Nigerian Students Turn To AI For Tests Answers Lecturers Raise Alarm

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is transforming education while making finding out more available but likewise sparking debates on its impact.


While trainees hail AI tools like ChatGPT for improving their learning experience, lecturers are raising concerns about the growing reliance on AI, which they argue fosters laziness and undermines academic stability, particularly with lots of trainees unable to defend their assignments or provided works.


Prof. Isaac Nwaogwugwu, a lecturer at the University of Lagos, in an interview with Nairametrics, expressed aggravation over the growing dependence 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% submitted the specific very same answers. These students did not even know each other, however they all utilized the very same AI tool to produce their responses," he stated.


He kept in mind that this pattern prevails among both undergraduate and postgraduate students however is specifically concerning in part-time and distance knowing programs.


"AI is a serious obstacle when it pertains to assignments. Many students no longer believe critically-they just go on the internet, create responses, and submit," he included.


Surprisingly, some speakers 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 debate raises crucial questions about the role of AI in scholastic integrity and student development.


According to a UNESCO report, while ChatGPT reached 100 million regular monthly active users in January 2023, only one country had released guidelines on generative AI since July 2023.


As of December 2024, forum.batman.gainedge.org ChatGPT had over 300 million people using the AI chatbot every week and 1 billion messages sent out every day around the globe.


Decline of scholastic rigor


University lecturers are increasingly concerned about students sending AI-generated projects without genuinely comprehending the content.


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


"Many trainees copy from ChatGPT and send sleek tasks, but when asked fundamental questions, they go blank. It's frustrating due to the fact that education has to do with discovering, not just passing courses," he stated.


- Prof. Nwaogwugwu explained that the increasing number of top-notch graduates can not be completely credited to AI however admitted that even high-performing students utilize these tools.


"A first-rate trainee is a first-class trainee, AI or not, however that does not suggest they don't cheat. The advantages of AI may be peripheral, however it is making students reliant and less analytical," he stated.


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


"It's not simply students utilizing AI slackly. Some lecturers, out of their own laziness, generate lesson notes, course outlines, marking plans, and even test concerns with AI without evaluating them. Students in turn utilize AI to generate responses. It's a cycle of laziness and it is eliminating genuine knowing," he lamented.


Students' point of views on usage


Students, on the other hand, state AI has actually enhanced their knowing experience by making scholastic materials more easy to understand and accessible.


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


"AI helped me comprehend things more easily, especially when handling intricate topics," she discussed.


However, she recalled an instance when she used AI to submit her task, users.atw.hu just for her lecturer to right away acknowledge that it was produced by ChatGPT and decline it. Eniola noted that it was a good-bad impact.


- Bryan Okwuba, who just recently graduated with a first-class degree in Pharmacy Technology from the University of Lagos, securely thinks that his academic success wasn't due to any AI tool. He attributes his impressive grades to actively appealing by asking concerns and concentrating on locations that lecturers highlight in class, koha-community.cz as they are typically reflected in examination questions.


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


- Tunde Awoshita, photorum.eclat-mauve.fr a final-year marketing trainee at UNIZIK, admits to occasionally copying directly from ChatGPT when dealing with multiple deadlines.


"To be truthful, there are times I copy directly from ChatGPT when I have several deadlines, and I know I'm guilty of that, a lot of times the speakers don't get to review them, but AI has actually likewise assisted me find out much faster."


Balancing in education


Experts think the option lies in AI literacy; teaching trainees and lecturers how to use AI as a knowing aid instead of a shortcut.


- Minister of Education, Dr. Tunji Alausa, highlighted the combination of AI into Nigeria's education system, stressing the value of a balanced technique that maintains human participation while utilizing AI to enhance discovering outcomes.


"As we browse the rapidly developing landscape of Expert system (AI), it is essential that we prioritise human company in education. We must make sure that AI enhances, rather than changes, teachers' crucial function in shaping young minds," he said


Concerns over AI in Learning


Dorcas Akintade, a cybersecurity transformation professional, addressed growing issues relating to the usage of 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 usage.

- Akintade highlighted the increasing hesitance amongst educators and schools toward integrating AI tools in finding out environments. She identified two main reasons AI tools are prevented in academic settings: security dangers and plagiarism. She described that AI tools like ChatGPT are trained to respond based on user interactions, which might not line up with the expectations of educators.


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


Plagiarism is another concern, as AI pulls from existing information, often without proper attribution


"A great deal of individuals require to understand, 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 information that some other people are fed into it, which in essence means that is another individual's documentation," she warned.


- Additionally, Akintade highlighted an early problem in AI development referred to as "hallucination," where AI tools would create details that was not factual.


"Hallucination suggested that it was bringing out info from the air. If ChatGPT could not get that info from you, it was going to make one up," she explained.


She advised "grounding" AI by supplying it with specific information to avoid such errors.


Navigating AI in Education


Akintade argued that banning AI tools outright is not the option, particularly when AI provides an opportunity to leapfrog standard educational techniques.


- She thinks that consistently enhancing key info assists individuals keep in mind and avoid making mistakes when faced with difficulties.


"Immersion brings conversion. When you inform people the same thing over and over again, when they will make the mistakes, then they'll remember."


She also empasized the requirement for clear policies and treatments within schools, keeping in mind that numerous schools should resolve individuals and procedure elements of this use.


- Prof. Nwaogwugwu has resorted to in-class projects and tests to counter AI-driven scholastic dishonesty.


"Now, I mainly utilize tasks to ensure students supply original work." However, he acknowledged that handling big classes makes this method difficult.


"If you set complex concerns, trainees will not have the ability to utilize AI to get direct answers," he discussed.


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


- Nigeria launched a draft National AI Strategy in August 2024, focusing on ethical AI advancement with fairness, openness, responsibility, and privacy at its core.

- UNESCO in a report calls for the regulation of AI in education, encouraging institutions to audit algorithms, data, and outputs of generative AI tools to ensure they fulfill ethical requirements, safeguard user information, and filter unsuitable content.

- It stresses the requirement to examine the long-term impact of AI on critical skills like believing and imagination while developing policies that line up with ethical frameworks. Additionally, akropolistravel.com UNESCO recommends carrying out age constraints for GenAI usage to secure more youthful trainees and secure susceptible groups.
- For federal governments, it advised embracing a coordinated national approach to managing GenAI, including establishing oversight bodies and aligning policies with existing information protection and privacy laws. It highlights evaluating AI risks, enforcing more stringent guidelines for high-risk applications, and ensuring nationwide data ownership.