By Ugorji Chinwendu

A university don, Prof Patrick Ejikeme of the Enugu State University of Science and Technology (ESUT), has said the integration of Artificial Intelligence and experiential learning into the university’s curriculum will prepare the engineering students for the demands of the modern workplace and employment after school.

Prof Ejikeme who is the Dean, of the Faculty of Engineering in the university, told ESUT Monitor in an interview that the initiative is a welcome development for the faculty, as many students currently lack proper guidance on how to utilize artificial intelligence, often resorting to copying and pasting AI-generated outputs verbatim. He explained that while artificial intelligence holds immense potential for positive impact, its misuse creates adverse effects when students rely on it to bypass active learning for familiar coursework rather than using it as a tool to explore new concepts.

He stated that the curriculum upgrade would produce highly capable engineering graduates equipped to tackle real-world workplace challenges, given the intensive, practical nature of their training. However, the Dean acknowledged that implementing this approach will not be without hurdles, citing potential challenges such as infrastructure deficits, funding constraints, faculty training requirements, curriculum restructuring in line with National Universities Commission (NUC) guidelines, and students’ capacity to adapt.

“Recall that NUC has its own curriculum for universities which accounted for 70%, while the other 30% is local content for each university, this particular programme is to incorporate AI learning into the curriculum making use of the available 30% without tampering with that of NUC. ESUT is the first university in Nigeria that would be implementing this programme, it’s a milestone in ESUT.

“This course would practically help engineering students get to greater heights helping them out with school activities most especially their projects. It is the duty of the faculty and lecturers to ensure that the AI is applied responsibly. “- Prof. Ejikeme stated