NTU Student Claims AI Accusation Ruined Academic Career Amid Lack of University Support
Singapore – A student at Nanyang Technological University (NTU) has come forward with allegations that an unfounded accusation of using Generative AI (GenAI) in her coursework has severely impacted her academic career. The student, who wishes to remain anonymous, claims that her professor accused her of academic dishonesty based on minor citation errors in her essay.
Incident Overview
The incident began last semester when the student submitted an assignment that included three citation mistakes among a total of 23 citations. Despite the majority of her citations being correct, the professor reportedly dismissed her explanations and cited the use of a citation sorter to arrange her references as evidence of AI involvement. As a result, the student received a grade of zero for the assignment, leading to a significant drop in her GPA and a permanent academic warning labeling her as an academic fraud.
Defense Efforts
In an effort to defend herself, the student provided extensive evidence, including the version history of her Google Docs, multiple drafts of her work, and a video created using a Draftback extension that documented her writing process. She aimed to demonstrate that her essay was written from scratch and to showcase her consistent writing style across previous assignments.
Lack of University Support
Despite her efforts, the student claims that NTU’s administration has been unresponsive. She reached out to various higher-ups, including the head of academics, the dean, and the university president, but received little support. The few responses she did receive reiterated her professor’s judgment and suggested she seek welfare services instead of addressing her academic concerns.
Ongoing Appeal Process
The student also attended a meet-the-people session with her Member of Parliament, where a volunteer promised to assist her by writing a letter. However, she has yet to receive any updates on that front. As the deadline for appealing her grades approaches, the student has expressed frustration over the university’s scheduling of her consultation for after the appeal deadline. She had requested an earlier appointment, but was informed that the administration was overseas and unable to assist.
Broader Implications
This incident has raised concerns about the bureaucratic processes and lack of clear guidelines at NTU regarding the use of AI in academic settings. While many educators may approach flagged writing with understanding, the student’s experience serves as a cautionary tale about the potential for punitive measures to overshadow student welfare.
The student emphasized the broader implications of her situation, describing it as an example of “machine overreach,” where an algorithm’s predictive capabilities can overshadow years of hard work and integrity. She fears that her academic reputation is now tarnished, and future employers may view her as an academic fraud based on an unfounded accusation.
Call for Policy Reevaluation
As universities grapple with the challenges posed by emerging technologies, the student hopes her story will prompt a reevaluation of policies and support systems to protect students from similar experiences in the future.