Assessment of lecturers' awareness of artificial intelligence for education in a Nigerian university

Abstract

Artificial intelligence (AI) plays a significant role in the educational sector, offering lecturers and students innovative ways of teaching and learning, assessment, acquiring skills, communicating, sharing, creating, grading and interacting with learning materials. Unfortunately, Nigerian universities are yet to fully explore AI in their educational activities, which may be due to inadequate awareness, lecturers' attitudes, lack of self-efficacy, opposition to change, and lack of adequate preparedness to utilise AI. Hence, this study assessed lecturers' awareness of artificial intelligence for education in a Nigerian university. The study adopted a descriptive survey research design. A sample of 271 lecturers was selected using a proportionate stratified random sampling technique. The study was guided by two research questions and a corresponding research hypothesis. A researcher-designed structured questionnaire was used for data collection, which four experts validated. The questionnaire was pilot-tested, and the data obtained were subjected to statistical analysis using the Cronbach alpha correlation formula, and a reliability coefficient of 0.87 was obtained. Descriptive statistics of mean and standard deviation were used to answer the research questions. The findings of the study revealed that lecturers are aware of AI, with a grand mean of 2.57. Independent samples t-test analysis showed that t = 1.047, p > 0.05, indicating no significant difference in the mean response of male and female university lecturers' level of awareness of artificial intelligence for education. In light of the findings, it was recommended that conferences, seminars and workshops should be organised for lectures to increase their level of awareness of the numerous opportunities that AI can provide in augmenting their educational activities, enabling an environment with adequate facilities that will enable lecturers to acquire adequate knowledge on the use of AI should be provided by education stakeholders.