- Four public universities in Singapore, including NTU, SUTD, NUS, and SIT, have allowed the use of AI to grade student assignments, provided that the results are reviewed by lecturers before being included in the final grade.
- A popular tool is Gradescope, which can scan handwriting, group similar answers, and allow lecturers to grade in bulk, saving time compared to reading each individual paper.
- NTU began implementation in August 2024 for physics and mathematics in certain midterm and final course modules.
- SUTD will implement it starting April 2025 for tests involving short answers and explanatory questions.
- SIT developed an internal system called AI-Orate, which uses a chatbot to ask follow-up questions based on student answers to assess their level of understanding.
- In a trial in October 2025, about 50 food technology students participated in an assessment with the chatbot.
- The chatbot can generate conversation transcripts and suggest grades to the lecturers.
- According to SIT lecturers, the system helps shorten the assessment process from about one week to two days.
- NUS only allows AI grading if the tool’s accuracy has been validated and approved by faculty leadership.
- An AI tool at NUS has been used since July 2025 to grade English essays based on content, structure, and language.
- To ensure reliability, the AI grades twice, and lecturers check borderline cases.
- Two other universities, SMU and SUSS, have not yet allowed AI grading due to concerns about accuracy and fairness.
📌 The use of AI in grading is being implemented at four major universities in Singapore to increase efficiency and reduce the workload for lecturers. Tools like Gradescope and the AI-Orate chatbot can analyze handwriting, ask follow-up questions, and suggest scores, shortening grading time from one week to about two days. However, AI results must still be verified by lecturers, while some schools remain cautious due to concerns over accuracy and fairness.
