Victoria University Equips Lecturers, Administrators with AI Skills

Victoria University has begun equipping its staff with practical artificial intelligence skills as institutions of higher learning increasingly confront a workplace being reshaped by rapidly advancing technology.

The training, held on September 28, 2026, 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 was led by Tim Abel, a technology executive who has held senior positions at Google, Microsoft and Dell.

Rather than treating artificial intelligence as a subject reserved for technology specialists, the session focused on how staff in different departments could use AI to improve their everyday work. Participants were taken through applications in teaching, research, administration, workflow management and other institutional functions.

For lecturers, the training demonstrated how AI can assist with developing curriculum outlines, preparing case studies, generating ideas for research and designing lesson plans. Administrative teams, meanwhile, explored how the technology can support data processing, scheduling, workflow automation and the preparation of routine documents.

The practical focus was a significant part of the engagement. After the presentations, staff tested AI prompts, developed lesson plans and created administrative templates, giving them an opportunity to see how the technology could fit into their respective responsibilities rather than simply discussing its potential in theory.

The training also confronted one of the biggest questions surrounding artificial intelligence in education: whether machines could eventually take the place of teachers.

Abel told participants that AI should complement human expertise rather than eliminate it. He stressed the continuing importance of qualities such as empathy, intuition, mentorship, creativity and professional judgement, which remain central to the relationship between an educator and a student.

The message comes as universities and employers around the world seek ways of adapting to generative AI without losing the human skills that underpin professional work. For higher education institutions, the challenge extends beyond teaching students how to use new technologies. Staff themselves must understand the tools if they are to prepare graduates for workplaces where AI is becoming increasingly common.

At Victoria University, the initiative is therefore being viewed as part of a wider institutional shift rather than a one off technology workshop. University officials have indicated that AI skills should extend across the workforce, regardless of whether an employee works directly in technology.

Vice Chancellor Dr Lawrence Muganga said the institution wants its employees to understand how AI can be applied to solve problems within the university and ultimately help students acquire skills relevant to the changing labour market.

Corporate and Public Relations Manager Julius Bukyana similarly said the expectation is that staff will apply what they learn in their daily duties, creating a ripple effect that eventually benefits students and improves university operations.

The training also introduced participants to emerging tools designed to improve productivity and automate repetitive tasks. The emphasis was not simply on knowing what AI can do, but on developing the confidence to identify appropriate tasks for automation while retaining human oversight.

That distinction could prove increasingly important as institutions expand their use of artificial intelligence. While automation can reduce the time spent on routine activities, decisions involving students, academic standards and professional judgement still require people to remain accountable for the outcome.

For Victoria University, the immediate goal is to make AI literacy part of the institution’s wider professional culture. Staff who understand the technology can use it more deliberately, while also helping students navigate a labour market in which digital competence is becoming an increasingly important part of employability.

The initiative consequently places the university’s AI conversation beyond the computer laboratory and into classrooms, offices and research spaces.

As the technology continues to develop, the experience of Victoria University suggests that the question for higher education may no longer be whether AI will enter the workplace, but how institutions will ensure their people are prepared to use it responsibly and effectively.

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