ADVANCING BUSINESS EDUCATION THROUGH THE INTEGRATION OF ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE IN KOGI STATE

Abstract

This paper focuses on advancing business education through the integration of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in Kogi State as a means of fostering innovation, improving teaching and learning outcomes, and aligning the programme with the needs of the modern place. Two purposes of the study, two research questions and two hypotheses were formulated to guide the study. The study was based on the Roger‟s theory of diffusion of innovation. A 4-point scale questionnaire titled: Questionnaire on the Advancing Business Education through the Integration of Artificial Intelligence (QABEIAI) was used for data collection. The instrument was tested for reliability using Cronbach Alpha and it yielded a reliability coefficient of 0.8.Two institutions in Kogi State were purposively sampled for the study which are; the Federal University Lokoja and Kogi State Polytechnic, Lokoja. The population comprised of the entire 16 business educators in the Departments of Business Education and of Office Technology and Management respectively. Mean and standard deviation were used to analyse the data and find answers to the research questions, while t-test was used to test the research hypotheses. The results of the research questions revealed amongst others the opportunities and challenges of integratingAI in business education curriculum; AI integration can personalize learning experiences in business education, AI technologies can enhance the accuracy of student assessments in business education while Lack of adequate infrastructure is a significant challenge to integrating AI in business education more so,AI's potential to replace traditional teaching roles creates uncertainty among educators. On the other hand, the hypotheses suggested that there is no significant difference in the mean ratings of business educators in polytechnic and university on the opportunities of integrating AI into business education curricula. Based on the findings, it was recommended amongst othersthat the Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFUND) should consider addressing the issue of technological infrastructure, including reliable internet access, modern computers, and AI software, in educational institutions and that Institutions should provide professional development programmes for educators focused on the effective use of AI in teaching and curriculum development.

(Keywords: Integrating Artificial Intelligence Business Education)