Artificial Intelligence (AI) is transforming education while making discovering more accessible however likewise sparking debates on its impact.

While trainees hail AI tools like ChatGPT for boosting their knowing experience, speakers are raising issues about the growing dependence on AI, which they argue fosters laziness and undermines academic integrity, especially with numerous trainees unable to safeguard their assignments or championsleage.review given works.

Prof. Isaac Nwaogwugwu, a lecturer at the University of Lagos, in an interview with Nairametrics, revealed frustration over the growing reliance on AI-generated reactions among students recounting a recent experience he had.

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

He noted that this trend prevails among both undergraduate and postgraduate trainees however is especially worrying in part-time and distance knowing programs.

"AI is a severe difficulty when it pertains to projects. Many students no longer think critically-they simply go on the internet, produce answers, and send," he added.

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

This dispute raises crucial concerns about the function of AI in academic integrity and student development.

According to a UNESCO report, while ChatGPT reached 100 million regular monthly active users in January 2023, only one nation had actually released policies on generative AI as of July 2023.

As of December 2024, ChatGPT had over 300 million individuals utilizing the AI chatbot weekly and 1 billion messages sent out every day all over the world.

Decline of scholastic rigor

University lecturers are increasingly worried about trainees submitting AI-generated assignments without genuinely understanding the content.

Dr. Felix Echekoba, a lecturer at Nnamdi Azikiwe University, expressed his issues to Nairametrics about trainees progressively counting on ChatGPT, only to struggle with addressing standard questions when checked.

"Many trainees copy from ChatGPT and send polished tasks, but when asked fundamental concerns, they go blank. It's disappointing due to the fact that education is about finding out, not just passing courses," he stated.

- Prof. Nwaogwugwu pointed out that the increasing variety of superior graduates can not be totally credited to AI however admitted that even high-performing students utilize these tools.


"A first-rate trainee is a top-notch trainee, AI or not, but that does not indicate they don't cheat. The benefits of AI may be peripheral, but it is making students reliant and less analytical," he said.

- Another lecturer, Dr. Ereke, from Ebonyi State University, raised a different concern that some lecturers themselves are guilty of the same practice.


"It's not just students using AI lazily. Some lecturers, out of their own laziness, produce lesson notes, course details, marking plans, and even exam concerns with AI without reviewing them. Students in turn utilize AI to generate answers. It's a cycle of laziness and it is killing real learning," he regreted.

Students' perspectives on use

Students, on the other hand, say AI has improved their knowing experience by making academic products more easy to understand and accessible.

- Eniola Arowosafe, a 300-level Business Administration trainee at Unilag, shared how AI has considerably helped her learning by breaking down complex terms and providing summaries of prolonged texts.


"AI assisted me comprehend things more easily, especially when dealing with complicated topics," she explained.

However, she remembered a circumstances when she utilized AI to send her project, just for her lecturer to immediately acknowledge that it was generated by ChatGPT and decline it. Eniola kept in mind that it was a good-bad effect.

- Bryan Okwuba, who just recently graduated with a top-notch degree in Pharmacy Technology from the University of Lagos, genbecle.com securely believes that his academic success wasn't due to any AI tool. He associates his exceptional grades to actively appealing by asking concerns and focusing on areas that speakers stress in class, as they are often shown in exam questions.


"It's all about existing, paying attention, and taking advantage of the wealth of knowledge shared by my associates," he said,

- Tunde Awoshita, a final-year marketing student at UNIZIK, confesses to sometimes copying straight from ChatGPT when dealing with numerous deadlines.


"To be sincere, there are times I copy directly from ChatGPT when I have numerous deadlines, and I know I'm guilty of that, many times the speakers do not get to read through them, however AI has likewise assisted me discover quicker."

Balancing AI's function in education

Experts think the service depends on AI literacy; mentor students and lecturers how to utilize AI as a learning help rather than a faster way.

- Minister of Education, Dr. Tunji Alausa, highlighted the integration of AI into Nigeria's education system, worrying the value of a well balanced method that preserves human involvement while utilizing AI to improve discovering outcomes.


"As we browse the rapidly evolving landscape of Expert system (AI), it is important that we prioritise human company in education. We must make sure that AI improves, instead of replaces, educators' essential function in forming young minds," he stated

Concerns over AI in Learning

Dorcas Akintade, a cybersecurity change specialist, resolved growing concerns relating to using artificial intelligence (AI) tools such as ChatGPT and their possible risks to the instructional system.

- She acknowledged the advantages of AI, nevertheless, emphasized the need for caution in its use.

- Akintade highlighted the increasing resistance amongst educators and schools toward integrating AI tools in finding out environments. She identified 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 upon user interactions, forum.pinoo.com.tr which may not line up with the expectations of educators.


"It is not looking at it as a tutor," Akintade stated, describing that AI doesn't cater to specific teaching methods.

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

"A great deal of people require to comprehend, 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 details that some other individuals are fed into it, which in essence suggests 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 info that was not accurate.


"Hallucination meant that it was bringing out information from the air. If ChatGPT could not get that details from you, it was going to make one up," she described.

She advised "grounding" AI by supplying it with particular info to prevent such mistakes.

Navigating AI in Education

Akintade argued that prohibiting AI tools outright is not the solution, particularly when AI presents an opportunity to leapfrog traditional educational methods.

- She believes that consistently reinforcing essential info helps individuals remember and avoid making errors when confronted with difficulties.


"Immersion brings conversion. When you inform people the exact same thing over and over once again, when they are about to make the mistakes, then they'll keep in mind."

She likewise empasized the need for clear policies and procedures within schools, noting that many schools must deal with individuals and process aspects of this usage.

- Prof. Nwaogwugwu has actually turned to in-class assignments and tests to counter AI-driven scholastic dishonesty.


"Now, I generally use assignments to guarantee students supply original work." However, he acknowledged that managing big classes makes this technique challenging.

"If you set intricate questions, trainees won't be able to utilize AI to get direct answers," he discussed.

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

- Nigeria released a draft National AI Strategy in August 2024, concentrating on ethical AI advancement with fairness, transparency, accountability, kenpoguy.com and privacy at its core.

- UNESCO in a report requires the guideline of AI in education, photorum.eclat-mauve.fr encouraging institutions to audit algorithms, information, and outputs of generative AI tools to guarantee they satisfy ethical requirements, protect user information, and filter improper material.

- It worries the requirement to examine the long-term impact of AI on important skills like believing and imagination while creating policies that line up with ethical frameworks. Additionally, UNESCO suggests executing age constraints for GenAI use to safeguard younger trainees and secure susceptible groups.
- For governments, it advised adopting a collaborated nationwide approach to managing GenAI, consisting of developing oversight bodies and lining up policies with existing data protection and privacy laws. It highlights evaluating AI risks, enforcing more stringent guidelines for high-risk applications, and guaranteeing nationwide data ownership.