Assignments have long been an essential part of university education. Teachers assign them to students with the aim of enhancing learning, encouraging research, and improving critical thinking. However, the way these assignments are handled in today’s era of advanced technology—especially with tools like ChatGPT—has made this practice questionable.
Many students, instead of doing their assignments themselves, turn to AI tools to complete the work for them. These tools provide ready-made content within seconds, which students copy and submit without putting in any effort. Teachers, on the other hand, are often aware that these assignments are not the students’ original work. Despite this, they continue to assign tasks in the same manner, even though the intended purpose of these assignments is no longer being fulfilled. This raises an important question: If both students and teachers know that these assignments are being outsourced, why continue this practice? In its current form, it appears to be a total waste of time, as students neither gain any real knowledge nor develop any skills.
The focus, therefore, should now shift toward finding better ways to engage students in meaningful learning. Assignments, in their current form, have lost their relevance in the age of AI. It is time for universities to rethink traditional practices and adopt strategies that genuinely benefit students in terms of learning, skills development, and critical thinking. Education should not be about merely completing tasks, but about gaining knowledge and developing skills. The sooner we adapt our teaching methods to this reality, the better it will be for the future of learning.
G Akbar Palijo
Larkana
