I've had multiple instances of flagging an assignment for un-acknowledged AI use. Students initially deny the use of AI, but once we talk through their research/writing process, we can identify the moment AI was used. AI literacy is a real concern, even for students who want nothing to do with AI.

Not sure of the current price of blue books, but my memory was that they were very cheap (talking less than a dollar per book). Typically just bought a pack at the beginning of the semester and left a few in my backpack. Also, my professors always had a few extras in case of forgetful students.

This might differ university to university, because I had to buy my own blue books back in college.

I find that if I try to grade ALL the assignments at once, I become more and more inefficient as I go. So I will only grade a few assignments at a time. If I have 20 essays to grade, I’ll grade 3-4 at a time and can still get all of them done within a week.