INNOVATIVE THINKING AMONG UNIVERSITY STUDENTS

In most cases, students’ academic performance is not totally and entirely a function of their intellectual capability and ability. Some other extraneous variables such as the state of the nation’s general economic condition play major role in their academic performances. Undergraduate students are constantly influenced by multiple stressors from different aspects of their lives and the society.1 Life and academic stress often generate difficulties and impact on university students’ mental health. University students have been stressed by intensive demands of developmental and academic tasks. With current economic contraction, many additional economic stressors are added to university students’ existing stress levels.2 It is against this backdrop, this study examine the
response and adaptation of University of Benin students economic hardship. Over the years University of Benin has played significant roles in actualizing quality education to Nigerians, with array of academic programmes and courses offered in the areas of Medicine, Law, Journalism, Banking and Finance, Engineering and Technology, Architecture, Health, Safety and Security, Agriculture, as well as the field of education itself where teachers are raised as architect of nation building.

This study examines the impact of artificial intelligence (AI) usage on innovative thinking among university students in Nigeria, with a focus on students of the University of Benin (UNIBEN). Using a cross-sectional research design, data were collected through structured questionnaires administered to students selected via simple random sampling. The instrument captured students’ frequency and purpose of AI use, as well as perceptions of its influence on creative and innovative thinking. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and multiple regression analysis with SPSS. The findings reveal that AI tools are widely and regularly used by students for academic and creative activities, serving as guides for idea generation, problem- solving, and conceptual clarification. Results further indicate that AI usage has a positive and significant influence on innovative thinking, while also raising concerns about overreliance and ethical considerations. Overall, the study concludes that AI plays a supportive role in enhancing students’ innovative capacities when used responsibly, and it recommends the promotion of balanced AI literacy in higher education to sustain creativity and independent thinking