AI will impact varsities, others – ABU VC

The Vice Chancellor of Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, Prof. Kabiru Bala, has said the impact of artificial intelligence will continue to manifest in the quality of teaching, learning, and research activities within the Nigerian higher education sub-sector.

Bala said this in Abuja during the national dialogue on AI aimed at guiding the use of AI in Nigerian tertiary institutions recently.

The dialogue was jointly put together by ABU, Zaria, the International Institute of Online Education, and the UNESCO International Centre for Higher Education Innovation.

Bala said, “The impact of AI is expected to continue to manifest in the quality of teaching, learning, and research activities within our higher education ecosystem and in the future workplace.

“According to a UNESCO (2023) report (‘’Harnessing the Era of Artificial Intelligence in Higher Education: A Primer for Higher Education Stakeholders”), “in the immediate future, regardless of location or resource level, is the need for HEI leadership to be equipped to advance in the responsible implementation of AI’’.

“As such, it has become important that capacity is built within policy-making structures to better understand AI, its possibilities, limitations, and risks to create interdisciplinary and cross-sectoral platforms for discussions on AI issues, and actively engage a wide range of stakeholders.”

According to the don, he committed as the president of the IIOE to pursue the development of at least two micro-certification courses for teachers at Ahmadu Bello University Zaria through the IIOE Nigeria National Centre in collaboration with UNESCO-ICHEI.

“I am delighted to report that the domestication of B1 was done in April 2024 with the title ‘Domestication and Production of Micro-Courses’ in which 40 participants, comprising 12 females and 28 males, completed the programme. In addition, the co-development of micro-certification courses A3 titled ‘Design and Produce Presentation’ and T1 titled ‘Conduct Collaborative Instructional Research with Online and Offline Integration has been developed by the Nigeria National Centre and they were reviewed by the IIOE expert team in micro-certification course production. A review meeting took place on June 28, 2024. These two courses are currently under review,” Bala explained.