At Zomba Theological University, our second cohort of taught track Masters students have just completed their first academic year. ZTU is starting to get into its stride with Masters-level studies and is discovering the joys and the sorrows these can bring.
On the joyful side is the first student to complete the degree following submission of their dissertation. This distinction belongs to Thokozani Chilembwe who last month became the first person in ZTU’s history to face a viva – an oral examination. It was a rigorous one, but he came through with flying colours. So now ZTU can look forward to graduating a Masters candidate for the first time. We trust that he will be the first of many.
On the other side of the equation are the struggles of students with Artificial Intelligence. In the short time since we began the Masters programme three years ago, we have moved from a situation where students had little awareness of AI to one where it is almost ubiquitous. For postgraduate studies, AI is like fire – it can do a very useful job when applied in the right place, but it can be very destructive if it ignites where it is not supposed to be and gets out of control. A number of students have been badly burned.
New challenges join the old ones to present quite an obstacle course for the students. Nevertheless, they are in good cheer, and it was moving to hear them speak, during our end-of-year dinner, about how their Masters studies are already equipping them to engage their professional work with greater competence and confidence.
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