The Vice-Chancellor, Ahmadu Bello University Zaria, Prof Kabiru Bala, has underscored the need for formulation of guidelines for responsible, ethical and safe use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in teaching, learning, research, and decision-making processes within the higher education sub-sector.
Prof. Bala stated this in Abuja on Thursday at a one-day National Dialogue on Consensus Framework towards Policy/Guidelines Roadmap for Nigerian Higher Education in the Age of Artificial Intelligence.
Organised by the Ahmadu Bello University, International Institute of Online Education (IIOE) and UNESCO International Centre for Higher Education Innovation (UNESCO-ICHEI), the event had as its theme, “National Dialogue on Consensus Framework Towards a Policy/Guidelines Roadmap for Nigerian Higher Education in the Age of Artificial Intelligence”.
According to the Vice Chancellor, by establishing guidelines for ethical and safe AI use, higher institutions in Nigeria can harness its potential while minimising risks, ensuring a responsible and sustainable approach to its adoption.
The Don highlighted the expected outcomes of the national dialogue to include development of recommendations for policymakers to support the integration of AI technologies in higher education; formulation of guidelines for the responsible, ethical and safe use of AI in higher education; identification of key opportunities, resources and challenges in integrating AI into the Nigerian higher education sector as well as creation of a network of stakeholders committed to ongoing collaboration in the realm of AI in higher education.
“When I assumed office as the Rotating Presidency Unit of IIOE for the year 2024, I made a commitment to pursue the development of at least two micro-certification courses for our teachers in 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 of 12 females and 28 males completed the program.
“In addition, 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 Nigeria National Centre and it was reviewed by the IIOE expert team in micro-certification course production. Review meeting took place on 28th June 2024. These two courses are currently under review,” he concluded
