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November 23, 2024
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August 30, 2025
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Abstract

This systematic review examines the implementation of artificial intelligence (AI) in university administration, focusing on AI tools, ethical issues, prospects, and challenges of AI use by university administrators. Drawing from 23 relevant articles published in Scopus-indexed journals between 2009 and 2023, the findings reveal that AI technologies, including chatbots, predictive analytics, machine learning, natural language processing, and student information systems, are increasingly integrated into university operations to enhance decision-making. The findings also highlight ethical issues, particularly those related to data privacy, algorithmic bias, transparency, and accountability. The absence of specific ethical frameworks and legal regulations risks violating individual rights and institutional integrity. The review further identifies that interdisciplinary collaboration, staff training, and structured deployment strategies are necessary to fully leverage AI’s transformative potential. Challenges hindering effective adoption, including infrastructure deficits, limited technical expertise, data privacy and security, institutional resistance to change, and unresolved ethical and legal issues, are also discussed. Ultimately, the paper underscores the transformative potential of AI in higher education while emphasizing the need for responsible and inclusive implementation practices.

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Artificial intelligence systematic review university administrators duties

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Copyright (c) 2025 Juliana Abilla Buame, Bernard John Tiika, Setor Aku Lotsu

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This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

Author Biographies

Juliana Abilla Buame, University for Development Studies, Ghana

Juliana Abilla Buame is a Senior Assistant Registrar and a School Officer at the School of Engineering, Nyankpala Campus, University for Development Studies, Tamale, Ghana. She holds a Master of Business Administration in Human Resource Management from Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST), Kumasi, Ghana. She is also a member of the Chartered Institute of Human Resource Management Practitioners, Ghana. Her research interests include career and employment issues in organizations and counseling youth in career paths.

Bernard John Tiika, University for Development Studies, Ghana

Dr. Bernard John Tiika is a lecturer at the University for Development Studies in Tamale, Ghana. He earned a PhD in Management Science from the University of Electronic Science and Technology in China. His main research interests include e-governance, information systems, and digital inclusion. Currently, Dr. Tiika is on research secondments at Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona in Spain, where he is focusing on his areas of expertise.

Setor Aku Lotsu, University for Development Studies, Ghana

Setor Aku Lotsu is an Assistant Registrar and Faculty Officer at the University for Development Studies. She earned a Master of Arts in Information Studies and an MPhil in Geography and Resource Development from the University of Ghana. Ms. Lotsu is a Chartered Management Consultant (CMC) and a Chartered Professional Administrator (ChPA), both credentials awarded by CIAMC Ghana. Her research interests include office administration, information management, records keeping, environmental management, medical geography, population studies, gender studies, and community research.

How to Cite
Abilla Buame, J., John Tiika, B., & Lotsu, S. A. (2025). The Role of AI in Shaping the Discharge of Duties of University Administrators: A Systematic Review. Pan-African Journal of Education and Social Sciences, 6(2), 13–31. https://doi.org/10.56893/pajes2025v06i02.02
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