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Well Developed Communication Skills are Vital to Academic and Career Success, Says Expert

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Speaker at the ‘Changing Gear’ seminar, Mr. Adetunji Adelokun, has advised students of Zayyad Academy, Kano to strive to develop excellent communication skills, without which they run the risk of falling behind their peers in school and the workplace. He gave this advice, amongst others on Saturday, 27th June 2021. While making his presentation on the theme ‘Effective Communication in Public Speaking’, Mr. Adetunji stated that well-developed communication skills are vital to a student’s success. “At all levels of education and life, individuals must be able to communicate effectively because success in the world today, depends on solid communication skills”, he said. He added that a student who can effectively ask questions and get help from a teacher will mostly be more successful than students who do not. The Vice-Chancellor of the Skyline University Nigeria, Dr. Ajith Kumar V.V, making his remarks, stated that effective communication builds strong relationships and, while it may not come naturally to many of us, it’s an invaluable skill. He advised the students to take advantage of the training to cultivate a passion for career building. “Becoming an excellent communicator will take determination and practice and it will be well worth it in both your professional and personal life”. The VC stated.  The University’s Registrar, Mr. Haruna Aliyu also shared his thought on the seminar. He advised the students to prepare themselves for the freedom that comes with being members of a university community, which he stated could be a most dangerous time in a student’s life. He charged the students to concentrate on studies and the opportunities that will help them gain diverse skills. The event came to an end with a remark by the university’s Director of Academic Support Services, Ms. Sarada Maganti, who advised the students to take up courses that can help them pursue their passion during their degree pregramme. The event was concluded with a tour of the university facilities by the visiting student.

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Guest Lecturer Tasks SUN Students on Thankfulness

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Students of Skyline University Nigeria (SUN) have been sensitized to ensure thankfulness as they pursue their academic Programmemes in the university as well as in their career life. Guest Lecturer, Sheeba Hasnain at the 3rd Guest Lecture Series organized by the Corporate Affairs Department of the university, handed down this message on 25th June 2021. Ms. Sheeba, a senior IT, and Digital Transformation Specialist brought into focus, the theme of thankfulness as an art of appreciation that can enlighten the whole of humanity. She defined thankfulness as an art of living the most flourished life. An extract from her book “Thankfulness: the art”, published in 2019 by the Sharjah International Book Fair. According to her, technology makes our life easier and more efficient, whereas spirituality leads us to attain contentment, happiness and satisfying life. She stressed that both have to complement each other in a balanced way to make a blissful life. The Guest speaker also affirmed that being appreciated is more lovable to human nature. As she described it, “When we appreciate and support the deeds of others, we make them feel good and boost their desire to do more good work in this world. It shows our gratitude, recognition of the quality, value and significance of people and things. Learning to appreciate others can help us live a better life and become better people. Earlier in his remarks, the Vice-Chancellor of Skyline University Nigeria, Professor Ajith Kumar V.V, appreciated the guest speaker for sparing her valuable time to speak to the students of the university about thankfulness. He, however, expressed appreciation for the SUN team about what he considered seemingly important of the students of the university that would help them become better and much more productive individuals. He, therefore, sensitized the students to always give thanks, despite the challenges that life may bring. The 3rd Guest Lecture Series was impactful, interactive and had in attendants, a huge turnup of students, and Staff and Faculty.

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Job Loss – Job Gain – Job Asymmetry

Knowledgebase & Articles /

Automation of jobs is the fallout of technological advancement and it is unidirectional. I believe the decline of population below replacement level is one of the natural drives in favor of automation in the developed world. The issue of automation instantly produces fear of massive job loss resulting in unemployment, poverty, restlessness, and disorder in society. Being a citizen in the have-not divide of the world, incites terrible nervousness thinking about the future of the young generation, and how will they survive? This phenomenon is not new, it has already happened earlier with the introduction of computer in the workplace in the nineties when I was in my college days. Left-leaning ideologues were fighting tooth and nail against the introduction of computers in workplaces. However that fear has been proved to be wrong, in fact, computerization and digitization have created more employment and prosperity to the world. Now at the beginning of the fourth Industrial Revolution (or Industry 4.0) (1), when it is transforming from computerization/digitization to automation, the same worries of job loss and unemployment have resurfaced. Experiences of the past indicate that resistance in accepting the industrial revolution has become a futile exercise and caused harm to those establishments who resisted it.  At this backdrop, recent predictions from World Economic Forum (WEF) (2, 3), “machines will create more jobs than they destroy”, will bring back hope and confidence to the youth. The report says that automation would eliminate 85 million jobs by 2025 but expects 97 million new jobs to be created, meaning an overall addition of 12 million jobs. These are the following jobs the WEF expects to be lost and gained to machines by 2025: A comparative examination of the above table indicates that the job creation and progress of the economy will demand more intelligence and a specific set of skills among job seekers. General attributes of graduates like somewhat capability of reading, writing, arithmetical calculation, and just basic computational skills (handling of MS Word/Powerpoint/Excel etc.) may not be sufficient, though required as default, to fetch in so-called “jobs of tomorrow”(JOTO). As manufacturing is also becoming automated, physical labor will be less required in the working places.  But careful observation of the above table may indicate a couple of trends (a) asymmetry in educational choice and (b) asymmetry in the geographical location of job generation, in the future. The listed ten areas of job creation streamline the requirement of sound knowledge and application of mathematics/statics (analytical) and computational (software, Programmeming, coding etc.) related disciplines. Therefore the demand for science, technology, engineering, and mathematics(STEM) related courses will shoot up and intelligent students will adopt the trend of JOTO as listed above. But the size of the student population of good talents successful in STEM subjects is not too big. Hence, there is a parallel trend among students of major portion, who are not so good in science subjects in school days, and usually will migrate to commerce/business-related discipline. But as the number of jobs from this domain will gradually disappear because of automation, a vacuum might be generated for these mediocre levels of students in finding jobs. This will also reflect in the offering of courses from the educational institutions too.  The second asymmetric development may arise in the cluster of the location of JOTO. Application of automation will be dominant in the industrialized nation, and the educational institutions belonging to those countries are also well equipped to nurture talents as required by JOTO. A combination of these two factors will spawn asymmetry in the geographical location of job provision in the days to come.   To my consideration, the development of these two courses of asymmetries in the future is inevitable. Therefore, severe challenges in job creation will be looming in front of the developing world in continuation for their economic growth in the era of Industry 4.0. References: (1) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fourth_Industrial_Revolution (2)https://www.cnbc.com/2020/10/20/wef-says-machines-will-create-jobs-but-warns-of-pandemic-disruption.html (3) https://www.zdnet.com/article/technology-is-about-to-destroy-millions-of-jobs-but-if-were-lucky-it-will-create-even-more/   Dr. Susanta Pahari is a Professor of Biochemistry in Skyline University Nigeria. He has a PhD in Biochemistry from University of Calcutta, India. You can join the conversation on Facebook @SkylineUniversityNG and on Twitter @SkylineUNigeria

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Job Loss – Job Gain – Job Asymmetry

Knowledgebase & Articles /

Automation of jobs is the fallout of technological advancement and it is unidirectional. I believe the decline of population below replacement level is one of the natural drives in favor of automation in the developed world. The issue of automation instantly produces fear of massive job loss resulting in unemployment, poverty, restlessness, and disorder in society. Being a citizen in the have-not divide of the world, incites terrible nervousness thinking about the future of the young generation, and how will they survive? This phenomenon is not new, it has already happened earlier with the introduction of computer in the workplace in the nineties when I was in my college days. Left-leaning ideologues were fighting tooth and nail against the introduction of computers in workplaces. However that fear has been proved to be wrong, in fact, computerization and digitization have created more employment and prosperity to the world. Now at the beginning of the fourth Industrial Revolution (or Industry 4.0) (1), when it is transforming from computerization/digitization to automation, the same worries of job loss and unemployment have resurfaced. Experiences of the past indicate that resistance in accepting the industrial revolution has become a futile exercise and caused harm to those establishments who resisted it.  At this backdrop, recent predictions from World Economic Forum (WEF) (2, 3), “machines will create more jobs than they destroy”, will bring back hope and confidence to the youth. The report says that automation would eliminate 85 million jobs by 2025 but expects 97 million new jobs to be created, meaning an overall addition of 12 million jobs. These are the following jobs the WEF expects to be lost and gained to machines by 2025: A comparative examination of the above table indicates that the job creation and progress of the economy will demand more intelligence and a specific set of skills among job seekers. General attributes of graduates like somewhat capability of reading, writing, arithmetical calculation, and just basic computational skills (handling of MS Word/Powerpoint/Excel etc.) may not be sufficient, though required as default, to fetch in so-called “jobs of tomorrow”(JOTO). As manufacturing is also becoming automated, physical labor will be less required in the working places.  But careful observation of the above table may indicate a couple of trends (a) asymmetry in educational choice and (b) asymmetry in the geographical location of job generation, in the future. The listed ten areas of job creation streamline the requirement of sound knowledge and application of mathematics/statics (analytical) and computational (software, Programmeming, coding etc.) related disciplines. Therefore the demand for science, technology, engineering, and mathematics(STEM) related courses will shoot up and intelligent students will adopt the trend of JOTO as listed above. But the size of the student population of good talents successful in STEM subjects is not too big. Hence, there is a parallel trend among students of major portion, who are not so good in science subjects in school days, and usually will migrate to commerce/business-related discipline. But as the number of jobs from this domain will gradually disappear because of automation, a vacuum might be generated for these mediocre levels of students in finding jobs. This will also reflect in the offering of courses from the educational institutions too.  The second asymmetric development may arise in the cluster of the location of JOTO. Application of automation will be dominant in the industrialized nation, and the educational institutions belonging to those countries are also well equipped to nurture talents as required by JOTO. A combination of these two factors will spawn asymmetry in the geographical location of job provision in the days to come.   To my consideration, the development of these two courses of asymmetries in the future is inevitable. Therefore, severe challenges in job creation will be looming in front of the developing world in continuation for their economic growth in the era of Industry 4.0. References: (1) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fourth_Industrial_Revolution (2)https://www.cnbc.com/2020/10/20/wef-says-machines-will-create-jobs-but-warns-of-pandemic-disruption.html (3) https://www.zdnet.com/article/technology-is-about-to-destroy-millions-of-jobs-but-if-were-lucky-it-will-create-even-more/   Dr. Susanta Pahari is a Professor of Biochemistry in Skyline University Nigeria. He has a PhD in Biochemistry from University of Calcutta, India. You can join the conversation on Facebook @SkylineUniversityNG and on Twitter @SkylineUNigeria

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Skyline University Nigeria Receives Commendation from Jamb Supervisors on CBT Centre

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The Supervisor, Joint Admission and Matriculation Board (JAMB) assigned to Skyline University Nigeria Computer Based Test (CBT) Centre, Dr. Aminu Yakubu, being accompanied by Resident Monitor Prof Mikail Umar Kiru, Biometric Verification Reporting (BVR) Officer, Mr Aliyu Abdullahi, JAMB Technical Officer, Eng. Abdullahi Musa Gwadabe, NSCDC Security amongst others, has commended the University Management for its conducive environment and necessary facilities experienced during the JAMB 2021/2022 examination. He gave this commendation on Wednesday, 23rd June 2021, when he paid a courtesy call to the office of the SUN Vice-Chancellor, Professor Ajith Kumar V.V. In his commendation of Biometric verification exercise: pre-examination and post-examination, he rated highly the University’s professionality in handling security issues; the conduct of candidates in and outside the examination hall; conduct of the officials of the examination; the Facilities and arrangement of candidates inside the examination hall. Earlier, Professor Ajith, while receiving the visitors, appreciated the positive comment by the supervisor, especially in the areas of the university’s facilities and infrastructure that meet evolving needs at a competitive level and are an asset to recruit and retain quality students, faculty, and staff. “We find it necessary to improve our space, to accommodate our plans for the various schools and departments”, the Vice-Chancellor added. Also present at the meeting were the University’s Head Librarian/JAMB Centre Administrator, Mr. Kabiru Danladi Garba, the Registrar of SUN, Mr Haruna Aliyu, the JAMB Internal Coordinator, Mr. Fadilu Yakasai, Technical Support I, Mr. Ibrahim Babangida Auwal, and the Technical Support II, Mr. Bello Augustine.

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5 Common Problems Affecting Students Academic Performance

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Apart from skills and experiences, academic performance is one of the factors considered by employers in hiring staff for their respective organizations. The staff will be responsible for the organization’s development and overall growth. Students have to put in much effort in their studies to obtain good grades and prepare themselves for future opportunities in the workplace environment. But there are certain common problems affecting students’ academic performance. Five of these problems includes: Feeling overwhelmed Having Poor Sleep Habits Skipping Classes Unable to balance social and academic life Procrastination University can make you feel overwhelmed with the requirements of life (Friends, daily pressure of campus life, texting and talking as well as socializing). You should not let this go for long. Consider talking to someone, seeking advice from a professional to help you organize, prioritize and manage the pressure being placed on you. You can become ineffective in your work in school as an undergraduate student because of poor sleeping habits. The effect of sleep deprivation on your health can challenge your current study as well as your physical and mental health. The temptation to skip classes may be high at times, but when you do this, you will likely spend your money gathering information given during class times and you will not receive the benefit of the instruction as well as information regarding grading, future assignments, and opportunities outside the classroom. you may also be failing to spend time with professors and classmates who may, upon graduation, become part of a valuable network.  While college promotes both social as well as academic experience, these must be balanced to maximize success in both areas. procrastinating may have been an acceptable exercise in Secondary/High school but will likely become a challenge in the university. When we do not get to know and spend time with classmates, professors, and other academic advisors, we lack support and a place to go for ideas and answers when a problem does arise.

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SUN ‘Happy Hour’ – Promoting Staff Bonding and Employee Satisfaction

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To encourage the spirit of staff bonding as well as give employees the chance to make happy memories with their colleagues, Skyline University Nigeria (SUN), on Friday 11th June 2021, organized ‘Happy Hour’ for staff of the university. The ‘Happy Hour’ was geared at promoting staff bonding, improve productivity, employee satisfaction, as well as encourage staff spends some time away from work. By organizing the ‘Happy Hour’ event, the university is giving employees the chance to unwind after the day’s work. The Vice-Chancellor, Professor Ajith Kumar V.V, speaking during the event, stated that the better the relationships between the staff and how happier they are in their job will increase productivity and employee satisfaction. He advised staff to take advantage of the opportunity to connect and have fun. During the ‘Happy Hour’, apart from the presentation of awards and recognizing achievements, other attractions include; food and drinks, music and dance competitions, indoor sports competitions such as foosball, table tennis, video game, snooker, amongst others. Which also acted as a fantastic conversation starter and a humorous way to show appreciation for all the staff who make up the university.

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Facilitators Enlightened Students of Nigerian Tulip International College on Self Esteem

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Speakers at the recently held ‘Changing Gear’ seminar, organized by Skyline University Nigeria, Ms. Sarada Maganti and Mr. Sadiq Abdullahi, have enlightened the students of Nigerian Tulip International School on the importance of improving healthy self-esteem. “A healthy self-esteem will allow you to develop a positive relationship with others and feel confident about your abilities, which will also help you to acquire and master new skills”, they agreed. The Seminar which was organized to equip the young generation with the knowledge and skills necessary to excel in the global world was held in Skyline University Nigeria campus on 17th May 2021. Ms. Maganti who defined self-esteem as an individual’s subjective evaluation of their worth, that encompasses beliefs about oneself as well as their emotional states, such as triumph, despair, pride, and shame, states that sometimes upbringing can cause low self-esteem. She listed some of the motives and smart ways for cultivating healthy self-esteem, such as authenticity, and self-awareness. she remarked that when our self-esteem is higher, we not only feel better about ourselves but want to improve as well. as she puts it, “When our self-esteem is higher, we are also less vulnerable to anxiety”. Speaking on some of the signs of poor self-esteem, such as self-doubt, developing a bad habit, putting blame on others, being overly apologetic, having a bad posture, downplay of accomplishments as well as having a negative self-image, Mr. Sadiq stated that students can improve self-esteem by using positive affirmations. “Identifying competencies and developing them, learning to accept compliments, etc are some of the ways we can nurture self-esteem when it’s low. The ‘Changing Gear Seminar was followed by a tour of the university campus by the students of the Nigerian Tulip International College.

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Why Your Academic Performance Should Reflect Your Skills & Values

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Attaining a good academic performance has been the drive for many undergraduates. While this focus is important, identifying skillsets required for a future job application can be very helpful. A skill is related to a specific ability required in one’s academic journey that will eventually lead to a successful career. For example, having the skill of a creative content writer, while possessing a bachelor’s degree in Mass Communication or related disciplines in the humanities, can set a student apart from others. Students’ academic performance should reflect their skills and values because when an individual is submitting an application for a job or discussing the job with a potential employer in an interview, he or she will frequently be asked about his or her skills and qualifications. For this reason, it is important to spend some time in school, learning specific skills related to the demands in one’s chosen career. Identifying the difference between the skills required to excel in your chosen career or study, while pursuing academic qualifications will give students a competitive edge. For example, an individual who wants to become a graphics designer for a reputable company might have to possess certain skills in Adobe Photoshop, Corel Draw, Illustrator, etc, that might make him or her a better candidate. Having the academic qualification is a plus because it will improve the candidates’ communications skills, and the ability to take initiative.  In Skyline University Nigeria, pursuing academic qualifications often involves learning specific skills that will set students apart in their career journey. In the university, there are several ways to improve a student’s skills for a certain job. Completing a training or certification Programme through the Centre for Continuous learning is another way to increase qualifications in a very specific area. Increasing skills, however, might require more dedicated independent work. For instance, through participation in extracurricular activities, student clubs and organizations, voluntary services as well as community services.

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ALEXA in the Library

Knowledgebase & Articles /

Introduction  There are many creative and potentially helpful ways that voice assistants could be integrated into the library settings. This could enhance studies with music and effects, provide accessible services for elderly patrons or individuals with disabilities as well as an alternative access point for common library queries and institutional information (e.g. searching titles, placing holds, requesting library event information (Hoy 2018). Amazon Echo is a voice-enabled wireless speaker developed by Amazon’s digital assistant. It was first launched in 2014. The device connects to a voice-controlled intelligent personal assistant service, known as which responds to the name “Alexa”. The device is capable of voice interaction, music playback, making to-do lists, setting alarms, streaming podcasts, playing audiobooks, and providing weather, traffic, and other real-time information. Skyline University Nigeria has launched its voice assistant services so that users could find out information about library history and library collections. Using voice assistants will strategically engage the communities in the availability of Library resources. As voice assistants are more widely used, librarians will become familiar with the use of smart voice assistant that has continued to expand from personal uses in the home to new applications in customer services, healthcare, e-government, and educational spaces, as well as raising questions from groups and academic environment.  Exploring voice assistant use and potential data privacy implications requires a dearth of empirical studies that Answer to questions asked by users.  Play music from streaming music services.  Set timers or alarms. Play games.  Make calls or send messages. Make purchases.  Provide information about the weather.  Control other smart devices (lights, locks, thermostats, vacuum cleaners, switches).  https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2019/05/29/amazon-adds-alexa-delete-commands/ According to Sheppard (2017), some key elements that distinguish voice assistants (Alexa) from ordinary Programmes are:  NLP: the ability to understand and process human languages. It is important to fill the gap in communication between humans and machines  the ability to use stored information and data and use it to draw new conclusions Machine learning: the ability to adapt to new things by identifying patterns The complexity and accuracy of voice recognition technology and voice assistant software have grown exponentially in the last few years. Currently, available voice assistant products from Apple, Amazon, Google, and Voice assistants have several interesting capabilities in the library such as the capabilities of voice assistants are continuously extending. Amazon and Google have provided platforms for librarians to extend their assistants’ capabilities. Similar to mobile apps, Amazon Skills and Google Actions, radically expand assistants’ repertoire, allowing users to perform more actions with voice-activated control in their environment. Conclusion  Intelligent personal assistant technology (IPA) is becoming the other of the day in libraries. The use of voice assistants Alexa in libraries has made a big way in Library and raises questions about the responsibility of libraries and librarians to actively engage patron data privacy concerns when considering integrating these technologies into services, it is also paramount that patron privacy (as a function of safety) stays at the forefront of library services. Alexa in the library is making the service of a librarian much more user-friendly in the 21st Century.  References  Amazon.com (2018). Blind Foundation. [online] Available at: https://www.amazon.com/BlindFoundation-New-Zealand/dp/B07J6HVVTV  [Accessed 5 JUN. 2021] Shead S (2017, April 6) REPORT: 1 in 4 people have fantasised about Alexa, Siri, and other AI assistants. Available at: http://www.businessinsider.com/jwt-speak-easy-study-peoplefantasised-about-alexa-2017–4 (accessed 12 June  2017) Griffin, P. (2018). The best smart speakers on the NZ market. [online] Noted. Available at: https://www.noted.co.nz/tech/google-home-amazon-echo-smart-speaker-best-options-nz / [Accessed 04 JUN. 2021] Hoy, M. B. (2018). Alexa, Siri, Cortana, and More: An Introduction to Voice Assistants. Medical reference services quarterly, 37(1), 81-88. Sheppard, B. (2017). Theological Librarian vs. Machine: Taking on the Amazon Alexa Show (with Some Reflections on the Future of the Profession). Theological Librarianship, 10(1), 8–23. Mr. Musa Muhammed, is the Assistant University Librarian in Skyline University Nigeria. He has MSc in Information Management from Leeds Beckett University, UK. You can join the conversation on Facebook @SkylineUniversityNG and on Twitter @SkylineUNigeria

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