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Re:Professor denounces mass AI fraud on an exam at Brown Uni... by throwaway152321 on Sunday June 28, 2026 @08:59PM (#48713517)
> I would struggle to do it by hand.

If you did it before then, barring physical limitations which have occurred since then, you would struggle for a short while and then you would be fine. I also did coursework purely on paper, got out of practice, and then once my kids were in school got back into the habit of handwriting. I can even write cursive again. Cursive makes it much easier on the hand and wrist. There's a reason it was invented. :)

Re:Professor denounces mass AI fraud on an exam at Brown Uni... by mbreese on Sunday June 28, 2026 @11:29PM (#48714453)
> barring physical limitations

I think you're missing the point. This is a physical limitation. People don't write as much as they used to. I used to be able to write for hours, taking notes, writing papers, etc... Now, I try to take notes during a meeting and my hand cramps. And as a bonus, my handwriting never was great, but now it's illegible for me.

Yes, we all "could" re-learn this skill, but how many people will? If you asked me to type a paper on a locked-down computer, I could easily. If you asked me to write a 2000 word paper by hand in an hour, I doubt it would happen.

If we expect students to take in-person tests on paper, then you should also do the rest of the classwork on paper. I am completely in the camp that we learn more when we write something. The physical act is part of the learning process. But you can't expect students to write an in-depth exam without having the practice of doing it often.

Re:Professor denounces mass AI fraud on an exam at Brown Uni... by lmf4lol on Monday June 29, 2026 @01:56AM (#48715367)
> Now, I try to take notes during a meeting and my hand cramps. And as a bonus, my handwriting never was great, but now it's illegible for me.

Are you using a fountain pen, writing cursive and do you take care to hold it properly? Those three things fixed all my cramps

Re:Professor denounces mass AI fraud on an exam at Brown Uni... by DonHopkins on Monday June 29, 2026 @04:54AM (#48716607)
What fixed your cramps from using a knife and glue to cut and paste text?
Re:Professor denounces mass AI fraud on an exam at Brown Uni... by kevin_thibedeau on Sunday June 28, 2026 @09:22PM (#48713674)
> Cursive makes it much easier on the hand and wrist.

For righties.

Re:Professor denounces mass AI fraud on an exam at Brown Uni... by throwaway152321 on Sunday June 28, 2026 @10:08PM (#48713986)
I'm left handed. It's still easier than print for me.
Re:Professor denounces mass AI fraud on an exam at Brown Uni... by cyberax on Monday June 29, 2026 @01:15AM (#48715087)
You can write cursive left-handed just fine, slanting letters the other way helps.

I'm right-handed, but I had to learn left-handed cursive at school when I spent 5 months with a cast on my right hand.

Re:Professor denounces mass AI fraud on an exam at Brown Uni... by vel0city on Monday June 29, 2026 @10:59AM (#48720145)
Being left-handed I've done left-handed cursive for far more than 5 months. I pushed myself to also try and learn to write right-handed. In a left-to-right writing style, its more than just slanting the letters slightly the other way. In the end, the right-hander is overall dragging the pen across the page while the lefty is overall pushing the pen across the page.
Re:Professor denounces mass AI fraud on an exam at Brown Uni... by LoganDark on Sunday June 28, 2026 @10:54PM (#48714237)
I have never been able to handwrite well and my family suspects I have dysgraphia. I can write, but slowly and unreadably. But I can type over 160 wpm. Typing for me is strictly superior, probably by an order of magnitude.
Re:Professor denounces mass AI fraud on an exam at Brown Uni... by wtrwqyw on Monday June 29, 2026 @01:28PM (#48722233)
It’s rather peculiar that people are downvoting somebody sharing their perfectly valid perspective..
Re:Professor denounces mass AI fraud on an exam at Brown Uni... by LoganDark on Tuesday June 30, 2026 @11:27AM (#48734126)
I'm used to it
Re:Professor denounces mass AI fraud on an exam at Brown Uni... by DonHopkins on Monday June 29, 2026 @04:53AM (#48716601)
It's not about the difficulty of writing, it's about the difficulty of cutting and pasting text with a knife and glue versus a text editor.