ADOPTION OF ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE FOR 21ST CENTURY SKILLS ACQUISITION IN BUSINESS EDUCATION PROGRAMME IN NIGERIA

Abstract

This paper examined adoption of artificial intelligence for 21st century skills in business education programme in Nigeria. There is no gain saying that academic knowledge content alone is sufficient to prepare students for the world of work. With increasing global competitiveness, undergraduates in business education need energetic drive for skills that are challenging and inspiring to thrive in today’s world. Business education programme is known for producing middle level skilled graduates. It is a herculean task for us at the moment since intermediate skill jobs are fast disappearing as their tasks are systematically automated like voice over phone or system, and individuals are increasingly likely to encounter AI technology in their everyday lives. In fact, most organizations worldwide are using some forms of AI in their operations. An understanding of artificial intelligence on education is vital for guiding business educators in developing educational tools. But the irony of this trend is that most business educators may not be conversant with the use of Artificial intelligence tools in education. Finding the proper tools to incorporate AI into the learning framework represents a test for current and future generations of business educators. Even if most students acknowledged AI as a valuable tool, their interaction with AI in educational activities seems more limited than expected. It is against this backdrop this paper examines 21st century skills and undergraduates’ preparation in business education programme and adoption of artificial intelligence in business education programme. The proposed possible solutions to the whole scenario is to organize training and development programmes for business educators, provision of AI tools and environment for teaching and learning business education courses, business educators should organize lessons and other activities bothering on the use of AIs to keep students abreast of, raise awareness and improve skills and knowledge in the utilization of these emergent technologies, tertiary institutions should create awareness and utilization of the different AI technologies in teaching and learning activities and the curriculum should be reviewed, so that 21st century skills be adequately integrated into the curriculum.