AI-POWERED SMART CAMPUSES AND EFFECTIVE UNIVERSITY MANAGEMENT IN UNIVERSITIES IN SOUTHEAST NIGERIA

Abstract

This study examined AI-powered smart campuses and effective university management in universities in Southeast Nigeria. The study investigated the influence of AI-driven administrative systems, AI-powered smart learning technologies, AI-based security and surveillance systems, and AI-enabled resource and facility management systems on effective university management. Four research questions and four hypotheses guided the study. The study adopted a descriptive survey research design. The population consisted of 4,860 university administrators, lecturers, ICT personnel, and management staff from selected universities in Southeast Nigeria, while a sample of 486 respondents was selected using multistage sampling techniques. A structured questionnaire titled AI-Powered Smart Campuses and Effective University Management Questionnaire (AISCEUMQ) was used for data collection. The instrument was validated by experts in Educational Management and Measurement and Evaluation, while reliability was established using Cronbach Alpha method. Mean and standard deviation were used to answer the research questions, while multiple regression analysis was used to test the hypotheses at 0.05 level of significance. The findings revealed that AI-driven administrative systems significantly improve institutional efficiency, communication, record management, scheduling and decision-making. The study also found that AI-powered smart learning technologies positively influence students’ engagement, instructional delivery, personalized learning and academic flexibility. Furthermore, AI-based security and surveillance systems were found to significantly improve campus safety, institutional monitoring, emergency response and security coordination. The findings equally showed that AI enabled resource and facility management systems improve energy management, infrastructure maintenance, operational efficiency and institutional sustainability. The hypotheses tested confirmed that all the independent variables significantly influence effective university management. The study concluded that AI-powered smart campus technologies are essential for improving university administration and institutional effectiveness. The study recommended increased investment in ICT infrastructure, AI technologies, cybersecurity systems and digital capacity-building programmes in universities.