduation thesis and educational goals, and consider the quality of undergraduate theses to be generally low. 75% of teachers pointed out that students' theses often have problems such as temporary patchwork and shoddy workmanship.
In terms of alternative solutions for graduation assessments, the report mentions that 75% of students hope to replace traditional thesis assessments with practice projects and other forms. In addition, many students support assessment methods related to course research and vocational skills. Although students have clear expectations, in reality, only 41% of teachers said that their schools have built a more flexible assessment system.
The report points out that the current discussion reflects the interactive development between the higher education evaluation system and the needs of the times. With the popularization of AI technology, traditional knowledge production methods are also being re-examined. Universities need to build a diversified evaluation system to adapt to different students' growth paths.
Key Points:
🌟 Nearly half of the teachers believe that students over-rely on AI tools when writing theses.
📊 Most teachers support AI-assisted writing but believe it should be standardized.
🎓 More than four-tenths of teachers think the quality of undergraduate graduation theses is low and support canceling traditional thesis assessments.