EVALUATING ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE CHATBOTS AS LEARNING-SUPPORT TOOLS AMONG UNDERGRADUATES: A MULTIDIMENSIONAL PERSPECTIVE

Abstract

Artificial intelligence (AI) chatbots such as ChatGPT, Gemini and Meta AI are increasingly used to support learning, but their accessibility, usefulness and challenges among Nigerian undergraduates remain insufficiently understood. This study examined AI chatbots as learning-support tools among undergraduates in Southwestern Nigeria, focusing on awareness, accessibility, perceived usefulness, challenges and perceived solutions. A descriptive survey design was adopted. Three public universities in Southwestern Nigeria were purposively selected, and 1,012 undergraduates were sampled using simple random sampling. Of the questionnaires administered, 992 valid responses were retrieved and analysed, yielding a 98.0% response rate. Data were collected using the Artificial Intelligence Chatbots Tools’ Awareness, Accessibility, Usefulness, Challenges, and Solutions among Undergraduates Questionnaire (ACTAAUCSUQ), adapted from constructs derived from Davis’s (1989) Technology Acceptance Model and Venkatesh et al.’s (2003) Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology, and informed by the guidance on generative AI in education and research provided by Miao and Holmes (2023). Data were analysed using percentages, mean and standard deviation. Findings showed high awareness of QuillBot, Grammarly, ChatGPT and Meta AI, but low awareness of Gemini, Claude, Copilot and Character AI. Accessibility and perceived usefulness were high, while major challenges included high data costs, inadequate usage skills, unaffordable subscriptions, low lecturer encouragement and fear of academic punishment. Campus Wi-Fi, affordable data, lecturer demonstrations, clear policies, peer training and first-year orientation were identified as key solutions. The study concluded that AI chatbots have potential as learning-support tools, although infrastructural, financial, skill-related and institutional challenges require attention to promote effective use among undergraduates in Southwestern Nigeria.