Expert System (AI) is revolutionizing education while making finding out more accessible however also stimulating disputes on its effect.

While trainees hail AI tools like ChatGPT for enhancing their knowing experience, lecturers are raising concerns about the growing dependence on AI, which they argue fosters laziness and undermines scholastic stability, particularly with lots of trainees unable to safeguard their projects or offered works.

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

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“I gave a task to my MBA students, and out of over 100 trainees, about 40% sent the precise same answers. These students did not even understand each other, however they all utilized the very same AI tool to create their reactions,” he said.

He kept in mind that this pattern is common amongst both undergraduate and postgraduate trainees however is particularly concerning in part-time and range knowing programs.

“AI is a major obstacle when it pertains to tasks. Many students no longer think critically-they simply go online, produce answers, and send,” he added.

Surprisingly, some lecturers are likewise implicated of over-relying on AI, setting a cycle where both educators and students turn to AI for convenience rather than intellectual rigor.

This debate raises vital questions about the function of AI in scholastic integrity and trainee development.

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

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

Decline of academic rigor

University lecturers are significantly concerned about students sending AI-generated tasks without genuinely understanding the material.

Dr. Felix Echekoba, a speaker at Nnamdi Azikiwe University, revealed his issues to Nairametrics about students increasingly depending on ChatGPT, just to fight with answering standard questions when evaluated.

“Many students copy from ChatGPT and submit sleek projects, however when asked basic concerns, they go blank. It’s frustrating due to the fact that education has to do with discovering, not just passing courses,” he said.

- Prof. Nwaogwugwu explained that the increasing variety of first-class graduates can not be entirely attributed to AI however admitted that even high-performing students use these tools.
“A first-class student is a first-class student, AI or not, but that doesn’t mean they do not cheat. The benefits of AI may be peripheral, however it is making students reliant and less analytical,” he stated.

- Another lecturer, 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 lazily. Some lecturers, out of their own laziness, generate lesson notes, course describes, marking schemes, and even examination questions with AI without reviewing them. Students in turn use AI to produce responses. It’s a cycle of laziness and it is eliminating real knowing,” he lamented.

Students’ point of views on use

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

- Eniola Arowosafe, a 300-level Business Administration student at Unilag, shared how AI has actually substantially aided her learning by breaking down complex terms and offering summaries of lengthy texts.
“AI helped me comprehend things more quickly, especially when handling intricate subjects,” she described.

However, she remembered an instance when she utilized AI to send her task, only for her lecturer to instantly recognize that it was created by ChatGPT and reject it. Eniola kept in mind that it was a good-bad result.

- Bryan Okwuba, who recently graduated with a superior 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 focusing on locations that lecturers highlight in class, as they are typically reflected in examination concerns.
“It’s everything about being present, taking note, and using the wealth of understanding shared by my associates,” he said,

- Tunde Awoshita, a final-year marketing student at UNIZIK, admits to sometimes copying straight from ChatGPT when facing numerous deadlines.
“To be honest, there are times I copy directly from ChatGPT when I have multiple deadlines, and I know I’m guilty of that, many times the speakers don’t get to go through them, but AI has actually also assisted me learn much faster.”

Balancing AI’s function in education

Experts believe the option depends on AI literacy