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

The impact of artificial intelligence on students’ academic abilities is becoming apparent, with lecturers at the University of California requesting their institution to reinstate entrance examinations because the mathematics proficiency of new undergraduates now falls below secondary school level. Futurism, citing The Wall Street Journal, reported that the request was made by lecturers in a letter to University of California leadership. American universities typically use standardised written tests such as the SAT and ACT. However, all campuses within the University of California system enforce a policy prohibiting the use of written examinations as an entry requirement, arguing they are biased towards racial inequality. Besides the tests being fee-based, students from affluent families benefit from being able to attend various preparatory courses, with white students having a potential 13 times higher chance of admission compared to underprivileged students from diverse backgrounds. The problem, according to mathematics and science lecturers at the University of California, is that a third of students taking a calculus course for the first time now exhibit severe preparedness deficits. They stated, ‘We observe that the readiness gap is so severe that instructors must reteach secondary school-level mathematics while delivering the material required for science, engineering, economics, and other fields needing quantitative skills. UC resources are limited and can only assist a restricted number of students.’ According to the WSJ, since the pandemic 90 per cent of US universities have ceased using written tests for new student admissions. However, leading campuses are starting to reverse that policy, with MIT reinstating the SAT requirement from 2022, Harvard in 2024, and Yale in 2026. According to Futurism, the education sector 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 about the use of AI in learning, with excessive use frequently linked to forgetfulness and the loss of critical thinking.