By Mr Swift | Frank Kamuntu
Victoria University has stepped up efforts to prepare its workforce for the rapidly changing digital economy after hosting a comprehensive artificial intelligence (AI) training session for staff led by Tim Abel, a former executive with global technology giants Google, Microsoft and Dell.
The training, held at the university’s main auditorium along Jinja Road in Kampala, brought together academic and administrative staff, including deans, heads of departments and executive support personnel.
The four-hour session focused on practical ways staff can integrate AI into teaching, research, administration and other day-to-day university operations.
Abel, who has held senior executive positions at some of the world’s leading technology companies, guided participants through the changing AI landscape while demonstrating how emerging tools can be applied within a higher education setting.
Rather than focusing solely on the technical aspects of artificial intelligence, the training emphasised practical applications that could help university staff improve efficiency and enhance their work.
Academic staff were introduced to ways of using AI to develop curriculum outlines, generate case studies and support academic research, while administrative teams explored applications in workflow automation, data processing and scheduling.
The training also addressed some of the concerns surrounding the growing use of AI in education, particularly fears that technology could eventually replace human educators.
Abel challenged that view, arguing that AI should be regarded as a tool that complements human expertise rather than replaces it.
He encouraged staff to embrace the technology while retaining the human qualities that remain central to education, including mentorship, empathy, creativity and professional judgment.
The session subsequently moved from presentations to practical exercises, with participants testing AI prompts, developing lesson plans and creating administrative templates.
The hands-on approach allowed staff to immediately explore how the technology could be adapted to their respective roles and identify areas where AI could improve efficiency without compromising the human element of their work.
The training comes at a time when universities and other institutions globally are increasingly exploring how artificial intelligence can be responsibly integrated into education, research and institutional management.
For Victoria University, the engagement reflects its broader focus on equipping both staff and students with skills relevant to an increasingly technology-driven economy.
The university has in recent months continued to expand its focus on artificial intelligence and digital skills, positioning technology as an important component of modern higher education.
By bringing an experienced technology executive to train its entire workforce, the university sought to ensure that AI adoption is not limited to students or specialised technology teams but becomes part of the wider institutional culture.
The training concluded with staff gaining practical exposure to AI tools and approaches that can be applied in classrooms, research activities and administrative operations.
The engagement also provided an opportunity for staff to exchange ideas on how technology can be incorporated into their work while maintaining the standards and human interaction expected in higher education.
For Victoria University, the message from the training was clear: artificial intelligence is increasingly becoming part of the workplace, and preparing staff to understand and use it is an important step towards ensuring the university remains responsive to the demands of the digital age.
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