’Changed my career’: Student failed over AI allegations speak out

Queensland nursing students accused of using Artificial Intelligence in their university assignments have spoken out about failing subjects over allegations.

University of Southern Queensland, USQ at night, Friday, July 24, 2015. Photo Kevin Farmer / The Chronicle

The University of Southern Queensland has refused to say how many grades have been reinstated, after a number of nursing students were accused of academic misconduct for allegedly using generative AI tools to complete assignments.

A nursing student said she delayed her final placement and graduation after she received an academic misconduct notice from UniSQ in July, three months after submitting the assignment in April.

She continues to deny she used generative AI tools like ChatGPT to complete the assignment, and told News Corp Australia she provided all her drafts when asked.

As her computer had broken, she borrowed a relative’s computer, but then used her computer to submit the assignment, the student claims.

The university investigation showed there had been different computer addresses with the final draft appearing to have been worked on only for 13 minutes, which resulted in a category 2 fail.

She said the misconduct allegation “devastated” her and left her feeling “helpless and hopeless”, causing her to lose more than 10kg from stress.

She appealed a failed mark in October, only to find out last week it was knocked back by the university.

“They say I don’t have evidence but I sent them my drafts,” she said.

“This has changed my whole career.”

In July, News Corp Australia revealed thousands of university students across the state were under investigation over allegations they used generative AI.

Nursing students at University of Southern Queensland have reported having their grades reinstated after receiving allegations of using AI, and a number of them have delayed graduations and studies in order to await the outcome. Picture: Supplied

The international student faces the added stress of renewing her visa, which expires in March 2025.

Another final year nursing student, also wanting to remain anonymous, received a similar allegation for a semester one assignment.

She dropped subjects as she waited for the final result.

“I’m too afraid to work all semester just to have this happen again, it’s added an extra six months to my uni degree,” she said.

“I’m at a point where I would rather it (the degree) take longer than have this kind of stress, or have to pay more money to repeat subjects.”

Her appeal meeting left her upset and in tears, where she had to defend her innocence with the university staff – arguing over minor details on how she saved her drafts.

“I actually became quite teary and gave her a speech as to how much they are hurting innocent students just for the sake of trying to catch people that might actually use it (genAI),” she said.

She claimed her method of renaming a document when ready for submission would timestamp the document, effectively creating a whole new version.

She filmed herself doing this on her computer and sent it to the university as evidence.

A few weeks later her grade was reinstated with an official warning.

Earlier this year a student circulated a petition calling for the university to review the technology detecting the use of generative AI tools, after she herself was twice accused of using gen AI in assessments.

UniSQ Student Guild, the independent student advocacy body, reported 555 academic misconduct cases this year, a significant increase from last year.

The guild declined to comment further due to privacy concerns.

Advocacy centres from other Queensland universities, such as UQ, Griffith, and QUT said they experienced more cases related to academic misconduct in relation to AI use.

Speaking generally, a QUT Guild advocacy officer described their experience of AI misconduct in the last year as “significant and widespread”.

International students, particularly those studying health and nursing seemed most at risk of receiving AI misconduct notifications, they said.

The officer said creating a category of academic misconduct for genAI use, rather than grouping it with more serious penalties like contract cheating would be fairer for students.

“I am seeing students who have stated they only used it for editing or sentence structure on one assignment fail the whole unit, while students who use AI to write their entire assignment receive the same penalty,” they said.

When asked for specific data on academic misconduct allegations, how many grades had been reinstated and what reviews or processes were under investigation due to genAI use, a UniSQ spokesmand said the university assessed each case carefully, with “multiple forms of evidence to ensure fair and transparent outcomes”.

He said prevention was used in assessment design, training of staff, and “diligent detection processes”.

The university “actively” reviewed its approach for a supportive student environment, especially as AI becomes a part of academic tools.

“Feedback from our students is valued and helps guide improvements,” he said.