Evaluating the extent of adoption and integration of artificial intelligence content into computing curricula in high education institutions in Tanzania: a focus on the design and delivery of academic programmes

Abstract

Profound knowledge and skills related to Artificial Intelligence (AI) will be an enabler in promoting product manufacturing and service delivery in the fourth industrial revolution. The fundamental institutions mandated to provide knowledge and skills, such as AI, are Higher Educations Institutions (HEIs). Most HEIs are expected to provide knowledge and skills through the academic programmes they offer. However, the extent of incorporation of AI content during the designing and delivering educational programmes in HEIs in Tanzania is little known. Therefore, this study aimed to evaluate the extent of adoption and integration of AI content in computing curricula in HEIs in Tanzania. It employed a purposive sampling technique to select ten (10) HEIs. The results indicated that the incorporation of AI content into computing (ICT-related) programmes is low (i.e., less than 16.6% of all total taught modules) at undergraduate and graduate levels, while 60% of ICT-based instructors have only 25% of required knowledge and skills to deliver AI-based modules. Surprisingly finding revealed that no HEIs in Tanzania have designed an explicitly AI-based programme. The value of this study lies in informing different stakeholders and the entire public of the extent of incorporation of AIs in the design and delivery of computing programmes in HEIs, specifically in Tanzania.