Expert System (AI) is transforming education while making finding out more available but likewise stimulating arguments on its effect.

While hail AI tools like ChatGPT for enhancing their knowing experience, speakers are raising concerns about the growing dependence on AI, which they argue fosters laziness and undermines academic stability, particularly with numerous trainees unable to safeguard their tasks or given works.

Prof. Isaac Nwaogwugwu, a lecturer at the University of Lagos, in an interview with Nairametrics, expressed disappointment over the growing dependence on AI-generated reactions among trainees recounting a current experience he had.

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

He noted that this pattern is prevalent among both undergraduate and postgraduate students however is specifically concerning in part-time and range learning programs.

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

Surprisingly, some speakers 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 argument raises critical questions about the function of AI in scholastic integrity and trainee development.

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

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

Decline of academic rigor

University lecturers are significantly concerned about trainees sending AI-generated assignments without really comprehending the content.

Dr. Felix Echekoba, a speaker at Nnamdi Azikiwe University, expressed his issues to Nairametrics about trainees progressively counting on ChatGPT, only to have problem with answering standard concerns when tested.

"Many trainees copy from ChatGPT and submit polished assignments, but when asked fundamental questions, they go blank. It's disappointing due to the fact that education is about learning, not just passing courses," he stated.

- Prof. Nwaogwugwu mentioned that the increasing variety of first-rate graduates can not be entirely attributed to AI but admitted that even high-performing students use these tools.
"A first-class trainee is a first-class student, AI or not, but that does not mean they do not cheat. The advantages of AI may be peripheral, however it is making trainees dependent and less analytical," he stated.

- Another speaker, Dr. Ereke, from Ebonyi State University, raised a different concern that some lecturers themselves are guilty of the exact same practice.
"It's not just students using AI lazily. Some speakers, out of their own laziness, generate lesson notes, course describes, marking plans, and even examination questions with AI without examining them. Students in turn use AI to generate responses. It's a cycle of laziness and it is eliminating genuine knowing," he lamented.

Students' perspectives on use

Students, on the other hand, say AI has actually improved their knowing experience by making scholastic materials more easy to understand 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 helped me understand things more quickly, particularly when dealing with complex subjects," she described.

However, she remembered an instance when she utilized AI to submit her project, just for her speaker to right away acknowledge that it was created by ChatGPT and decline it. Eniola kept in mind that it was a good-bad result.

- Bryan Okwuba, who recently finished with a top-notch degree in Pharmacy Technology from the University of Lagos, firmly believes that his scholastic success wasn't due to any AI tool. He associates his exceptional grades to actively engaging by asking concerns and concentrating on areas that speakers emphasize in class, as they are typically reflected in test questions.
"It's all about being present, taking note, and using the wealth of understanding shared by my coworkers," he stated,

- Tunde Awoshita, a final-year marketing trainee at UNIZIK, confesses to occasionally copying straight from ChatGPT when facing several due dates.
"To be truthful, there are times I copy directly from ChatGPT when I have numerous due dates, and I know I'm guilty of that, the majority of times the lecturers don't get to check out them, however AI has actually likewise assisted me discover faster."

Balancing AI's function in education

Experts believe the option depends on AI literacy