Why US colleges are turning to blue book exams to fight ChatGPT cheating

Why blue books are making a comeback in US classrooms amid AI concerns. (Representative AI Image)

As artificial intelligence tools like ChatGPT reshape the way students study and complete assignments, many US colleges are taking a surprising step backward—toward pen, paper, and the iconic blue exam booklet. The humble blue book, first introduced in the late 1920s, is making a powerful comeback as educators look for ways to counteract a growing wave of AI-assisted academic dishonesty.According to The Wall Street Journal, blue book sales have surged in recent years, fueled by growing concern among professors about students using ChatGPT to complete take-home tests, write essays, and finish homework. While many students see AI as a helpful tool, educators are raising red flags about the integrity of academic work in the AI era.A return to handwritten testing across US campusesRoaring Spring Paper Products, the family-owned company that manufactures most blue books, reported a significant rise in demand. Sales are up more than 30% at Texas A&M University, nearly 50% at the University of Florida, and 80% at the University of California, Berkeley over the past two years, according to The Wall Street Journal. Each blue book costs just 23 cents in campus bookstores, making it a simple but effective tool for in-person, supervised exams.Professors are using the blue book to create AI-proof environments. As reported by The Wall Street Journal, Yale University lecturer Kevin Elliott adopted the blue book after discovering that some students had submitted essays with fabricated quotes from famous philosophers—a clear sign of AI-generated content. Elliott replaced take-home papers with in-class, handwritten blue book exams and told The Wall Street Journal the change worked so well that he plans to continue the approach next academic year.Faculty are worried, and students are using AI widelyA January 2023 survey by Study.com, as cited by The Wall Street Journal, revealed that nearly 90% of college students admitted using ChatGPT for homework, 53% used it to write an essay, and 48% used it during an at-home test or quiz. Another survey conducted in January by the American Association of Colleges and Universities and Elon University found that 59% of US college leaders believe cheating has increased since AI tools became widely available. Over half of those surveyed also said their faculty struggle to tell the difference between AI-written and student-written work.More than 70% of college professors expressed concern about how ChatGPT is impacting academic integrity, according to The Wall Street Journal. Still, some faculty recognize the complexity of banning a tool that will be widely used in professional settings. Arthur Spirling, a politics professor at Princeton University, told The Wall Street Journal that although he gives proctored blue book exams, he finds it “strange” to ban a technology students will use in their careers. “It is strange to say you won’t be permitted to do this thing that will be very natural to you for the rest of your career,” he was quoted as saying by The Wall Street Journal.Balancing tradition with digital-age skillsThe shift to blue books is not without controversy. While some educators see it as necessary to preserve academic honesty, others question whether avoiding AI in the classroom prepares students for real-world work environments where AI tools like ChatGPT are likely to be commonplace. As of April, ChatGPT had 500 million global weekly users, up from 400 million in February, according to The Wall Street Journal.With AI tools becoming more powerful and accessible, the debate over their role in US education continues to intensify. But for now, the blue book stands as a symbol of the analog fight for academic integrity in the digital age.