Tai Solarin Federal University of Education, Ijagun, Ogun State, has partnered with Kent State University, Ohio, United States, to train 30 early-career academics in artificial intelligence, innovative teaching methods, research, academic publishing and grant writing.

The four-day Faculty Innovation Institute, organised by the university in collaboration with Kent State University, aims to strengthen the research capacity of young lecturers, improve teaching and assessment methods, and prepare them for the demands of technology-driven higher education.

The initiative is also designed as a train-the-trainer programme through which participants are expected to transfer the knowledge acquired to other members of their faculties and departments.

Speaking at the training going on Friday, the Vice-Chancellor of TASFUED, Prof. Samuel Ekundayo Oladipo, described the initiative as a strategic investment in the professional development of young academics and the university’s ambition to become a leading centre of educational innovation.

Oladipo said universities must create opportunities for academics to develop their research capabilities, embrace innovation and establish international collaborations that advance knowledge.

He said, “One of the greatest responsibilities of university leadership is to create opportunities that empower academics to grow, innovate, collaborate internationally and contribute meaningfully to the advancement of knowledge.

“At Tai Solarin Federal University of Education, I remain committed to building an institution where innovation thrives, research excellence is encouraged, and our faculty members are equipped to compete and collaborate on the global stage.

“This institute represents an investment in our scholars’ professional development, research capacity and future contributions to education and society.”

The vice-chancellor said the training would equip participants with competencies in four critical areas, including redesigning teaching and learning, artificial intelligence in teaching and assessment, research and academic publishing, and grant writing.

He noted that the competencies had become increasingly important as universities grappled with technological advancement and changing expectations in higher education.

Oladipo, however, warned that the programme’s success should not be measured by certificates awarded or knowledge acquired during the training, but by its practical impact on teaching, research and institutional development.

He urged the participants to return to their respective departments and share their knowledge with colleagues, mentor emerging researchers, organise knowledge-sharing sessions and adopt responsible artificial intelligence practices.

He said, “The real measure of this training will not be the certificates earned or the knowledge acquired during these sessions alone. Its true value will be reflected in the classrooms redesigned, the research projects initiated, the scholarly publications produced, the grants secured, the students inspired, and the colleagues empowered through the knowledge you gain.

“You must therefore be prepared to cascade this training to others. When you return to your departments, become ambassadors of innovation. Share your knowledge with colleagues, mentor emerging researchers, organise departmental knowledge-sharing sessions, integrate responsible AI practices into teaching and assessment, and collaborate across disciplines to solve real educational problems.”

Also speaking, the Director of Research and External Relations at TASFUED, Prof. Adefunke Ekine, said the partnership was conceived to promote knowledge co-creation between institutions in the Global North and Global South while strengthening early-career academics’ capacity.

Ekine explained that the university recognised the need to provide young lecturers, particularly those who had recently joined the academic workforce, with opportunities to improve their teaching and research capabilities.

She said, “One of the things that is current now is that we need to co-create knowledge with the Global South and the Global North. We saw the need for co-creation, collaboration and impact.

“We felt that our early-career scholars, those who have just joined the faculty, need to be empowered and their capacity enhanced. Since we started discussions with Dr Amanda, who was here last year, we felt that this institute could be the starting point.

“Both universities are collaborating on how to enhance the capacity and research ability of our early-career staff.”

She described critical thinking as an important component of the training, noting that it would help lecturers improve their classroom engagement, stimulate creativity and encourage students to develop independent thinking abilities.

One of the facilitators, Dr Amanda Johnson, Director of the Gerald H. Read Centre for International and Intercultural Education at Kent State University, described the participants as exceptional and expressed optimism that the programme would produce lasting benefits for the university.

Johnson said the 30 early-career academics selected for the programme had demonstrated considerable potential, adding that the quality of their work during the training had been impressive.

Another facilitator, Dr Kayode Adewale, a Fulbright Teaching Excellence and Achievement Fellow and Microsoft Innovative Educator Fellow, said the institute was designed to mentor early-career scholars in grant writing, critical academic writing, artificial intelligence and innovative teaching methods.

Adewale, who facilitated the session on redesigning teaching and learning, said the programme was expected to produce academics who would move away from conventional lecture-centred methods towards student-centred learning.

He said the initiative had attracted considerable interest from university lecturers, with about 100 academics initially expressing interest before 30 participants were selected, saying that it is also expected that the participants will transfer the knowledge gained to others.

Participant Dr Adebayo Ishola of the Department of Educational Technology described the four-day programme as impactful, saying it had exposed participants to new approaches to teaching, research and academic development.

Ishola said the sessions had helped lecturers understand the need to move beyond conventional lecturing methods and adopt approaches that placed students at the centre of the learning process.