Expert System (AI) is revolutionizing education while making discovering more available however likewise stimulating arguments on its effect.
While trainees hail AI tools like ChatGPT for boosting their learning experience, lecturers are raising concerns about the growing dependence on AI, which they argue fosters laziness and weakens academic stability, especially with numerous trainees unable to safeguard their tasks or offered works.
Prof. Isaac Nwaogwugwu, a speaker at the University of Lagos, in an interview with Nairametrics, expressed disappointment over the growing dependence on AI-generated actions amongst trainees stating a current experience he had.
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"I gave an assignment to my MBA students, and out of over 100 trainees, about 40% submitted the exact same responses. These trainees did not even understand each other, however they all used the exact same AI tool to create their responses," he stated.
He noted that this pattern is common among both undergraduate and postgraduate students but is particularly concerning in part-time and range learning programs.
"AI is a serious challenge when it comes to tasks. Many students no longer think critically-they simply go online, generate responses, and send," 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 users.atw.hu convenience rather than intellectual rigor.
This debate raises critical questions about the function of AI in scholastic integrity and trainee advancement.
According to a UNESCO report, while ChatGPT reached 100 million regular monthly active users in January 2023, only one nation had released policies on generative AI as of July 2023.
As of December 2024, ChatGPT had more than 300 million individuals utilizing the AI chatbot every week and 1 billion messages sent out every day around the world.
Decline of academic rigor
University lecturers are significantly worried about students submitting AI-generated projects without truly understanding the content.
Dr. Felix Echekoba, a lecturer at Nnamdi Azikiwe University, revealed his concerns to Nairametrics about students significantly relying on ChatGPT, just to have problem with addressing basic questions when evaluated.
"Many trainees copy from ChatGPT and submit refined assignments, but when asked basic questions, they go blank. It's frustrating since education is about discovering, not simply passing courses," he stated.
- Prof. Nwaogwugwu pointed out that the increasing number of first-rate graduates can not be totally credited to AI but admitted that even high-performing students utilize these tools.
"A top-notch trainee is a top-notch student, AI or not, but that does not imply they don't cheat. The advantages of AI might be peripheral, however it is making students dependent and less analytical," he said.
- Another speaker, Dr. Ereke, from Ebonyi State University, raised a different issue that some lecturers themselves are guilty of the same practice.
"It's not simply students utilizing AI slackly. Some speakers, out of their own laziness, create lesson notes, course outlines, marking schemes, and even examination questions with AI without examining them. Students in turn utilize AI to generate responses. It's a cycle of laziness and it is eliminating real knowing," he lamented.
Students' viewpoints on usage
Students, on the other hand, state AI has actually improved their learning experience by making scholastic products more reasonable and available.
- Eniola Arowosafe, a 300-level Business Administration trainee at Unilag, shared how AI has significantly aided her learning by breaking down complex terms and supplying summaries of prolonged texts.
"AI assisted me comprehend things more quickly, particularly when dealing with complicated topics," she described.
However, she remembered a circumstances when she utilized AI to submit her project, just for hb9lc.org her lecturer to immediately acknowledge that it was created by ChatGPT and decline it. Eniola noted that it was a good-bad impact.
- Bryan Okwuba, who just recently finished with a first-class degree in Pharmacy Technology from the University of Lagos, securely thinks that his academic success wasn't due to any AI tool. He associates his impressive grades to actively engaging by asking questions and focusing on areas that speakers emphasize in class, as they are frequently shown in exam concerns.
"It's everything about existing, taking note, and taking advantage of the wealth of understanding shared by my coworkers," he said,
- Tunde Awoshita, a final-year marketing trainee at UNIZIK, admits to occasionally copying straight from ChatGPT when facing multiple due dates.
"To be sincere, there are times I copy straight from ChatGPT when I have multiple deadlines, and I know I'm guilty of that, many times the speakers do not get to read through them, but AI has actually also helped me learn faster."
Balancing AI's function in education
Experts think the solution depends on AI literacy; mentor students and speakers how to use AI as a learning help instead of a faster way.
- Minister of Education, Dr. Tunji Alausa, highlighted the integration of AI into Nigeria's education system, stressing the value of a balanced technique that maintains human involvement while harnessing AI to enhance discovering results.
"As we navigate the quickly progressing landscape of Artificial Intelligence (AI), it is essential that we prioritise human firm in education. We should ensure that AI enhances, instead of replaces, teachers' vital role in shaping young minds," he said
Concerns over AI in Learning
Dorcas Akintade, a cybersecurity improvement professional, attended to growing concerns regarding using synthetic intelligence (AI) tools such as ChatGPT and their possible dangers to the educational system.
- She acknowledged the benefits of AI, however, stressed the need for care in its use.
- Akintade highlighted the increasing hesitance among teachers and schools toward including AI tools in discovering environments. She determined two primary reasons AI tools are discouraged in academic settings: security risks and plagiarism. She described that AI tools like ChatGPT are trained to respond based on user interactions, which may not line up with the expectations of educators.
"It is not taking a look at it as a tutor," Akintade said, describing that AI does not cater to specific teaching methods.
Plagiarism is another issue, as AI pulls from existing information, typically without proper attribution
"A lot of individuals need to understand, like I said, this is data that has been trained on. It is not simply bringing things out from the sky. It's bringing details that some other people are fed into it, which in essence means that is another person's paperwork," she warned.
- Additionally, Akintade highlighted an early issue in AI development referred to as "hallucination," where AI tools would produce information that was not accurate.
"Hallucination implied that it was drawing out information from the air. If ChatGPT might not get that information from you, it was going to make one up," she discussed.
She suggested "grounding" AI by offering it with particular info to avoid such errors.
Navigating AI in Education
Akintade argued that prohibiting AI tools outright is not the option, especially when AI provides a chance to leapfrog conventional academic approaches.
- She thinks that consistently strengthening essential details assists individuals remember and prevent making errors when faced with difficulties.
"Immersion brings conversion. When you tell individuals the exact same thing over and over again, when they are about to make the mistakes, then they'll remember."
She also empasized the need for clear policies and procedures within schools, keeping in mind that many schools need to deal with individuals and process aspects of this use.
- Prof. Nwaogwugwu has actually turned to in-class tasks and tests to counter AI-driven academic dishonesty.
"Now, I mainly utilize projects to make sure students supply original work." However, suvenir51.ru he acknowledged that handling big classes makes this method difficult.
"If you set complicated questions, trainees won't have the ability to utilize AI to get direct responses," he explained.
He emphasized the requirement for universities to train lecturers on crafting exam questions that AI can not quickly solve while acknowledging that some lecturers battle to counter AI abuse due to an absence of technological awareness. "Some lecturers are analogue," he stated.
- Nigeria released a draft National AI Strategy in August 2024, focusing on ethical AI advancement with fairness, transparency, accountability, and personal privacy at its core.
- UNESCO in a report requires the policy of AI in education, encouraging organizations to examine algorithms, information, and outputs of generative AI tools to guarantee they satisfy ethical standards, secure user data, and filter unsuitable material.
- It stresses the requirement to assess the long-lasting impact of AI on important skills like believing and imagination while developing policies that line up with ethical structures. Additionally, UNESCO advises executing age restrictions for GenAI usage to secure more youthful trainees and safeguard vulnerable groups.
- For governments, it advised embracing a collaborated national approach to managing GenAI, including developing oversight bodies and aligning policies with existing data protection and personal privacy laws. It emphasizes assessing AI dangers, implementing more stringent rules for high-risk applications, and making sure nationwide information ownership.