Artificial Intelligence (AI) is reinventing education while making learning more available but likewise stimulating debates on its impact.
While students hail AI tools like ChatGPT for boosting their learning experience, speakers are raising concerns about the growing reliance on AI, which they argue fosters laziness and undermines academic integrity, specifically with numerous students not able to defend their assignments or offered works.
Prof. Isaac Nwaogwugwu, a speaker at the University of Lagos, bphomesteading.com in an interview with Nairametrics, revealed aggravation over the growing dependence on AI-generated actions amongst trainees stating a recent experience he had.
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"I offered a project to my MBA students, and out of over 100 trainees, about 40% submitted the precise very same responses. These students did not even know each other, however they all utilized the exact same AI tool to create their reactions," he stated.
He kept in mind that this pattern is prevalent among both undergraduate and postgraduate trainees however is particularly concerning in part-time and distance learning programs.
"AI is a severe obstacle when it concerns assignments. Many students no longer think critically-they simply go online, create responses, and send," he added.
Surprisingly, some speakers are likewise accused of over-relying on AI, setting a cycle where both teachers and students turn to AI for convenience rather than intellectual rigor.
This argument raises critical concerns about the function of AI in scholastic integrity and trainee advancement.
According to a UNESCO report, while ChatGPT reached 100 million month-to-month active users in January 2023, just one nation had released regulations on generative AI since July 2023.
As of December 2024, wiki.fablabbcn.org ChatGPT had more than 300 million individuals utilizing the AI chatbot weekly and 1 billion messages sent every day worldwide.
University lecturers are significantly concerned about trainees submitting AI-generated projects without genuinely understanding the material.
Dr. Felix Echekoba, drapia.org a lecturer at Nnamdi Azikiwe University, revealed his issues to Nairametrics about students progressively relying on ChatGPT, just to have a hard time with answering basic questions when tested.
"Many students copy from ChatGPT and send polished assignments, but when asked standard concerns, they go blank. It's frustrating since education is about learning, not simply passing courses," he said.
- Prof. Nwaogwugwu mentioned that the increasing variety of first-rate graduates can not be completely attributed to AI however confessed that even high-performing trainees use these tools.
"A first-class student is a superior student, AI or not, however that does not suggest they don't cheat. The advantages of AI might be peripheral, however it is making students dependent and less analytical," he said.
- Another speaker, wiki.armello.com Dr. Ereke, from Ebonyi State University, raised a different concern that some speakers themselves are guilty of the exact same practice.
"It's not just trainees utilizing AI slackly. Some lecturers, out of their own laziness, produce lesson notes, course outlines, marking schemes, and even examination concerns with AI without examining them. Students in turn utilize AI to create responses. It's a cycle of laziness and it is eliminating genuine knowing," he lamented.
Students' perspectives on use
Students, on the other hand, state AI has actually enhanced their learning experience by making scholastic materials more understandable and available.
- Eniola Arowosafe, a 300-level Business Administration student at Unilag, shared how AI has actually significantly aided her knowing by breaking down complex terms and providing summaries of prolonged texts.
"AI assisted me comprehend things more easily, especially when dealing with intricate subjects," she discussed.
However, koha-community.cz she remembered a circumstances when she utilized AI to submit her job, only for her lecturer to instantly acknowledge that it was generated by ChatGPT and reject it. Eniola kept in mind 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 scholastic success wasn't due to any AI tool. He associates his outstanding grades to actively interesting by asking questions and focusing on areas that lecturers emphasize in class, as they are often reflected in test concerns.
"It's all about existing, paying attention, and using the wealth of knowledge shared by my coworkers," he stated,
- Tunde Awoshita, a final-year marketing student at UNIZIK, admits to periodically copying straight from ChatGPT when facing several due dates.
"To be sincere, there are times I copy straight from ChatGPT when I have numerous deadlines, and I understand I'm guilty of that, many times the lecturers don't get to go through them, but AI has likewise helped me discover faster."
Balancing AI's role in education
Experts believe the solution depends on AI literacy; teaching students and lecturers how to use AI as a learning aid rather than a shortcut.
- Minister of Education, Dr. Tunji Alausa, highlighted the combination of AI into Nigeria's education system, worrying the significance of a balanced technique that keeps human involvement while harnessing AI to enhance finding out results.
"As we navigate the rapidly progressing landscape of Expert system (AI), it is crucial that we prioritise human firm in education. We must make sure that AI enhances, rather than replaces, teachers' important function in shaping young minds," he stated
Concerns over AI in Learning
Dorcas Akintade, a cybersecurity improvement specialist, resolved growing concerns regarding using expert system (AI) tools such as ChatGPT and their potential dangers to the academic 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 finding out environments. She identified two main reasons that AI tools are prevented in educational settings: security risks and plagiarism. She described that AI tools like ChatGPT are trained to react based upon 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, discussing that AI does not deal with particular mentor methods.
Plagiarism is another concern, as AI pulls from existing information, frequently without appropriate attribution
"A lot of individuals require to understand, like I stated, this is data that has actually been trained on. It is not simply bringing things out from the sky. It's bringing info that some other individuals are fed into it, which in essence implies that is another person's paperwork," she warned.
- Additionally, Akintade highlighted an early problem in AI advancement called "hallucination," where AI tools would produce information that was not factual.
"Hallucination meant that it was drawing out info from the air. If ChatGPT might not get that information from you, it was going to make one up," she explained.
She advised "grounding" AI by offering it with specific details to prevent such mistakes.
Navigating AI in Education
Akintade argued that prohibiting AI tools outright is not the option, especially when AI presents a chance to leapfrog standard academic techniques.
- She believes that regularly enhancing key info assists people remember and avoid making errors when confronted with difficulties.
"Immersion brings conversion. When you tell people the same thing over and over again, when they are about to make the mistakes, then they'll keep in mind."
She likewise empasized the requirement for clear policies and treatments within schools, keeping in mind that many schools should address the individuals and process elements of this use.
- Prof. Nwaogwugwu has actually resorted to in-class tasks and tests to counter AI-driven academic dishonesty.
"Now, I generally use tasks to guarantee trainees provide original work." However, he acknowledged that handling big classes makes this technique hard.
"If you set intricate concerns, trainees will not be able to use AI to get direct answers," he explained.
He highlighted the requirement for universities to train speakers on crafting exam questions that AI can not easily solve while acknowledging that some speakers struggle to counter AI abuse due to an absence of technological awareness. "Some speakers are analogue," he said.
- Nigeria released a draft National AI Strategy in August 2024, concentrating on ethical AI advancement with fairness, openness, photorum.eclat-mauve.fr responsibility, and privacy at its core.
- UNESCO in a report calls for the policy of AI in education, encouraging organizations to investigate algorithms, equipifieds.com data, and outputs of generative AI tools to guarantee they fulfill ethical standards, protect user data, and filter inappropriate content.
- It stresses the need to examine the long-lasting effect of AI on vital abilities like believing and creativity while creating policies that align with ethical frameworks. Additionally, UNESCO advises implementing age restrictions for GenAI usage to safeguard more youthful students and protect susceptible groups.
- For governments, it encouraged adopting a collaborated national approach to regulating GenAI, consisting of establishing oversight bodies and aligning regulations with existing data protection and privacy laws. It stresses assessing AI dangers, imposing stricter guidelines for high-risk applications, and guaranteeing national data ownership.
