Game theory emerged in the 1940's as a method of using mathematical models and games played in experimental situations to model human behavior in the context of economic situations. This paper argues that some basic ideas from game theory, combined with Goodhart's Law, suggest that grade inflation, defined as the gradual increase in high marks given out at universities over the last several decades, and even widespread AI cheating, defined as using AI to complete work and then claiming it as one's own, are Nash Equilibria given the current incentive structure of higher education. The paper argues that in order to counter such trends, faculty should use game theoretic thinking and future research should investigate how to shift the change the incentive structure of the classroom to make sill building and learning the goals of the games student paly, as opposed to obtaining specific letter grade. In addition, this conceptual analysis submits two research designs and their attendant hypotheses. It is the intent of the author that these hypotheses will be tested in the future. As this is a conceptual paper and not an empirical work per se , it is intended that the research designs will be seen as a preregistration of design and materials and will be attempted by at least one research team in the future.
Eric C. Prichard (Wed,) studied this question.