Colleges are turning to in-person tests, oral exams to combat AI

A growing number of U.S. college instructors are turning to oral exams to help combat an AI crisis in higher education. Some are replacing written assignments with oral exams. Others are pairing Socratic-style questioning with written assignments or requiring students to attend office hours. Instructors say they know student use of AI is ubiquitous but hard to police, and it's impacting student learning. Oral exams allow instructors to determine what students know and where they need help. Students say they don't always love the testing format, but many agree that it's effective. As one student says, knowing that you will be face-to-face with a professor “makes you realize, ‘I should study this.’”