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Artificial Intelligence (AI) is reinventing education while making discovering more available however also stimulating disputes on its effect.

While trainees hail AI tools like ChatGPT for improving their learning experience, lecturers are raising issues about the growing reliance on AI, which they argue fosters laziness and undermines academic integrity, specifically with numerous students unable to safeguard their assignments or provided works.

Prof. Isaac Nwaogwugwu, a speaker at the University of Lagos, in an interview with Nairametrics, revealed aggravation over the growing reliance on AI-generated responses among students recounting a current experience he had.

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"I provided an assignment to my MBA students, and out of over 100 students, about 40% submitted the exact very same answers. These students did not even know each other, however they all used the same AI tool to produce their reactions," he said.

He noted that this pattern prevails amongst both undergraduate and postgraduate students however is particularly concerning in part-time and distance learning programs.

"AI is a severe challenge when it comes to projects. Many students no longer believe critically-they simply go on the internet, produce responses, and send," he included.

Surprisingly, some speakers are also accused of over-relying on AI, setting a cycle where both educators and students turn to AI for benefit rather than intellectual rigor.

This dispute raises important concerns about the function of AI in scholastic stability and student development.

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

Since December 2024, ChatGPT had more than 300 million people using the AI chatbot each week and 1 billion messages sent out every day around the globe.

Decline of academic rigor

University speakers are increasingly concerned about students submitting AI-generated projects without really understanding the material.

Dr. Felix Echekoba, a lecturer at Nnamdi Azikiwe University, revealed his concerns to Nairametrics about trainees significantly relying on ChatGPT, just to deal with responding to basic questions when checked.

"Many trainees copy from ChatGPT and send sleek projects, however when asked fundamental questions, they go blank. It's disappointing because education has to do with learning, not simply passing courses," he stated.

- Prof. Nwaogwugwu pointed out that the increasing variety of first-rate graduates can not be completely credited to AI however admitted that even high-performing students use these tools.
"A superior student is a first-rate student, AI or not, but that doesn't mean they don't cheat. The benefits of AI might be peripheral, but it is making students reliant and less analytical," he stated.

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

Students' perspectives on use

Students, on the other hand, state AI has enhanced their learning experience by making academic products more reasonable and accessible.

- Eniola Arowosafe, a 300-level Business Administration student at Unilag, townshipmarket.co.za shared how AI has substantially aided her knowing by breaking down complex terms and offering summaries of lengthy texts.
"AI helped me understand things more quickly, particularly when dealing with complex subjects," she described.

However, she remembered a circumstances when she utilized AI to submit her job, only for her speaker to immediately acknowledge that it was generated by ChatGPT and decline it. Eniola noted that it was a good-bad impact.

- Bryan Okwuba, who just recently graduated with a top-notch degree in Pharmacy Technology from the University of Lagos, firmly believes that his academic success wasn't due to any AI tool. He attributes his exceptional grades to actively interesting by asking questions and concentrating on areas that lecturers stress in class, as they are often shown in examination concerns.
"It's all about existing, taking note, and using the wealth of knowledge shared by my coworkers," he stated,

- Tunde Awoshita, a final-year marketing student at UNIZIK, admits to occasionally copying straight from ChatGPT when facing several due dates.
"To be truthful, there are times I copy straight from ChatGPT when I have numerous due dates, and I know I'm guilty of that, the majority of times the speakers do not get to go through them, however AI has actually likewise assisted me learn faster."

Balancing AI's role in education

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

- Minister of Education, Dr. Tunji Alausa, highlighted the integration of AI into Nigeria's education system, worrying the importance of a balanced approach that maintains human participation while harnessing AI to enhance finding out outcomes.
"As we navigate the rapidly progressing landscape of Expert system (AI), it is important that we prioritise human company in education. We must make sure that AI boosts, instead of changes, educators' important function in shaping young minds," he said

Concerns over AI in Learning

Dorcas Akintade, a cybersecurity improvement expert, dealt with growing concerns relating to using synthetic intelligence (AI) tools such as ChatGPT and their possible dangers to the instructional system.

- She acknowledged the benefits of AI, however, emphasized the requirement for caution in its use.
- Akintade highlighted the increasing hesitance among teachers and schools toward including AI tools in discovering environments. She recognized 2 main reasons that AI tools are dissuaded in academic settings: security threats and plagiarism. She described that AI tools like ChatGPT are trained to respond based on user interactions, which may not align with the expectations of educators.
"It is not taking a look at it as a tutor," Akintade stated, describing that AI doesn't cater to specific teaching approaches.

Plagiarism is another issue, as AI pulls from existing information, frequently without proper attribution

"A lot of people need to understand, like I stated, 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 indicates that is another individual's documentation," she warned.

- Additionally, Akintade highlighted an early issue in AI development referred to as "hallucination," where AI tools would create information that was not accurate.
"Hallucination indicated 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 recommended "grounding" AI by offering it with particular information to avoid such mistakes.

Navigating AI in Education

Akintade argued that banning AI tools outright is not the option, especially when AI provides a chance to leapfrog traditional academic approaches.

- She believes that consistently enhancing crucial information assists individuals remember and prevent making errors when confronted with challenges.
"Immersion brings conversion. When you inform people the exact same thing over and over again, when they will make the mistakes, then they'll keep in mind."

She likewise empasized the need for clear policies and treatments within schools, keeping in mind that numerous schools ought to address the people and procedure aspects of this usage.

- Prof. Nwaogwugwu has actually turned to in-class projects and tests to counter AI-driven academic dishonesty.
"Now, I primarily use tasks to guarantee trainees supply initial work." However, he acknowledged that managing large classes makes this approach hard.

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

He highlighted the requirement for universities to train speakers on crafting test questions that AI can not easily resolve while acknowledging that some lecturers 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, tandme.co.uk concentrating on ethical AI development with fairness, openness, responsibility, and privacy at its core.
- UNESCO in a report requires the regulation of AI in education, recommending organizations to audit algorithms, information, and outputs of generative AI tools to guarantee they meet ethical requirements, safeguard user data, and filter inappropriate material.
- It stresses the need to assess the long-term impact of AI on vital abilities like thinking and creativity while developing policies that line up with ethical structures. Additionally, UNESCO advises out age restrictions for GenAI use to secure more youthful trainees and secure susceptible groups.
- For federal governments, it recommended embracing a coordinated nationwide technique to regulating GenAI, consisting of developing oversight bodies and aligning regulations with existing information protection and personal privacy laws. It stresses assessing AI dangers, imposing stricter guidelines for high-risk applications, and making sure nationwide data ownership.