ACADEMIC STAFF READINESS, ACCEPTANCE AND MANAGING EDUCATION 4.0 CHALLENGES IN UNIVERSITIES IN NORTH EAST, NIGERIA

Abstract

Technological progress in the last decades has been remarkable fast, and major technological changes offer the chance to improve human life, but they also create concerns about the future. One of the biggest fears related to the new technologies is that the robots and the artificial intelligence will replace the human factor in work leading to the technological unemployment. The emergence of the Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR), has heightened the need for awareness among all stakeholders in education and synergy among higher institutions of learning. This study investigated university academic staff readiness, acceptance and managing challenges with Education 4.0 in North East Nigeria. The study adopted the correlational design of the survey research type. A sample of 136 university academics responded to University Staff Readiness, Acceptance and Managing Challenges with Education 4.0 Questionnaire, which was the instrument used to collect data. Data were analyzed descriptively using weighted mean and Pearson Product Moment Correlation. Findings revealed that academic staff highly perceived the universities readiness for Education 4.0, academic staff highly perceived universities acceptance of Education 4.0, academic staff agreed that the universities are managing the challenges countered as they interface with Education 4.0, It was recommended that IT educators need to play significant role to ensure a smooth glide of university staff into Education 4.0.