Integration of Artificial Intelligence (AI) for effective teaching and learning of chemistry in colleges of education in South East Nigeria

Abstract

The study assessed the integration of Artificial Intelligence (AI) for effective teaching and learning of Chemistry in colleges of education in South-East Nigeria, particularly Anambra and Ebonyi State. The research design was descriptive survey research design. The study was guided by three research questions and two hypotheses. The population of the study was 226, which consisted of both lecturers and students from two colleges of Education in Anambra and Ebonyi states; 115 from Nwafor Orizu College of Education Nsugbe and 111 from Federal college of Education Technical, Isu. purposive random sampling technique was used to select 180 lecturers and students for the study. The study used 165 final year undergraduate students (68 male students and 97 female students) and 15 lecturers (6 male and 9 female). The instrument for data collection was a structured questionnaire “Integration of Artificial Intelligence in Teaching and Learning of Chemistry in Colleges of Education” (IAITLCCE). To ensure the validity of the instrument the researcher submitted the questionnaire to two experts each from department of Chemistry and department of Psychology (measurement and evaluation specialist), both in Nsugbe and Isu. The reliability coefficient was established as 0.81 using test-retest method. Mean and standard deviation were used to answer the three research questions, while t-test statistic was used to answer the hypotheses at 0.05 level of significance. The findings of this study among others showed that both students and lecturers perceived that Artificial Intelligence (AI) is integrated to a moderate extent in the teaching and learning of Chemistry in Colleges of Education in South-East Nigeria. Also, the challenges encountered by institutions towards incorporating AI into the chemistry education are the high cost of AI tools, insufficient resources, poor training of teachers and students, difficulty in integrating AI into the existing curriculum and poor knowledge of the ethical considerations of AI. Although, the study reveals a generally positive perception of the benefits of AI in Chemistry education. Conclusion and recommendations were made among others is the establishment of partnerships with technology companies to provide students with internship opportunities and lecturers with professional training focused on AI and its usage in education.