Tai Solarin Federal University of Education (TASUED) has trained 30 early-career academics in innovative teaching, research development and the use of artificial intelligence (AI) as part of efforts to improve higher education through an international partnership with Kent State University, Ohio, United States.

The four-day training, organised under the Faculty Innovation Institute, covered innovative teaching methods, critical thinking, research development, grant writing, mentorship and the responsible use of AI in higher education.

The programme attracted 82 applicants, from whom 30 participants were selected for the first cohort. It is designed to strengthen their professional skills and equip them to promote academic innovation within and beyond the university.

Speaking at the programme, TASUED vice-chancellor, Professor Samuel Ekundayo Oladipo, said its success would ultimately be determined by its impact on teaching, research, scholarly publications, grant acquisition and the professional development of other academics.

He congratulated the participants and urged them to share the knowledge gained with colleagues through mentorship, departmental training and collaborative research.

Oladipo said the university was deliberately investing in the expertise needed to establish TASUED as a centre for educational innovation, impactful research and international academic collaboration.

He said the responsibility of a university extended beyond awarding degrees to producing educators, researchers and leaders capable of transforming classrooms, influencing education policy and contributing to national and global development.

The partnership with Kent State University, he added, was an important step towards preparing academics for the demands and opportunities of 21st-century education.

Earlier, the lead facilitator, Dr Amanda Johnson, director of the Gerald H. Reed Centre for International and Intercultural Education at Kent State University, described the contributions of participants as exceptional.

She expressed optimism that the initiative would stimulate research, international grant applications and professional collaboration among the academics.

Johnson also cautioned against allowing artificial intelligence to replace human contributions to education, saying the technology should complement teaching while preserving creativity, critical thinking and indigenous knowledge.

Other facilitators included Professor Caroline Emeka Ogbonna of the Nigerian Defence Academy, Kaduna; Dr Kayode Adewale of TASUED; and information technology expert, Olalekan Adeeko.

Adewale said the institute adopted a train-the-trainer approach, under which participants would be expected to pass on the skills acquired to other lecturers and academic staff across the university.

He called for a departure from conventional lecture-based teaching in favour of student-centred approaches and innovative assessment methods that could improve classroom participation and learning outcomes.

Similarly, Professor Adefunke Ekine, director of TASUED’s Directorate of Research and External Relations, emphasised the need to convert the training into sustainable institutional development and measurable improvements in academic performance.

The organisers said they hoped to establish the Faculty Innovation Institute as a sustainable platform for developing academic capacity, with plans to extend the initiative to other higher education institutions in Nigeria through future partnerships.