Following the ongoing Nigeria Artificial Intelligence Research Scheme (NAIRS) project I am actively working on, I had the pleasure of updating the grant management and my grant supervisor yesterday on the progress thus far, the challenges I am currently facing, and the projected deliverables.
This meeting, which was at the instance of the grant management, allowed me not only to express my strong reservations about the deliverables but also to highlight the challenges, especially in securing complete approval and support from the management team of our research universities. So far, we have received full support only from my alma mater, the Federal University of Technology, Akure (FUTA).
The critical stakeholders have been very supportive; I wouldn’t want to say it's because I was a former students’ union president, but rather I think that is just how FUTA is wired—they have a knack for innovation and always want to be part of something revolutionary. Other universities have been coming around too, but differing academic calendars have posed a challenge.
In this research project, “AI-Based Personalized Intelligent Learning in Education,” I reiterated that it aims to create a level of learning playing field for all students.
This project would identify students' unique challenges in understanding particular subjects, and offer tailored explanations, assessment questions, and additional reading materials to help them understand each topic more deeply.
We believe that, through this research, artificial intelligence can contribute to improved learning and a more intuitive understanding of courses and topics, which would, in turn, enhance Nigeria’s educational outcomes, especially given the current decline in the standard of education in Nigeria.
I also expressed my earlier reservations about the expected deliverables during this meeting. While a publication in a reputable journal would certainly deepen the conversation around AI in the academic community and contribute to Nigeria’s efforts to enhance AI capabilities for socio-economic development, I believe the NAIRS program should go beyond an academic exercise.
We’ve had numerous publications from university professors and Ph.D. scholars in Nigeria, but many of these solutions remain on paper, with very few translating into practical solutions. While I intend to meet the publication requirement, I am committed to going further by demonstrating a proof of concept and a prototype
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