More China–Australia Flights Resume — Chengdu–Melbourne Route Back from 31 January!

As China reopens its borders, more China–Australia flights are being added. Yesterday, Sichuan Airlines announced: the Chengdu–Melbourne route will resume from 31 January, with flight times listed below:

Students in China can purchase tickets via the Sichuan Airlines official website, the Sichuan Airlines app, or the Sichuan Airlines WeChat mini programme.

China Eastern Airlines had previously announced the resumption of Shanghai–Sydney and Shanghai–Melbourne routes, with three flights per week.

In addition, China Southern Airlines has also announced that from 1 February, direct flights between Melbourne and Guangzhou will resume, with a planned daily frequency of one flight.

From 31 January, Sydney–Guangzhou flights will also fully resume, with a planned daily service.

The increase in China–Australia flights makes travelling to Australia considerably more convenient for international students. As Australian universities fully return to in-person teaching in the second half of this year, we look forward to study abroad in Australia returning completely to its pre-pandemic state before too long!

Australian Universities Plan to Fully Restore In-Person Exams — “Too Many Students Using AI to Cheat”

Amid growing concerns about students using emerging AI software to write essays, Australian universities are being forced to change the format of online exams and assignments.

Australian universities have introduced new rules stating that using AI to write essays constitutes academic misconduct, and a number of students have already been caught using AI software to complete their assignments.

A British education expert noted that AI-generated answers are “coherent, comprehensive, and on point — something many students are simply unable to achieve,” adding that universities would need to “introduce a different format of assessment” or disallow internet access in future exams.

The Group of Eight universities have indicated that they have already revised their assessment methods for this year in response to AI-generated essays. Universities are “proactively responding” to AI through student education, staff training, redesigning assessments, and targeted technical and other detection strategies.

“Australian universities have revised their assessment methods for exams and assignments in 2023, including the conduct of supervised exams and a greater use of handwritten tests, among other measures.”

“Redesigning assessment methods is critically important, and universities are doing exactly that as we try to stay ahead of AI developments.”

The University of Sydney’s latest academic integrity policy now specifically refers to “the use of AI-generated content” as a form of academic misconduct.The University of Queensland is also preparing to add this provision to its academic integrity regulations.

A University of Sydney spokesperson indicated that while detected cases of cheating are currently few and generally of a low level, the university is preparing to address this shift by redesigning assessments and improving detection strategies.

“I also know that AI can help students learn and will become part of the tools we use in our future work, so we need to teach our students how to use it legitimately.”

The Australian National University has already changed its assignment design and assessment methods — for example, introducing more lab activities and practical placements, rescheduling exams, and incorporating more oral presentations.