ISLS 2026
ICLS Poster

#1152: Understanding Students’ Rationales for AI-Mediated Cheating: An Instructor Perspective from Online Forums Analysis

Wed Jun 17, 4:15 PM–5:45 PM · Outdoors

The extensive adoption of AI has precipitated a crisis in academic integrity. While studies attempt to quantify cheating, less is known about the motivations instructors believe students have for using AI in prohibited ways. We analyze 2.01 million posts on r/Professors to understand how instructors perceive students' justifications for AI-mediated cheating. Our qualitative analyses reveal four primary themes: (1) Academic System Gaming, (2) Digital-Academic Literacy Gap, (3) Performance Anxiety, and (4) Normalization of Dishonesty.

Speakers

  • Ali Keramati — Microsoft
  • Sina Rismanchian — University Of California, Irvine

Authors

Iman Mohammadi, Sina Rismanchian, Ali Keramati, Shayan Salehi