Perceived Effects of the Emergence of Genai on Teaching and Learning: The Case of Zimbabwe Open University
Richard Bukaliya – Department of Teacher Development
Lloyd Chingwaro – Department of Accounting and Auditing
Zimbabwe Open University
Email: bukaliyar@zou.ac.zw/ chingwarolr@zou.ac.zw
Abstract: The study investigated lecturers’ perceptions of the influence of the emergence and adoption of Generative Artificial Intelligence by university students. The qualitative case study focused on accounting and auditing students at Zimbabwe Open University. Responses were drawn from full-time lecturers in the accounting and auditing department. ZOU is a multi-campus institution complemented by campuses across all the ten provinces of Zimbabwe. Telephone interviews were conducted with purposively selected lecturers who directly engaged in curriculum development, assessment design and grading. Out of the six full-time lecturers in the department, five participated in the study. The study adopted thematic analysis. Findings show that GenAI adoption in academic writing by students has the potential to enhance assignment quality. Such improvements are evidenced through improved organization, readability and clarity. However, despite this, lecturers are concerned about the potential negative consequences towards student capabilities, such as reduced critical thinking and stagnation of creativity if students excessively rely on GenAI to execute academic tasks. To counter the effects of the negative implications, lecturers advocated for the adoption of assessment practices that are commensurate in the age of AI. These assessment practices include making use of in-person evaluations and project-based assessments. The study recommends that institutions of higher and tertiary learning develop comprehensive AI policies and detection tools, invest in training for both students and staff and redesign assessment models, such as having a greater emphasis on in-person or project-based tasks to align with the realities of GenAI. This ensures the effective adoption of GenAI at universities.
