Professors Declare War on AI by Making Students Write Angry Blue Book Diaries Again
KEY POINTS
- •UC Davis professor Dan Melzer said AI like ChatGPT makes cheating hard to fully prevent, as students find workarounds.
- •Eastern Michigan University professor Steven Krause noted that most cheating students are failing and writes thousands of pages every semester.
- •More than half of students taking online or asynchronous courses suffer disadvantages with hand-written, timed exams in large classes.
Since ChatGPT crashed the campus party in 2022, schools like UC Davis and Eastern Michigan U have resurrected blue book exams—those medieval torture devices where students must channel their inner caveman and handwrite essays under crippling time limits. Professor Dan Melzer admits he can't outsmart AI cheating completely, while Steven Krause claims most cheaters are just 'desperate' fails. Meanwhile, ADA and multilingual students suffer as timed pen-pushing disadvantages mount, handwriting becomes hieroglyphics, and professors struggle to grade 200-student hordes. Meta’s AI smart glasses could soon make cheating an all-day wearable fashion statement. Educators now worry less about AI doom speeches and more about why no one taught students to write with chisels.
Share the Story
(1 of 3)Schools brought back blue books to fight AI cheating but forgot that forcing millennials to write legibly at lightning speed is like expecting a cat to do calculus—painful, pointless, and tragic to watch.
Imagine banning ChatGPT by handing out blue books in 2025. What’s next? Smoke signals and owls delivering essays?
When they say AI is ruining education, but also make kids write by hand for 45 minutes—who’s failing who here?
Source: Axios | Published: 3/14/2026 | Author: Josephine Walker
More Articles in Education
NATO Plays Submarine Hide-and-Seek with Russia in Freezing GIUK Lagoon
Man Grateful Samsung Phone Finally Makes Paranoia About Spies Slightly Less Annoying
Stranger Gifts Double Stroller, Accidentally Creates Mom Squad Forever
