Expert System (AI) is transforming education while making discovering more accessible but also sparking arguments on its impact.
While trainees hail AI tools like ChatGPT for improving their learning experience, speakers are raising issues about the growing reliance on AI, which they argue fosters laziness and weakens scholastic integrity, especially with numerous students not able to protect their assignments or provided works.
Prof. Isaac Nwaogwugwu, a speaker at the University of Lagos, in an interview with Nairametrics, revealed disappointment over the growing dependence on AI-generated actions among students stating a recent experience he had.
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"I provided a task to my MBA trainees, and out of over 100 students, about 40% sent the exact very same responses. These trainees did not even understand each other, however they all used the exact same AI tool to create their actions," he said.
He noted that this pattern prevails amongst both undergraduate and postgraduate students however is particularly concerning in part-time and distance knowing programs.
"AI is a major challenge when it comes to projects. Many students no longer think critically-they just go on the internet, generate answers, and send," he added.
Surprisingly, some lecturers are likewise implicated of over-relying on AI, setting a cycle where both educators and trainees turn to AI for benefit rather than intellectual rigor.
This argument raises critical questions about the function of AI in scholastic stability and student development.
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.
As of December 2024, ChatGPT had over 300 million people using the AI chatbot each week and 1 billion messages sent every day worldwide.
Decline of academic rigor
University lecturers are significantly concerned about students sending AI-generated projects without really comprehending the content.
Dr. Felix Echekoba, a lecturer at Nnamdi Azikiwe University, revealed his concerns to Nairametrics about students progressively relying on ChatGPT, only to fight with answering standard concerns when checked.
"Many students copy from ChatGPT and send refined projects, but when asked standard questions, they go blank. It's disappointing because education is about discovering, not simply passing courses," he stated.
- Prof. Nwaogwugwu mentioned that the increasing variety of superior graduates can not be entirely credited to AI however admitted that even high-performing trainees utilize these tools.
"A top-notch student is a first-class trainee, AI or not, but that doesn't indicate they don't cheat. The benefits of AI might be peripheral, however it is making students reliant and less analytical," he said.
- Another speaker, Dr. Ereke, from Ebonyi State University, raised a different issue that some speakers themselves are guilty of the very same practice.
"It's not simply students utilizing AI slackly. Some lecturers, out of their own laziness, create lesson notes, course outlines, marking schemes, and even examination concerns with AI without evaluating them. Students in turn use AI to generate answers. It's a cycle of laziness and it is eliminating real learning," he regreted.
Students' viewpoints on use
Students, on the other hand, say AI has actually enhanced their learning experience by making academic products more understandable and accessible.
- Eniola Arowosafe, a 300-level Business Administration trainee at Unilag, shared how AI has actually substantially aided her knowing by breaking down complex terms and offering summaries of lengthy texts.
"AI helped me understand things more easily, especially when handling complicated topics," she explained.
However, she remembered an instance when she utilized AI to send her job, only for her lecturer to right away recognize that it was generated by ChatGPT and reject it. Eniola noted that it was a good-bad effect.
- Bryan Okwuba, who just recently graduated with a superior degree in Pharmacy Technology from the University of Lagos, strongly thinks that his academic success wasn't due to any AI tool. He attributes his outstanding grades to actively appealing by asking questions and concentrating on areas that lecturers stress in class, as they are frequently shown in examination concerns.
"It's all about existing, taking note, and using the wealth of understanding shared by my associates," he stated,
- Tunde Awoshita, a final-year marketing trainee at UNIZIK, mariskamast.net confesses to sometimes copying directly from ChatGPT when facing multiple due dates.
"To be sincere, there are times I copy directly from ChatGPT when I have numerous due dates, and I know I'm guilty of that, many times the speakers don't get to review them, however AI has actually likewise assisted me find out much faster."
Balancing AI's role in education
Experts believe the service lies in AI literacy; mentor 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, stressing the importance of a well balanced approach that keeps human involvement while harnessing AI to improve learning outcomes.
"As we navigate the rapidly developing landscape of Expert system (AI), it is crucial that we prioritise human firm in education. We should guarantee that AI boosts, rather than replaces, educators' crucial function in forming young minds," he said
Dorcas Akintade, a cybersecurity improvement specialist, resolved growing concerns concerning making use of synthetic intelligence (AI) tools such as ChatGPT and their prospective threats to the instructional system.
- She acknowledged the benefits of AI, nevertheless, stressed the need for care in its usage.
- Akintade highlighted the increasing resistance amongst teachers and schools towards incorporating AI tools in finding out environments. She recognized two main reasons why AI tools are discouraged in instructional settings: security dangers and plagiarism. She discussed that AI tools like ChatGPT are trained to react based on user interactions, which may not line up with the expectations of teachers.
"It is not looking at it as a tutor," Akintade stated, describing that AI doesn't accommodate specific teaching approaches.
Plagiarism is another concern, as AI pulls from existing information, frequently without correct attribution
"A lot of people need to understand, like I said, 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 individuals are fed into it, which in essence indicates that is another individual's paperwork," she warned.
- Additionally, Akintade highlighted an early concern in AI advancement called "hallucination," where AI tools would generate information that was not accurate.
"Hallucination suggested that it was drawing out details from the air. If ChatGPT could not get that information from you, it was going to make one up," she described.
She recommended "grounding" AI by supplying it with particular information to avoid such mistakes.
Navigating AI in Education
Akintade argued that prohibiting AI tools outright is not the solution, especially when AI presents an opportunity to leapfrog standard educational methods.
- She believes that consistently enhancing crucial details helps people remember and classifieds.ocala-news.com avoid making errors when faced with challenges.
"Immersion brings conversion. When you tell people the same thing over and over once again, when they will make the errors, then they'll remember."
She also empasized the need for clear policies and treatments within schools, noting that numerous schools should address individuals and process aspects of this use.
- Prof. Nwaogwugwu has resorted to in-class projects and tests to counter AI-driven academic dishonesty.
"Now, I primarily utilize tasks to make sure trainees provide initial work." However, he acknowledged that handling large classes makes this technique tough.
"If you set complex questions, students won't be able to utilize AI to get direct answers," he explained.
He stressed the requirement for universities to train speakers on crafting examination concerns that AI can not easily resolve while acknowledging that some speakers struggle to counter AI abuse due to a lack of technological awareness. "Some lecturers are analogue," he said.
- Nigeria released a draft National AI Strategy in August 2024, focusing on ethical AI advancement with fairness, openness, accountability, and privacy at its core.
- UNESCO in a report requires the policy of AI in education, advising organizations to investigate algorithms, information, and outputs of generative AI tools to ensure they fulfill ethical standards, secure user data, and filter unsuitable material.
- It stresses the need to evaluate the long-term impact of AI on vital abilities like believing and imagination while producing policies that align with ethical frameworks. Additionally, UNESCO recommends implementing age limitations for GenAI use to safeguard younger students and secure susceptible groups.
- For federal governments, it encouraged adopting a collaborated nationwide method to controling GenAI, including developing oversight bodies and aligning policies with existing information security and personal privacy laws. It emphasizes evaluating AI dangers, enforcing more stringent guidelines for high-risk applications, and ensuring nationwide information ownership.
