Nigerian Students Turn to aI For Tests Answers, Lecturers Raise Alarm
Expert System (AI) is changing education while making finding out more available but also sparking disputes on its impact.
While trainees hail AI tools like ChatGPT for boosting their learning experience, speakers are raising concerns about the growing reliance on AI, which they argue fosters laziness and undermines scholastic integrity, oke.zone specifically with numerous students not able to protect their tasks or offered 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 responses among trainees recounting a current experience he had.
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"I provided a task to my MBA trainees, and out of over 100 trainees, about 40% submitted the specific very same responses. These trainees did not even know each other, but they all utilized the same AI tool to produce their actions," he said.
He noted that this pattern is common amongst both undergraduate and postgraduate trainees however is specifically concerning in part-time and distance learning programs.
"AI is a severe obstacle when it concerns assignments. Many students no longer believe critically-they simply go on the internet, generate responses, and submit," he added.
Surprisingly, some lecturers are likewise accused of over-relying on AI, setting a cycle where both teachers and students turn to AI for convenience instead of intellectual rigor.
This debate raises vital concerns about the function of AI in scholastic stability and trainee .
According to a UNESCO report, while ChatGPT reached 100 million monthly active users in January 2023, only one country had released guidelines on generative AI as of July 2023.
As of December 2024, ChatGPT had more than 300 million individuals using the AI chatbot every week and 1 billion messages sent out every day worldwide.
Decline of academic rigor
University speakers are progressively worried about trainees sending AI-generated projects without really comprehending the content.
Dr. Felix Echekoba, a lecturer at Nnamdi Azikiwe University, revealed his issues to Nairametrics about trainees increasingly relying on ChatGPT, just to fight with addressing fundamental questions when evaluated.
"Many students copy from ChatGPT and send polished assignments, however when asked fundamental questions, they go blank. It's disappointing due to the fact that education is about discovering, not simply passing courses," he stated.
- Prof. Nwaogwugwu mentioned that the increasing number of top-notch graduates can not be entirely credited to AI but admitted that even high-performing trainees utilize these tools.
"A superior student is a superior student, AI or not, but that does not suggest they don't cheat. The benefits of AI may be peripheral, however 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 speakers, out of their own laziness, generate lesson notes, course details, marking plans, and even test questions with AI without reviewing them. Students in turn utilize AI to generate responses. It's a cycle of laziness and it is eliminating real knowing," he regreted.
Students' perspectives on usage
Students, on the other hand, state AI has actually improved their knowing experience by making academic materials more reasonable and accessible.
- Eniola Arowosafe, a 300-level Business Administration trainee at Unilag, shared how AI has actually significantly assisted her learning by breaking down complex terms and offering summaries of prolonged texts.
"AI helped me understand things more easily, especially when dealing with complex subjects," she discussed.
However, she remembered a circumstances when she utilized AI to submit her task, just for her speaker to instantly recognize that it was generated by ChatGPT and decline it. Eniola noted that it was a good-bad result.
- Bryan Okwuba, who recently graduated with a first-rate degree in Pharmacy Technology from the University of Lagos, securely thinks that his scholastic success wasn't due to any AI tool. He attributes his exceptional grades to actively appealing by asking questions and concentrating on areas that lecturers stress in class, as they are typically reflected in exam concerns.
"It's all about existing, taking note, and using the wealth of knowledge shared by my associates," he said,
- Tunde Awoshita, a final-year marketing trainee at UNIZIK, admits to occasionally copying directly from ChatGPT when dealing with 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, most times the speakers do not get to check out through them, however AI has actually likewise assisted me learn much faster."
Balancing AI's function in education
Experts believe the service lies in AI literacy; mentor trainees and speakers how to use AI as a knowing aid rather than a faster way.
- Minister of Education, Dr. Tunji Alausa, highlighted the integration of AI into Nigeria's education system, stressing the value of a balanced technique that preserves human participation while utilizing AI to improve learning results.
"As we browse the rapidly evolving landscape of Artificial Intelligence (AI), it is essential that we prioritise human agency in education. We need to ensure that AI improves, instead of changes, educators' crucial role in shaping young minds," he stated
Concerns over AI in Learning
Dorcas Akintade, a cybersecurity change specialist, galgbtqhistoryproject.org dealt with growing concerns concerning the use of synthetic intelligence (AI) tools such as ChatGPT and their prospective risks to the instructional system.
- She acknowledged the advantages of AI, however, stressed the need for caution in its usage.
- Akintade highlighted the increasing resistance among educators and schools toward including AI tools in discovering environments. She identified 2 primary reasons why AI tools are discouraged in educational settings: security dangers and plagiarism. She described that AI tools like ChatGPT are trained to respond based upon user interactions, which may not line up with the expectations of teachers.
"It is not taking a look at it as a tutor," Akintade stated, explaining that AI does not cater to specific mentor techniques.
Plagiarism is another issue, shiapedia.1god.org as AI pulls from existing information, users.atw.hu frequently without proper attribution
"A great deal of individuals need to comprehend, like I said, this is information that has actually been trained on. It is not simply bringing things out from the sky. It's bringing information that some other people are fed into it, which in essence indicates that is another person's documentation," she warned.
- Additionally, Akintade highlighted an early issue in AI development called "hallucination," where AI tools would create details that was not factual.
"Hallucination indicated that it was bringing out details from the air. If ChatGPT might not get that information from you, it was going to make one up," she described.
She suggested "grounding" AI by providing it with specific info to prevent such errors.
Navigating AI in Education
Akintade argued that banning AI tools outright is not the solution, particularly when AI provides an opportunity to leapfrog conventional educational methods.
- She believes that consistently strengthening key details helps individuals keep in mind and prevent making mistakes when confronted with challenges.
"Immersion brings conversion. When you inform people the exact same thing over and over again, when they will make the errors, then they'll remember."
She also empasized the need for forum.batman.gainedge.org clear policies and procedures within schools, noting that lots of schools should resolve individuals and procedure aspects of this use.
- Prof. Nwaogwugwu has actually turned to in-class projects and tests to counter AI-driven scholastic dishonesty.
"Now, I generally use projects to make sure students provide initial work." However, he acknowledged that managing large classes makes this approach challenging.
"If you set intricate questions, students won't be able to utilize AI to get direct responses," he described.
He emphasized the requirement for universities to train lecturers on crafting test 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 stated.
- Nigeria launched a draft National AI Strategy in August 2024, concentrating on ethical AI development with fairness, openness, accountability, and personal privacy at its core.
- UNESCO in a report requires the regulation of AI in education, advising institutions to investigate algorithms, sitiosecuador.com information, and outputs of generative AI tools to ensure they meet ethical requirements, secure user data, and filter inappropriate content.
- It worries the need to examine the long-lasting impact of AI on critical abilities like thinking and creativity while producing policies that align with ethical structures. Additionally, UNESCO recommends carrying out age limitations for GenAI use to protect more youthful trainees and protect vulnerable groups.
- For governments, it recommended adopting a collaborated nationwide method to controling GenAI, including establishing oversight bodies and aligning guidelines with existing data security and personal privacy laws. It emphasizes evaluating AI risks, imposing more stringent rules for high-risk applications, demo.qkseo.in and guaranteeing nationwide information ownership.