{
  "id": 10431852,
  "title": "AI can enhance higher education - but must not replace critical thinking",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/28/ai-can-enhance-higher-education-but-must-not-replace-critical-thinking",
  "topic": "ai",
  "section": "AI",
  "published": "2026-09-28T11:00:00.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "IOL",
    "slug": "iol",
    "url": "https://iol.co.za/thepost/opinion/2026-09-28-ai-can-enhance-higher-education-but-must-not-replace-critical-thinking/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Artificial Intelligence (AI) in the field of education should not be seen as a threat to teaching and learning; rather, it should serve as an enhancement to the process. For students and academics alike, it is crucial to harness AI effectively to maximize its benefits. The University of KwaZulu-Natal (UKZN) aims to become a leading institution by engaging critically with society, and this mission cannot be achieved if AI takes over reasoning and judgment. To excel academically and critically engage with society, individuals must rely on their own knowledge rather than outsourcing their reasoning capacity to AI. A presenter at an international virtual session emphasized that AI will not replace individuals; instead, those who possess greater knowledge in AI will take their place.\n\nTo make the most of AI, one must invest time in learning about it by reading articles, participating in workshops or webinars, and engaging with online resources. The ability to phrase prompts precisely and provide samples can significantly improve the output generated by AI. It is essential to verify AI-generated information using valid reference sources, as AI may not always provide reliable sources or may hallucinate incorrect information. AI should be used as a tool to refine and improve existing knowledge, not as a substitute for gathering information or generating ideas.\n\nIncorporating AI into assessments is possible, but it requires rethinking the design of assessments to ensure they are resistant to AI-generated responses. Authentic, real-world assessments, such as investigating an existing company and analyzing its supply chain, are more challenging for students to fabricate with AI. Oral assessments and class participation are gaining renewed value in the era of AI, as they allow examiners to assess students' understanding in real-time and distinguish genuine comprehension from AI-generated competence. Ultimately, the purpose of higher education is to produce critical thinkers, and assessments must evolve to uphold this goal while allowing students to use AI responsibly.",
  "summary": "AI can improve teaching, learning and assessment, but students and academics must verify its output and retain responsibility for their own reasoning, argues UKZN academic Dr Warara Kakaza.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}