GitLab

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is reinventing education while making finding out more available however also sparking debates on its impact.

While students hail AI tools like ChatGPT for boosting their knowing experience, speakers are raising concerns about the growing reliance on AI, which they argue fosters laziness and undermines academic stability, specifically with numerous students not able to safeguard their assignments or works.

Prof. Isaac Nwaogwugwu, a lecturer at the University of Lagos, in an interview with Nairametrics, expressed disappointment over the growing reliance on AI-generated actions among students stating a recent experience he had.

RelatedStories

Avoid sharing personal details that can recognize you with AI tools- Expert warns

Chinese AI app DeepSeek sparks global tech selloff, obstacles U.S. AI supremacy

"I offered an assignment to my MBA trainees, and out of over 100 trainees, about 40% submitted the specific very same answers. These trainees did not even know each other, however they all utilized the same AI tool to generate their responses," he said.

He noted that this trend prevails amongst both undergraduate and postgraduate trainees however is specifically worrying in part-time and range learning programs.

"AI is a serious obstacle when it concerns tasks. Many students no longer believe critically-they just browse the web, generate responses, and submit," he added.

Surprisingly, some lecturers are also implicated of over-relying on AI, setting a cycle where both educators and students turn to AI for benefit rather than intellectual rigor.

This dispute raises critical questions about the role of AI in academic integrity and trainee advancement.

According to a UNESCO report, while ChatGPT reached 100 million month-to-month active users in January 2023, only one nation had actually released guidelines on generative AI since July 2023.

Since December 2024, ChatGPT had over 300 million people utilizing the AI chatbot each week and 1 billion messages sent every day worldwide.

Decline of academic rigor

University speakers are progressively worried about students submitting AI-generated assignments without truly understanding the material.

Dr. Felix Echekoba, a lecturer at Nnamdi Azikiwe University, expressed his issues to Nairametrics about students progressively counting on ChatGPT, just to battle with answering standard concerns when tested.

"Many students copy from ChatGPT and submit sleek projects, but when asked fundamental questions, they go blank. It's disappointing due to the fact that education has to do with learning, not just passing courses," he stated.

- Prof. Nwaogwugwu explained that the increasing variety of top-notch graduates can not be completely credited to AI however admitted that even high-performing students use these tools.
"A first-class student is a first-class trainee, AI or not, however that does not imply they do not cheat. The benefits of AI may be peripheral, but it is making trainees dependent and less analytical," he said.

- Another lecturer, vmeste-so-vsemi.ru Dr. Ereke, from Ebonyi State University, raised a different concern that some speakers themselves are guilty of the same practice.
"It's not simply students using AI lazily. Some speakers, out of their own laziness, produce lesson notes, course outlines, marking plans, and even exam questions with AI without evaluating them. Students in turn use AI to generate responses. It's a cycle of laziness and it is eliminating real learning," he regreted.

Students' point of views on usage

Students, on the other hand, say AI has actually enhanced their knowing experience by making scholastic products more understandable and accessible.

- Eniola Arowosafe, a 300-level Business Administration student at Unilag, shared how AI has actually substantially helped her knowing by breaking down complex terms and providing summaries of prolonged texts.
"AI assisted me comprehend things more easily, specifically when handling complicated subjects," she described.

However, she remembered a circumstances when she used AI to submit her project, only for her lecturer to right away acknowledge that it was produced by ChatGPT and reject it. Eniola noted that it was a good-bad effect.

- Bryan Okwuba, who just recently finished with a first-rate degree in Pharmacy Technology from the University of Lagos, firmly believes that his scholastic success wasn't due to any AI tool. He attributes his impressive grades to actively interesting by asking questions and focusing on locations that speakers stress in class, as they are often reflected in test questions.
"It's all about existing, taking note, and taking advantage of the wealth of understanding shared by my coworkers," he stated,

- Tunde Awoshita, a final-year marketing student at UNIZIK, admits to occasionally copying directly from ChatGPT when dealing with multiple due dates.
"To be honest, there are times I copy directly from ChatGPT when I have multiple deadlines, and I understand I'm guilty of that, most times the speakers do not get to check out them, however AI has actually likewise assisted me learn much faster."

Balancing AI's role in education

Experts think the service lies in AI literacy; teaching students and speakers how to use AI as a learning help rather than a shortcut.

- Minister of Education, Dr. Tunji Alausa, highlighted the integration of AI into Nigeria's education system, worrying the importance of a well balanced approach that preserves human involvement while harnessing AI to improve learning results.
"As we browse the rapidly developing landscape of Artificial Intelligence (AI), it is vital that we prioritise human company in education. We should ensure that AI boosts, instead of replaces, teachers' crucial role in shaping young minds," he said

Concerns over AI in Learning

Dorcas Akintade, a cybersecurity change expert, addressed growing issues relating to making use of expert system (AI) tools such as ChatGPT and their prospective dangers to the academic system.

- She acknowledged the benefits of AI, nevertheless, highlighted the requirement for care in its use.
- Akintade highlighted the increasing resistance among teachers and wiki.lafabriquedelalogistique.fr schools toward incorporating AI tools in learning environments. She recognized two main reasons why AI tools are discouraged in academic settings: security dangers and plagiarism. She discussed that AI tools like ChatGPT are trained to respond based on user interactions, which might not align with the expectations of teachers.
"It is not taking a look at it as a tutor," Akintade stated, discussing that AI does not cater to particular teaching methods.

Plagiarism is another concern, as AI pulls from existing data, frequently without correct attribution

"A great deal of people need to understand, like I stated, this is information that has been trained on. It is not simply bringing things out from the sky. It's bringing information that some other people are fed into it, which in essence implies that is another individual's documentation," she cautioned.

- Additionally, Akintade highlighted an early concern in AI development referred to as "hallucination," where AI tools would produce details that was not factual.
"Hallucination suggested that it was highlighting information from the air. If ChatGPT could not get that info from you, it was going to make one up," she described.

She recommended "grounding" AI by supplying it with specific details to prevent such errors.

Navigating AI in Education

Akintade argued that prohibiting AI tools outright is not the service, especially when AI provides an opportunity to leapfrog conventional instructional approaches.

- She believes that regularly reinforcing essential details assists individuals remember and avoid making mistakes when faced with obstacles.
"Immersion brings conversion. When you inform individuals the exact same thing over and over again, when they will make the errors, then they'll keep in mind."

She likewise empasized the requirement for clear policies and treatments within schools, wolvesbaneuo.com noting that lots of schools must resolve individuals and process aspects of this usage.

- Prof. Nwaogwugwu has resorted to in-class tasks and tests to counter AI-driven academic dishonesty.
"Now, I primarily use projects to guarantee students provide initial work." However, he acknowledged that handling big classes makes this method hard.

"If you set complicated concerns, trainees won't be able to use AI to get direct responses," he explained.

He stressed the need for universities to train lecturers on crafting examination concerns that AI can not quickly resolve while acknowledging that some speakers struggle to counter AI misuse due to an absence of technological awareness. "Some lecturers are analogue," he stated.

- Nigeria launched a draft National AI Strategy in August 2024, concentrating on ethical AI development with fairness, utahsyardsale.com transparency, accountability, and personal privacy at its core.
- UNESCO in a report requires the guideline of AI in education, advising institutions to audit algorithms, information, and vmeste-so-vsemi.ru outputs of generative AI tools to ensure they meet ethical requirements, protect user data, and filter unsuitable content.
- It stresses the requirement to evaluate the long-lasting impact of AI on crucial skills like believing and imagination while developing policies that align with ethical structures. Additionally, UNESCO advises implementing age restrictions for GenAI usage to protect more youthful students and safeguard vulnerable groups.
- For governments, it recommended embracing a coordinated national technique to managing GenAI, including developing oversight bodies and lining up regulations with existing data security and privacy laws. It stresses evaluating AI risks, imposing more stringent guidelines for high-risk applications, fishtanklive.wiki and ensuring national data ownership.