As AI tools like ChatGPT become more common in classrooms, colleges across the United States are returning to an old-school method to stop students from cheating, reports The Wall Street Journal. It involves small paper booklets, once dreaded by students. They are now making a comeback as a reliable way to ensure fair exams without digital help.
These paper booklets are experiencing a major resurgence as a proven way to ensure honest exams without digital assistance.
According to the WSJ report, “Students hiring computers to do their homework and cheating their way through college has become so widespread, so fast, that it has created a market for a product that makes professors ChatGPT-proof their classes. As it happens, the product already exists. In fact, you’ve likely used it. You might even dread it. It’s a blue book.”
What Are Blue Books?
Blue books are plain, stapled exam booklets with unlined or lightly lined pages and easily recognisable blue covers. They were traditionally used for in-class handwritten exams and essays and were feared by students for the physical and mental effort they required.
First popular in the 20th century, blue books have now returned as a trusted tool for maintaining academic integrity in an age where students can outsource entire assignments to AI tools.
Why Are Blue Books Back?
The return of blue books is directly linked to growing concern about AI-assisted cheating. When today’s college graduates began their studies, ChatGPT and similar tools didn’t exist. Now, students are using generative AI for everything-from coding assignments and literature essays to language papers and science reports.
This surge in AI-driven cheating has pushed instructors to seek more secure testing methods. Blue books offer a simple yet powerful solution: students must write their answers by hand under supervision, removing the chance to use AI.
The Business of Blue Books: Roaring Spring Paper Products
At the centre of the blue book revival is Roaring Spring Paper Products, a Pennsylvania-based company that has become the country’s leading supplier of these booklets. Founded over a century ago, the family-owned business produces millions of blue books each year.
Kristen Allen, Roaring Spring’s VP of Sales and Marketing, noted that the sudden demand even surprised the company. After a dip in sales during the pandemic due to online classes, recent years have seen a sharp increase-sales rose over 30% at Texas A&M, nearly 50% at the University of Florida, and 80% at UC Berkeley over the past two academic years.
Professors Returning To Analog Testing
Professors across disciplines-from political science to economics-are switching back to handwritten exams. Many have stopped assigning take-home essays, knowing that students can easily use AI to generate responses.
New testing approaches include:
- In-class writing assignments
- Oral discussions to verify authorship
- Pre-assigned prompts answered by hand during exams
The Future of Exams: Balancing AI and Analog
The blue book’s return isn’t just about nostalgia-it reflects the urgent need to adapt education in the age of AI. As technology advances, colleges may explore hybrid assessment strategies that combine traditional methods with new digital tools. Teaching students how to use AI responsibly might become part of the curriculum itself.
