Department of Human Formation
Technology and Artificial Intelligence
Documentation and Academic Structure of the Department
The Department of Human Formation Technology and Artificial Intelligence examines the design and development of technological and AI-based systems applied to Human Formation practice — adaptive tools, formation-oriented software, and AI systems built to support a person’s growth, distinct from the sibling Department of Human–AI Interaction, Data and Digital Ethics, which examines the interaction, data, and ethical dimensions of those systems once deployed.
An AI system can simulate the language of care and relationship without possessing the capacity for genuine relationship, and a person can form an unhealthy dependency on that simulation believing it equivalent to human connection or professional care. This Department builds formation technology while designing directly against that risk.
This document establishes the Department’s complete academic and institutional documentation architecture across seven structural layers.
Foundational Framework
Governing Field. Human Formation, examined through the discipline of Human Formation Technology and Artificial Intelligence — the systematic study and development of technological and AI-based systems designed to support Human Formation practice.
Central Premise. A formation technology tool, however sophisticated, is a support for a person’s growth, never a substitute for the human relationships, community, and professional care that growth genuinely requires. A system that allows a user to mistake it for that substitute has been built irresponsibly, whatever its technical capability.
Foundational Theoretical Anchor. The Department operates under the Principle of Methodological Integrity established by the Department of Research Methodology, and coordinates closely with the Department of Human Formation (Faculty I, Formation Safeguarding Principle), the Department of Healing, Care and Restorative Human Formation (Faculty I, Principle of Scope of Competence), and the Department of Theology and Human Formation (Faculty VII, Principle of Integrated Care), applying all three Departments’ protections to formation technology and AI system design specifically.
Programme List
The Department offers a complete academic ladder from foundational study through doctoral research.
Delivery Framework
The Department is delivered online-first, using structured cohort-based study supported by Module Specifications, Study Guides, Teaching Manuals, and Assessment Briefs for every unit, consistent with the Institute’s established production standard.
Curriculum
The BA (Honours) Human Formation Technology and Artificial Intelligence curriculum proceeds across four levels, numbered HFT101 through HFT111, following the Institute’s core pedagogical standard: scaffolded progression from structured instruction toward fully independent, dependency-conscious technology design.
| Level | Focus | Modules |
|---|---|---|
| Level 4 | Foundations of Human Formation Technology and Artificial Intelligence; the support–substitution distinction; introduction to AI system design for formation contexts | HFT101–HFT104 |
| Level 5 | Adaptive formation systems; comparative technology models; ethics of AI disclosure and dependency prevention | HFT105–HFT107 |
| Level 6 | Independent formation technology research; capstone applied system design; specialization electives | HFT108–HFT109 |
| Level 7 (MA) | Advanced formation technology theory; technology and Human Formation; research methods; dissertation | HFT110–HFT111 |
Key Pedagogical Standard. Every module moves the learner from structured instruction toward the independent capacity to design formation technology that supports without substituting for human relationship or professional care — no learner exits the programme building a system that allows a user to mistake it for a genuine relationship or a licensed provider.
Research Fields and Centres
The Department maintains the following primary research fields:
Centre for Human Formation Technology and Artificial Intelligence
The Department’s standing research centre, coordinating cross-domain research with the Department of Research Methodology, the Department of Human Formation (Faculty I), and the Department of Theology and Human Formation (Faculty VII).
Assessment and Ethics
Assessment in the Department evaluates a learner’s competence in formation technology design and their demonstrated capacity to guard against dependency risk — never a reward for a system engineered to maximize user engagement by simulating relationship depth it cannot actually offer.
Because AI systems can simulate the language of care without the capacity for genuine relationship, the Department applies a dedicated integrity principle.
Award Titles
Public-Facing Department Page
The Department of Human Formation Technology and Artificial Intelligence is where the Institute studies and builds AI-based tools that support Human Formation — always disclosed honestly as AI, and always designed to direct users toward genuine human relationship and appropriate professional care, never to replace either. As a sibling Department of Faculty IX, it treats formation technology as a support, not a substitute.
Learners join a structured academic pathway from Certificate through PhD, moving from guided foundational study toward independent, dependency-conscious formation technology design, supported at every level by the Institute’s full documentation standard: Module Specifications, Study Guides, Teaching Manuals, and Assessment Briefs.
Permanent Department Documentation Order
The permanent documentation order of the Department, restated for reference:
Delivery Framework Detail
Programme Specification I — Certificate in Human Formation Technology and Artificial Intelligence
Programme Specification II — Diploma in Human Formation Technology and Artificial Intelligence
Programme Specification III — BA Human Formation Technology and Artificial Intelligence
Programme Specification IV — BA (Honours) Human Formation Technology and Artificial Intelligence
Programme Specification V — Postgraduate Certificate in Human Formation Technology and Artificial Intelligence
Programme Specification VI — Postgraduate Diploma in Human Formation Technology and Artificial Intelligence
Programme Specification VII — MA Human Formation Technology and Artificial Intelligence
Programme Specification VIII — Specialized Master’s in Human Formation Technology and Artificial Intelligence
Programme Specification IX — MRes Human Formation Technology and Artificial Intelligence
Programme Specification X — MPhil Human Formation Technology and Artificial Intelligence
Programme Specification XI — PhD Human Formation Technology and Artificial Intelligence
Programme Specification XII — Professional Practice Certificate in Formation Technology Development Support
Summary Programme Table
A consolidated summary of all twelve programmes offered by the Department.
| Award | Abbreviation | Duration | Credits | Tuition |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Certificate in Human Formation Technology and Artificial Intelligence | CertHFT | 6–12 months | 60 credits | ₦450,000 |
| Diploma in Human Formation Technology and Artificial Intelligence | DipHFT | 1 year | 120 credits | ₦850,000 |
| BA Human Formation Technology and Artificial Intelligence | BA HFT | 3 years | 360 credits | ₦2,400,000 |
| BA (Honours) Human Formation Technology and Artificial Intelligence | BA(Hons) HFT | 4 years | 480 credits | ₦3,100,000 |
| Postgraduate Certificate in Human Formation Technology and Artificial Intelligence | PGCert HFT | 6 months | 60 credits | ₦900,000 |
| Postgraduate Diploma in Human Formation Technology and Artificial Intelligence | PGDip HFT | 9 months | 120 credits | ₦1,600,000 |
| MA Human Formation Technology and Artificial Intelligence | MA HFT | 1 year (FT) / 2 years (PT) | 180 credits | ₦2,900,000 |
| Specialized Master’s in Human Formation Technology and Artificial Intelligence | MA HFT (Spec.) | 1 year (FT) / 2 years (PT) | 180 credits | ₦3,200,000 |
| MRes Human Formation Technology and Artificial Intelligence | MRes HFT | 1 year (FT) / 2 years (PT) | 180 credits | ₦3,400,000 |
| MPhil Human Formation Technology and Artificial Intelligence | MPhil HFT | 2 years (FT) / 3 years (PT) | 240 credits | ₦5,600,000 |
| PhD Human Formation Technology and Artificial Intelligence | PhD HFT | 3–4 years (FT) / 5–6 years (PT) | 360 credits | ₦9,100,000+ |
| Professional Practice Certificate in Formation Technology Development Support | PPC FTDS | 6–9 months | 60 credits (practice-based) | ₦1,100,000 |
Credit Framework
The Department applies the Institute’s standard credit framework: one credit represents approximately 10 notional learning hours, inclusive of guided instruction, independent study, formation technology development practicum where applicable, and assessment.
| Level | Credits (Full Level) | Notional Learning Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Level 4 (Certificate/Year 1) | 120 | 1,200 |
| Level 5 (Diploma/Year 2) | 120 | 1,200 |
| Level 6 (BA Year 3 / Honours Year) | 120–240 | 1,200–2,400 |
| Level 7 (Postgraduate/MA) | 180 | 1,800 |
| Level 8 (MPhil/PhD, research credit) | 240–360 | 2,400–3,600 |
Non-Substitutive AI Ethics Principle
Because AI systems can simulate the language of care without possessing the capacity for genuine relationship, the Department’s ethical commitments govern every module, practicum, and research activity it authorizes.
This principle governs curriculum design, formation technology development practicum, assessment design, and all research conducted across the Department, and stands alongside the Principle of Methodological Integrity (Department of Research Methodology), the Principle of Classificatory Equity (Department of Knowledge Systems), the Principle of Accessible Information Design (Department of Information Architecture), the Principle of Documentary Integrity (Department of Documentation Studies), the Principle of Peer Review Integrity (Department of Scholarly Communication), the Principle of Equitable Preservation (Department of Knowledge Preservation), the Principle of Model Restraint in Formation Systems (Department of Human Formation Systems and Modelling), and the Principle of Non-Surveillance Formation Analytics (Department of Human Formation Measurement and Analytics) as the ninth ethics principle documented within Faculty IX.
Tuition Principle
Tuition for every programme is published in full above, with no undisclosed fees. Where a learner’s circumstances warrant it, the Department may offer needs-based tuition adjustment, cohort scholarships, or staged payment plans, at the discretion of the Institute’s admissions and finance offices.
Tuition figures reflect the Institute’s standard credit-based tuition model and are reviewed annually.
Final Delivery and Access Declaration
The Department of Human Formation Technology and Artificial Intelligence is delivered online-first to maximize access for learners regardless of geographic location, with structured cohort support, complete documentation for every module, and a clear pathway from Certificate through PhD. No learner shall be required to relocate to access any taught programme offered by this Department.
Final Structural Declaration
The Department of Human Formation Technology and Artificial Intelligence stands as a sibling Department of Faculty IX, holding formation technology to a standard that supports human connection and never simulates its replacement. Every award, module, and research activity documented above proceeds through the Department’s permanent structural chain:
This chain governs the Department of Human Formation Technology and Artificial Intelligence now and permanently, coordinated with, and answerable to, the Principle of Methodological Integrity held by the Department of Research Methodology.