Unpacking the Adoption of Artificial Intelligence chatbots by students in tertiary institutions in Mashonaland Central, Zimbabwe

Abstract

 This research article unpacks the perceptions of the academic community on the adoption of artificial intelligence (AI) chatbots (chatting robots) by tertiary students in Zimbabwean universities. The article seeks to understand the usage of AI chatbots in education, their opportunities, challenges, concerns and prospects of using AI chatbots in educational settings. The research findings revolve around the perceptions and scepticism of the adoption of AI chatbots in education, as seen from students, lecturers and librarians developing higherorder cognitive skills. The main objectives were to identify the main AI chatbots commonly used by tertiary students, to explore the opportunities of adopting of AI chatbots to students and to expose the pitfalls associated with the usage of AI by tertiary students. Participants were drawn from tertiary students, lecturers and university library staff members. The study employed qualitative methodologies, including in-depth interviews, observational checklist and focus groups. The findings suggest that AI chatbot is both a curse and a blessing to tertiary students. The study reveals that AI chatbots enhance learning experience, enable them to overcome skill gaps, bring insights on assignment writing and aid in exam preparation. The study reveals that AI chatbots foster the development of higher-order cognitive skills by augmenting traditional lectures, test preparation and personalisation. However, pitfalls include plagiarism, outdated information, shallow information, indolent and slothful laziness in students, as well as financial constraints associated with AI chatbots. The study recommends that universities must invest in workshops to train staff and students on the responsible ways of adopting and using AI to reduce the increase of luddites. Universities are recommended to develop referencing systems allowing students to acknowledge using AI chatbots as sources. Tertiary students are also recommended to fuse AI with human capacity, desisting from the culture of relying solely on AI chatbots.