Optimizing Administrative Workflows Through Artificial Intelligence: Evidence From Colleges of Education

The study explored the Assessment of Artificial Intelligence (AI) tools for automating routine administrative tasks in the College of Education in Kaduna State, Nigeria. Specifically, the study was set to assess the impact of AI tools on communication and attendance tracking in colleges of education in Kaduna State, Nigeria. The objectives were transcribed into two research questions and two hypotheses, respectively. Survey research design was used in the study. The study population comprised 3,181 respondents, which comprised 1,658 lecturers and 1,523 senior management staff in the two (2) government-owned Colleges of Education in Kaduna State, Nigeria. A sample size of 346 participants, consisting of 180 senior management staff and 166 senior management staff, was used in the study. The instrument titled “Questionnaire on AI Tools and Automation of Routine Administrative Task (QARITARAT)” was used for data collection in the study. The validated instrument was pilot tested, and the reliability coefficient was determined using the Cronbach Alpha statistic, and a reliability coefficient of 0.82 was obtained. The data collected in the study were computerized into a database using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 23.0. The descriptive statistics of frequency counts, mean, and standard deviation were used to answer the research questions, while the chi-square (2) was used to test the hypotheses at the 0.05 level of significance. Findings revealed that a significant difference exists in the impact of AI tools on communication in colleges of education in Kaduna State, Nigeria, and AI tools have no impact on attendance tracking in colleges of education in Kaduna State, Nigeria. Recommendations were made in the study, among others, that the management of colleges of education should carefully deploy AI tools in automating routine administrative tasks within the tertiary institutions to forestall the negative impact of the technology on institutions’ data. The management of the colleges of education should consider ethical factors and significant challenges that integrating AI tools poses, which include the potential for bias, privacy breaches, and loss of human touch, among others.