Failing grades soar with AI usage, dwindling math skills in Berkeley CS classes

Post by zuzululu » Thu, Jun 04, 2026, 10:26 PM UTC

joshhart wrote: post #698

According to the article, the major effect is they are catching and prosecuting cheaters with a secondary effect that students are over-relying on them for homework or practice, and are unprepared for exams. The article also talks about the fact that the SAT was banned. I really am curious what percentage of the effect is from no SAT vs LLMs. I guess they haven't had the SAT for a while though so it's gotta be the LL…

Post by ChickeNES » Thu, Jun 04, 2026, 10:35 PM UTC

lokar wrote: post #547

Sharlin wrote: post #221

Earlier quoted context omitted.

To be honest, there’s approximately zero reasons to teach major-grade math to just about anyone but math majors. None of the applied math disciplines need go that deep, and what they do need depends on the field (physics is all about analysis, CS is about algebra and discrete math, and so on).

My CS program required one year of upper division math. But you could take anything (I took set theory and meta-logic from the philosophy department, it was actually pretty hard!). They did not care about the specific math skills, they wanted us to have a level of mathematical formalism and reasoning, which was in fact important for the CS classes.

Post by davrosthedalek » Thu, Jun 04, 2026, 10:39 PM UTC

stefan_ wrote: post #710

davrosthedalek wrote: post #534

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Absolutely university has to change. But it's not a simple change. I say this as a professor for Physics: My colleagues say "We must fully embrace AI as a tool". I agree. But how do you teach it? It's a moving target, and you can't even give homework like: "Research with an LLM of your choice, and submit the transcript" because they can do that, or they can just copy the task into an LLM and have the LLM do it. It be…

I feel like German university was already well "LLM proof". Come to class or not, no ones keeping track and it doesn't matter for grade. There are regular exercises, but they are not graded; you can submit them if you want it corrected to check your understanding, but there is also gonna be a short presentation going through it in class. Your entire grade is a 2-3h written exam at the end, no materials, no remote, no…

Post by Rapzid » Thu, Jun 04, 2026, 10:42 PM UTC

reaperducer wrote: post #595

conductr wrote: post #140

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I’m not noticing the decline in my own abilities any more than I had before using them. I finished undergrad 20 years ago and my once sharp math skills had been severely diminished within only 5-10 years. Just simple arithmetic and percentages that I could rapidly do in my head became dependent on calculators/spreadsheets. For all other trivia type knowledge, my brain has offloaded it to the internet RAM in my pocket…

I’m not noticing the decline in my own abilities …said every drunk person ever. That you don't notice it doesn't mean it isn't happening. By the time you notice it, it's too late. That's why elderly people who are worried about their brains play chess and do puzzles like mad.

Post by zuzululu » Thu, Jun 04, 2026, 10:49 PM UTC

Bnjoroge wrote: post #550

nemo44x wrote: post #458

[flagged]

Or your lazy excuse is an even more convenient thing to blame