Assessing Lecturers’ Knowledge, Literacy and Readiness for AIPowered E-Assessment and Evaluation in Selected NigerianUniversities

Abstract

AI-powered e-assessment is attracting growing interest in higher education, yet little attention has been paid to lecturers’ knowledge, digital literacy, and readiness to implement and evaluate these systems in Nigerian federal universities. This study assessed these factors among lecturers in selected Nigerian universities using a descriptive survey design. The population comprised approximately 100,000 lecturers in federal universities, from which 121 lecturers were selected through a multistage sampling process involving 12 states and 12 universities. Data were collected using a researcher-developed questionnaire with acceptable reliability coefficients for knowledge (α = .77), literacy (α = .81), and readiness (α = .83). Descriptive statistics (percentages and mean ratings) were used to answer the research questions, while two-step hierarchical multiple regression tested the hypothesis at the .05 significance level. Findings showed that lecturers possessed moderate knowledge of AI-powered e-assessment and moderate digital literacy. Their readiness to adopt AI-powered e-assessment and evaluation tools ranged from moderate to high. Knowledge and digital literacy jointly predicted readiness; however, knowledge emerged as the only significant predictor, with digital literacy contributing no significant additional variance. The study concludes that Nigerian university lecturers have moderate knowledge and digital literacy regarding AI-powered e-assessment, alongside a generally moderate-to-high readiness for adoption.