Lecturers Give Up as New Students Fail to Grasp Secondary School-Level Mathematics

The impact of Artificial Intelligence on students’ academic abilities is becoming increasingly apparent. Lecturers at the University of California have requested that their university reinstate college entrance examinations, as the mathematical proficiency of new students has fallen below middle school levels.

As reported by Futurism, citing The Wall Street Journal, this request was submitted by lecturers via a letter to the leadership of the University of California. Universities in the United States typically utilise standardised written tests such as the SAT and ACT. However, all campuses within the University of California system currently implement a policy that prohibits the use of written exams as an admission requirement.

The University of California’s rationale is that written exams are deemed biased towards racial inequality. In addition to the costs involved, students from wealthy families benefit from being able to attend various preparatory tutoring sessions. Furthermore, white students have a potential advantage 1-3 times higher than students from underprivileged backgrounds.

The problem, according to mathematics and science lecturers at the University of California, is that one-third of students taking calculus for the first time are showing a “severe readiness deficit.”

“We have observed that the readiness gap is so severe that instructors must re-teach middle school-level mathematics while simultaneously teaching the material required for science, engineering, economics, and other fields that demand quantitative skills. UC resources are limited and can only assist a limited number of students,” they stated.

Since the Covid-19 pandemic, according to the WSJ, 90 per cent of universities in the US have ceased using written tests for freshman admissions. However, prestigious institutions are now beginning to change this policy. MIT reinstated the SAT as a requirement starting in 2022, followed by Harvard in 2024, and Yale in 2026.

According to Futurism, the world of education has changed drastically in recent years with the emergence of AI chatbots such as ChatGPT, Gemini, and Claude, which facilitate “cheating.” Many education experts are sceptical regarding the use of AI in education, with excessive use being linked to memory loss and the erosion of critical thinking skills.