Overview
- Professors Karle Flanagan and Wade Fagen-Ulmschneider reported that dozens of students emailed apologies with the same phrasing, beginning with “I sincerely apologize,” after being flagged for falsified attendance.
- The instructors used their Data Science Clicker app and server logs, including refresh counts and IP addresses, to identify students answering in-class questions while absent.
- In a large Oct. 17 lecture, the professors projected the matching emails, and video of the moment — featuring a student shouting “Chat GPT!” — spread widely online, with Flanagan estimating close to 30 million views.
- A university spokesperson said the behavior did not violate the course syllabus, so the students received warnings rather than formal disciplinary action.
- The introductory data science course enrolls about 1,200 students, counts lecture participation for roughly 4% of the grade, and the professors presented the incident as a lesson in academic integrity.