4-EMERGENT PRACTICES OF CHATGPT IN SUPPORTING EDUCATION AND RESEARCH IN HIGHER LEARNING INSTITUTIONS IN TANZANIA

EMERGENT PRACTICES OF CHATGPT IN SUPPORTING EDUCATION AND RESEARCH IN HIGHER LEARNING

INSTITUTIONS IN TANZANIA

Rhodes E. Mwageni*, Sydney E. Msonde** and Elias Kainkwa***

*Kilimanjaro Christian Medical University College

(A Constituent College of Tumaini University Makumira)

P. O. Box 2240, Moshi - Tanzania

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**Muhimbili University of Health and Allied Sciences

P. O. Box 65001, Dar es Salaam - Tanzania

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***Mbeya University College of Health and Allied Sciences

P. O. Box 608, Mbeya - Tanpzania

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Abstract

The new era of providing education and conducting research based on Generative Pre-trained Transformer (GPT), a Chatbot OpenAI technology, is growing quickly. ChatGPT provides comprehensive support for education and research at different stages of the teaching and learning processes, and it helps in generating entire academic journal articles. The application of Chatbot OpenAI technology in education and research sparked a heated debate among scholars in Higher Learning Institutions (HLIs) about the future of education and research.  Whilst some publishers question the authorship and integrity of ChatGPT-generated products, others accept its role as cocreator and co-author. Therefore, this paper explored the potential use of Chatbot OpenAI in education and its impact on research. The study used a comprehensive literature review methodology to identify the current practices and potential challenges associated with the use of Chatbot OpenAI in HLIs in Tanzania. Findings from this research demonstrate that the correct application of Chatbot OpenAI and other AI tools in education and research may significantly reduce the potential for human error and improve the accuracy of research results. Despite the positive effect brought by the application of Chatbot OpenAI in HLIs, there are some concerns about the ethics and academic integrity in academic and research outputs. Findings reveal that there is an increased risk of plagiarism and educational dishonesty as there are no existing anti-plagiarism tools that detect whether AI has been used in generating research or educational content. As such, the culture and habits of observing academic integrity in HLIs become jeopardized. The study recommends a dire need for librarians, researchers and academics in HLIs to take affirmative action to create awareness of the ethical use of AI technologies in teaching, learning and research practices. They should adopt appropriate legislation against dishonest people to strengthen institutional academic and research integrity.

Keywords: Artificial Intelligence, Chatbot OpenAI, UTAUT, ChatGPT, higher earning institutions, research.

Proceedings of the 5th COTUL Scientific Conference Held on 6th – 10th November 2023