GitLab

Expert System (AI) is reinventing education while making finding out more available but likewise triggering disputes on its impact.

While students hail AI tools like ChatGPT for enhancing their learning experience, speakers are raising issues about the growing reliance on AI, which they argue fosters laziness and weakens scholastic integrity, specifically with lots of students not able to protect their assignments or given works.

Prof. Isaac Nwaogwugwu, a lecturer at the University of Lagos, in an interview with Nairametrics, revealed aggravation over the growing dependence on AI-generated actions amongst students stating a recent experience he had.

RelatedStories

Avoid sharing individual information that can recognize you with AI tools- Expert warns

Chinese AI app DeepSeek sparks international tech selloff, difficulties U.S. AI dominance

"I gave a task to my MBA trainees, and out of over 100 students, about 40% sent the specific same answers. These students did not even understand each other, but they all used the very same AI tool to create their reactions," he said.

He kept in mind that this trend prevails amongst both undergraduate and postgraduate trainees but is specifically concerning in part-time and distance learning programs.

"AI is a serious challenge when it concerns projects. Many students no longer think critically-they simply go on the internet, generate responses, and send," he included.

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

This dispute raises critical questions about the role of AI in academic integrity and student development.

According to a UNESCO report, while ChatGPT reached 100 million monthly active users in January 2023, just one nation had launched guidelines on generative AI since July 2023.

As of December 2024, ChatGPT had more than 300 million individuals utilizing the AI chatbot each week and 1 billion messages sent every day worldwide.

Decline of scholastic rigor

University speakers are significantly worried about students sending AI-generated assignments without truly comprehending the content.

Dr. Felix Echekoba, a speaker at Nnamdi Azikiwe University, revealed his concerns to Nairametrics about students increasingly relying on ChatGPT, just to fight with addressing basic concerns when tested.

"Many trainees copy from ChatGPT and submit sleek projects, but when asked fundamental questions, they go blank. It's frustrating since education has to do with learning, not just passing courses," he said.

- Prof. Nwaogwugwu mentioned that the increasing variety of first-class graduates can not be entirely attributed to AI however admitted that even high-performing trainees utilize these tools.
"A first-class trainee is a superior trainee, AI or not, but that doesn't imply they do not cheat. The advantages of AI might be peripheral, but it is making trainees dependent and less analytical," he stated.

- Another lecturer, Dr. Ereke, from Ebonyi State University, raised a different issue that some speakers themselves are guilty of the exact same practice.
"It's not simply trainees utilizing AI slackly. Some speakers, out of their own laziness, generate lesson notes, course outlines, marking plans, and even test questions with AI without reviewing them. Students in turn use AI to create responses. It's a cycle of laziness and it is killing real learning," he regreted.

Students' viewpoints on usage

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

- Eniola Arowosafe, shiapedia.1god.org a 300-level Business Administration trainee at Unilag, shared how AI has actually substantially assisted her knowing by breaking down complex terms and wolvesbaneuo.com providing summaries of lengthy texts.
"AI assisted me understand things more quickly, specifically when handling complicated topics," she discussed.

However, she recalled a circumstances when she utilized AI to send her project, just for her speaker to right away acknowledge that it was generated by ChatGPT and decline it. Eniola kept in mind that it was a good-bad result.

- Bryan Okwuba, who just recently graduated with a top-notch degree in Pharmacy Technology from the University of Lagos, strongly believes that his scholastic success wasn't due to any AI tool. He attributes his impressive grades to actively engaging by asking questions and focusing on areas that lecturers stress in class, as they are often shown in test concerns.
"It's all about being present, paying attention, and tapping into the wealth of knowledge shared by my colleagues," he said,

- Tunde Awoshita, a final-year marketing student at UNIZIK, confesses to sometimes copying straight from ChatGPT when dealing with several deadlines.
"To be honest, there are times I copy directly from ChatGPT when I have numerous deadlines, and I know I'm guilty of that, a lot of times the lecturers do not get to read through them, but AI has actually also helped me find out quicker."

Balancing AI's function in education

Experts think the solution depends on AI literacy; teaching and lecturers how to utilize AI as a knowing help rather than a faster way.

- Minister of Education, Dr. Tunji Alausa, highlighted the combination of AI into Nigeria's education system, worrying the significance of a well balanced method that keeps human participation while harnessing AI to enhance finding out results.
"As we navigate the quickly evolving landscape of Artificial Intelligence (AI), it is essential that we prioritise human agency in education. We need to ensure that AI boosts, instead of replaces, educators' crucial function in shaping young minds," he said

Concerns over AI in Learning

Dorcas Akintade, a cybersecurity transformation professional, addressed growing concerns relating to using expert system (AI) tools such as ChatGPT and their prospective risks to the educational system.

- She acknowledged the benefits of AI, nevertheless, emphasized the need for care in its use.
- Akintade highlighted the increasing resistance amongst teachers and schools towards integrating AI tools in discovering environments. She determined 2 main reasons AI tools are discouraged in academic settings: security dangers and plagiarism. She explained that AI tools like ChatGPT are trained to respond based on user interactions, which may not align with the expectations of teachers.
"It is not taking a look at it as a tutor," Akintade stated, explaining that AI does not deal with particular mentor approaches.

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

"A lot of people require to comprehend, like I said, this is data that has been trained on. It is not just bringing things out from the sky. It's bringing information that some other people are fed into it, which in essence suggests that is another individual's paperwork," she cautioned.

- Additionally, Akintade highlighted an early problem in AI development called "hallucination," where AI tools would generate details that was not factual.
"Hallucination indicated that it was drawing out info from the air. If ChatGPT might not get that info from you, it was going to make one up," she explained.

She suggested "grounding" AI by providing it with specific information to avoid such mistakes.

Navigating AI in Education

Akintade argued that banning AI tools outright is not the option, particularly when AI presents a chance to leapfrog traditional instructional techniques.

- She believes that consistently enhancing key info assists individuals keep in mind and avoid making errors when faced with obstacles.
"Immersion brings conversion. When you inform people the very same thing over and over once again, when they are about to make the errors, then they'll keep in mind."

She also empasized the requirement for clear policies and procedures within schools, keeping in mind that numerous schools need to address the individuals and process aspects of this use.

- Prof. Nwaogwugwu has turned to in-class projects and tests to counter AI-driven academic dishonesty.
"Now, I generally use assignments to ensure students offer initial work." However, he acknowledged that managing large classes makes this approach tough.

"If you set intricate questions, trainees will not be able to utilize AI to get direct answers," he described.

He highlighted the need for universities to train speakers on crafting test concerns that AI can not easily fix while acknowledging that some speakers battle to counter AI abuse due to a lack of technological awareness. "Some lecturers are analogue," he stated.

- Nigeria released a draft National AI Strategy in August 2024, focusing on ethical AI development with fairness, openness, accountability, and privacy at its core.
- UNESCO in a report requires the guideline of AI in education, advising institutions to audit algorithms, information, and outputs of generative AI tools to guarantee they meet ethical requirements, safeguard user data, and filter unsuitable content.
- It stresses the requirement to evaluate the long-term impact of AI on important abilities like believing and wiki.myamens.com creativity while developing policies that align with ethical structures. Additionally, UNESCO recommends carrying out age restrictions for GenAI usage to protect more youthful students and protect susceptible groups.
- For federal governments, it recommended adopting a collaborated nationwide approach to managing GenAI, including developing oversight bodies and lining up regulations with existing information security and hikvisiondb.webcam personal privacy laws. It highlights assessing AI threats, enforcing stricter rules for high-risk applications, and guaranteeing nationwide information ownership.