UNN equips academics with AI skills to transform research, teaching

The Faculty of the Social Sciences, University of Nigeria, Nsukka (UNN), has begun equipping its academics and students with practical Artificial Intelligence (AI) skills to improve research, teaching, postgraduate supervision and academic administration.

The initiative was the major outcome of a two-day Train-the-Trainers Workshop on “Artificial Intelligence for Academia Productivity,” organised by the faculty in partnership with the Design Thinking Center (DTC) and The Beaconsmith Collective.

Held from August 26 to 27, 2026, at the Faculty of the Social Sciences Lecture Hall, the workshop attracted more than 100 academic and senior staff members, as well as postgraduate students.

Participants were trained on the application of AI in literature discovery, research development, academic writing, teaching and assessment, postgraduate supervision and administrative tasks.

The workshop also emphasised the need to verify AI-generated information, protect privacy, uphold academic integrity and ensure that human judgment remained central to scholarly work.

A key feature of the training was its practical approach, with participants working through academic tasks and learning to question, verify and improve AI-generated outputs rather than accepting them without scrutiny.

The programme concluded with a 30-day action plan to help participants translate the lessons into practical and repeatable approaches in their research, teaching and other academic responsibilities.

The Dean of the Faculty of the Social Sciences, Prof. Chukwuedozie Ajaero, said the knowledge acquired through the workshop would help academics respond more effectively to the changing demands of scholarship.

“The question is no longer whether academics will encounter AI, but how well we are prepared to use it,” he said.

Ajaero said the workshop was deliberately designed to be practical, enabling staff and students to understand how AI tools could improve research, teaching and everyday academic work while maintaining high standards of verification, ethics and human responsibility.

He added that the train-the-trainers approach would extend the benefits beyond the immediate participants, as those trained could share the knowledge and practices with colleagues and students across the faculty.

The programme was convened through the Design Thinking Center, which facilitated the collaboration with the faculty and invited Engr. Nzube Chikwado Ndiokwelu, Founder of The Beaconsmith Collective, as lead trainer.

The Managing Partner of the Design Thinking Center, Echeji Chibuike, also contributed to the programme.

Ndiokwelu led practical sessions on the application of AI to research, teaching, postgraduate supervision and academic administration, with emphasis on verification, academic judgment and responsible use.

He said the programme reflected The Beaconsmith Collective’s broader interest in helping individuals and institutions adopt emerging technologies in practical and responsible ways.

“For us at The Beaconsmith Collective, the value of AI is not simply in having access to new tools. What matters is whether those tools can help people do important work better.

“In a university, that means strengthening research, teaching, supervision and institutional work while ensuring that evidence, context and academic judgement remain with the people responsible for the work,” he said.

Ndiokwelu noted that universities had an important role to play in shaping how AI and other emerging technologies were understood and applied, particularly as such tools become increasingly embedded in research, education and professional life.

The Beaconsmith Collective, an innovation and creative-technology institution based in Enugu, focuses on artificial intelligence, emerging technologies, applied research, digital governance, creative technology and ecosystem development.

Meanwhile, the engagement extended beyond the formal workshop, as Ajaero led other members of the faculty on a visit to Block Hive, a technology community around the university environment.

During the visit, the delegation toured the hub and interacted with its founder, Ezemmuo Kevin Chibuoyim.

The visit provided an opportunity for faculty members to engage directly with technology practitioners and gain further insight into the innovation ecosystem around the university.

It also opened opportunities for stronger collaboration between academia, emerging technology practitioners and the wider innovation community in research, skills development and practical problem-solving.