Artificial intelligence forces several degree programmes at Aarhus University to change exams

The hours spent behind the computer screen and books at home in the dorm room or at the library during day-long take-home exams seem to be decreasing for students at Aarhus University. 

A round of questions on the impact of GAI on exams among all AU's boards of studies shows that many degree programmes have found it necessary, to varying degrees, to move away from take-home exams. Instead, they switch to on-site exams or oral exams – or a combination. 

Some boards of studies have completely changed the type of examination, while others are only changing the examination description. This could be a change in materials permitted or the addition of an oral element to the written take-home assignment. Some boards of studies report that they’re not very affected by GAI because they already have many on-site exams or oral defences for take-home assignments. At the bottom of the article, you’ll find an overview of how the 13 boards of studies that responded before the deadline for this story have approached GAI and exams. 

Business Administration has largely moved away from purely take-home assignments

One of the boards of studies that has been busy since ChatGPT and similar GAI models had their breakthrough at the end of 2022 is the board of studies for Business Administration at Aarhus BSS. The Business Administration programme is one of the largest programmes at AU. Chair of the board of studies, Lars Esbjerg, explains that they have changed "a lot of exams over the past few years because we want to protect the integrity of the exam and our diplomas."

“At Business Administration, we have largely moved away from purely take-home assignments. There are still a few exceptions where it has been assessed to make academic sense. If we have take-home assignments, they are typically combined with an oral defence, where the oral part weighs the most," Lars Esbjerg says. 

The board of studies has also redesigned many on-site exams so that they are now without internet access and often conducted in a locked browser using the Flowlock programme. 

“We are very concerned that we properly test the students, so it’s about their actual knowledge and skills, and not how good they are at prompting. Unless using AI is relevant in a subject, as it is in some subjects,” Lars Esbjerg says. 

He explains that employers in the job market expect graduates to have their skills tested. Employers are focused on the students' academic and analytical abilities and whether the students are able to think critically. 

However, you also need to keep up with developments and make use of the opportunities that GAI offers. For example, the entire Business Intelligence Master's degree programme is being redesigned as a result of GAI, Lars Esbjerg says. The education has always focused on how machine learning can be used to analyse large data sets, but now GAI has accelerated the development.

"AI is now coming into play and taking on a major role. The programme rearranges the subjects to reflect that things are moving quickly. AI is part of the academic discipline and the reality they’ll encounter. They have many more digital tools to transform data into insights for companies,” Lars Esbjerg says. 

Risks to evaluate how well AI has solved the exam

One of the two boards of studies at Technical Sciences, the board of studies for Engineering Sciences, also reports that the development has been rapid. Chair Keld Lars Bak explains that they have been busy banning the use of GAI in written exams or changing the exams to other forms because the technology has become so advanced that it can answer entire exam assignments on its own. 

According to Keld Lars Bak, we are close to being at a point where GAI can only be allowed in regular written exams, if it’s because we want to evaluate whether students can use GAI. This is therefore a completely different approach from the one Aarhus University introduced in the autumn semester of 2024. Here, the university went from an approach called forbidden if not allowed to permitted if not forbidden. However, with the reservation that the exam description can always state that GAI is not permitted.

"Permitted if not prohibited": This fall, AU will again relax the rules on the use of artificial intelligence in exams (in Danish)

The development has been substantial, and today we have to admit that we can’t keep up with what is offered by GAI tools. For the exams that we were initially able to design in a way that allowed the use of GAI, it has now developed to the point where one can simply provide the assignment description to GAI and receive a complete exam paper. We risk evaluating how well AI has solved the exam, and we’re not interested in that. "We want to evaluate our students," Keld Lars Bak says.

The chair of the board of studies reports on the students' understanding of the situation.

“In most cases, it has been written into the exam description that you’re not allowed to use GAI. It has worked, and we are in ongoing dialogue with the students about it, and it is also being discussed in the Committees on Education. There is a good understanding of these changes among our students. "The students are also only interested in their own skills being evaluated," Keld Lars Bak says.

It's not because we’re outright against GAI, emphasises Keld Lars Bak. For example, the use of GAI would generally be permitted for an exam that includes an oral component. 

“We also see that readability and written expression have improved in many written assignments after GAI has been allowed. The fact that a tool has been used to help with the formulation is, essentially, okay with us. But we need to ensure that students can vouch for the content. But we recognise that GAI can be used in many ways – including for reflection,” he says. 

Total revision of academic regulations at the Arts

One board of studies that hasn’t changed the exams, but is very aware of the GAI development, is the board of studies of the Danish School of Education (DPU). Here, chair Jeanette Magne says that GAI is on the agenda every time the committee meets. 

In connection with the Master's reform, the Faculty of Arts, including DPU, is undertaking what Jeanette Magne describes as a total revision of the academic regulations. 

“This work naturally has a large focus on how GAI will play a role in our degree programmes in the future. This applies to the teaching itself, the qualification profile and types of examinations," she explains in a written comment.

Jeanette Magne explains that the intention is to ‘make the stew from scratch’ to ensure the new academic regulations are done properly. 

“The entire discussion about GAI is taking place at teacher meetings, in degree programme boards, in the board of studies and also in the Forum for Education Arts. "Several of our researchers at DPU have already embraced GAI as part of their research area, and at DPU, we have carried out several research initiatives where GAI is reflected in relation to guidance and teaching," Jeanette Magne says. 

The Committee on Education at AU, mentioned by Keld Lars Bank, has discussed the use of GAI in written exams as recently as October 21. A report from the committee meeting states that the committee agrees that "AU's current position should be adjusted towards the spring semester of 2026." AU is working on a draft of a new position paper regarding GAI during exams, it says. 

This text is machine translated and post-edited by Lisa Enevoldsen.