Has artificial intelligence won? Bar-Ilan University returns to rote memorization

Law students at Bar-Ilan University are complaining that due to the institution's fear of AI use, they were required to rewrite a research paper in class, with closed materials and a two-hour time limit. They claim the format turns a course designed to develop critical thinking into an outdated memorization test. The university defended the move, stating its purpose is to test independent thinking and analysis.

Law students at Bar-Ilan University claim that the university, out of concern over the use of artificial intelligence, changed the exam format in the "Legal Research Methods" course and turned it into a memorization test. Students were required to prepare a research paper at home, and then rewrite it in class within just two hours using closed materials. According to them, the exam tests memory skills rather than creativity, writing, or in-depth analysis, as the course's original purpose intended. A student in the faculty described how they were forced to cram entire pages and reproduce them under pressure, instead of being tested on the depth of their argument. The university defended the move in an official response, arguing that closed-material exams are meant to test independent thinking and analysis without external assistance, including AI. The case illustrates the difficulty of Israeli higher education institutions in coping with the AI revolution, and instead of adopting modern methods, a solution perceived by students as easy and lazy was chosen.