scholarly journals Supporting ABET Students at Unisa during the Fourth Industrial Revolution

Author(s):  
Gezani Baloyi

Teaching adult students in the context of the Fourth Industrial Revolution poses numerous difficulties in the global higher education context. Unisa students are generally adults who are working, but younger students also register with the institution, and they require support. The paper focuses on the adult students in the ABET department, which falls within the School of Educational Studies. The ABET student cohort comprises both older and younger students who are keen to learn. However, the lack of internet connectivity makes teaching and supporting them during the Covid-19 pandemic difficult, with a number of students situated in the rural areas. For the study, the researcher used the community of inquiry theoretical framework, which promotes interaction between student, teacher and content. At Unisa, teaching and learning take place on the myUnisa learning management system. The findings suggest that some students do not have the necessary skills to use myUnisa. The lack of skills in the use of technologies is a cause for concern.

Author(s):  
Bo Xing

Higher Education in the Fourth Industrial Revolution, or HE 4.0, is an umbrella term for accommodating different manner of teaching and learning, research and innovation, service, and infrastructure that are often portrayed as key elements of a university. Despite the imperative of HE 4.0, the truly transformed HE environment is still far from reality. This discrepancy raises many questions such as (1) What makes HE4.0 so special? and (2) How could the potential good of HE 4.0 be unlocked? This chapter seeks to add to the literature by offering a “magic cube” framework, which includes diverse axes, faces, and layers/slices, in understanding various inter-related factors. The result of this study (i.e., the magic cube framework for HE 4.0) is developed to support all stakeholders of higher education system to fully grasp the strengths of HE 4.0 in response to the Fourth Industrial Revolution.


Author(s):  
Johannes C Cronje

Universities have aspired to embrace the concepts of Schwab’s Fourth Industrial Revolution with varying degrees of success. The Covid-19 epidemic, however, has created a disruption of unprecedented proportions. Managements of universities were forced to do whatever it took to save the academic year by means of emergency remote teaching. This form of teaching required a relaxation of numerous rules and policies that were designed primarily for contact institutions. Many of these concessions will probably be irrevocable and will require intensive revisions of university policies of teaching and learning. However, since teaching and learning do not exist in a vacuum, there are policy implications for all sections of the university. This autoethnographic desk study follows a theory-building approach by integrating the lived experience of the author with the current literature, to create a framework for the development and revision of policies to accommodate blended learning in higher education in the context of the Covid-19 pandemic and the Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR). Although the definition and implementation of blended learning lie at the heart of issues regarding teaching and learning, policy adjustments will have to be made in all aspects of the university.


Libri ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 0 (0) ◽  
Author(s):  
Glenrose Jiyane

Abstract The fourth industrial revolution (4IR) marks the new, advanced era of development in humankind, and globally countries are in the process of ensuring their citizenry’s readiness. In South Africa, various governmental departments, organizations, non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and non-profit organisations (NPOs) are making efforts, through their plans, talks and actions, to attain this status for all her people, particularly women in rural areas. However, the development of women in the rural areas for empowerment remains a concern in developing countries. Consequently, there is a dire need to ensure the developmental status for women in rural areas in the advent of the 4IR, and this paper seeks to demonstrate that information and knowledge may be instrumental in empowering women in rural areas to strive in the 4IR. Accordingly, information and knowledge are a critical resource contributing to the empowerment of women in rural areas for their development. An exploratory question is raised to determine whether South Africa is ready for Fourth Industrial Revolution. The outcome of this paper will contribute to the body of knowledge advocating the importance of information and knowledge in the empowerment of women in rural areas. Significantly, it will generate insights for policymakers on the important role of information and knowledge for women’s development.


2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Harry Barton Essel ◽  
Dimitrios Vlachopoulos ◽  
Dickson Adom ◽  
Akosua Tachie-Menson

Purpose The purpose of this study is to explore the characteristics and potential effects of teaching and learning through audio teleconferencing (dial-in) with a cell phone. In addition, the study aims to identify the associations between the audio teleconferencing and video teleconferencing in a 12-week postgraduate course. Design/methodology/approach The study is a cross-sectional survey conducted at the Department of Educational Innovations at the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology from March to June 2020. The purposive sampling technique was used to sample 100 postgraduate students who registered for a course in the department. The data for the study were collected using the System Usability Scale (SUS) and 17-item self-administered eQuestionnaire. Multiple Linear Regression analysis, ANOVA, Independent sample T-test and Mann–Whitney U-test were used to estimate the differences in course achievements of students who experienced education through audio teleconferencing and those who experienced education through video teleconferencing. Findings In total, 59% of the participating postgraduate students chose to attend the synchronous online lectures via audio teleconferencing (dial-in). The participants gave a high SUS score (SUS > 80.3; Grade A; Excellent) for audio conferencing service. Among the students in the audio teleconferencing cohort, the results evidenced a strong positive linear correlation, (r (57) = 0.79, p < 0.05), between the individual adjective ratings and the SUS scores. There was marginal significance among demography of students in the audio teleconference (AT) cohort with regards to their perception about the dial-in lecture. There was no statistically significant difference, (t (98) = 1.88, p = 0.063), in the achievement test for AT students and video teleconference (VT) students. The instructors and the students were satisfied with the AT. Practical implications Based on the students’ preference, AT offers equal benefit as VT with regards to system satisfaction and perceived quality of online teaching. AT, as teaching modality, should be an option for students who reside in communities with high latency internet connectivity. It is recommended that instructors are trained on how to engage and motivate students via AT. Originality/value Higher education institutions in Ghana are facing decisions about how to continue learning and teaching through flexible pedagogy, while keeping their faculty members and students protected from the COVID-19 pandemic. Many of these institutions have canceled the brick-and-mortar education and other conventional learning practices and have instructed faculty to adopt online teaching through synchronous video teleconferencing platforms. However, the learning experience is not the same for students who reside in remote or rural communities with low bandwidth. There is very little research in this topic, especially in developing countries like Ghana, and the present study aims to bridge the gap in the literature by exploring the characteristics and potential effects of teaching and learning through audio teleconferencing (dial-in) with a cell phone, in the context of a 12-week postgraduate course.


2021 ◽  
Vol 83 (1) ◽  
pp. 44-51
Author(s):  
S. Bespalyy ◽  
◽  
Ye. Ifutina ◽  

Computer systems and technologies are changing our society significantly. These changes are interconnected with both social and production spheres. Innovative digital technologies have a huge impact on the labor market and professional activity, contributing to their transfer to the electronic environment. Using digital technologies, modern people set new goals and solve problems with an increasing speed of problem solving, capitalizing on the possibilities of collaborative distributed actions within networks. In this regard, new competencies of specialists are in demand. Purpose: The purpose of this study was to establish the impact of the fourth industrial revolution on the education system and the development of skills and thinking for learning. Methods: When conducting scientific research, economic and statistical methods were used. These methods were also used in comparative analysis, as well as in assessing data and indicators of the higher education system, taking into account the impact of the fourth industrial revolution. The analytical method was used to consider the characteristics and factors influencing the development of skills and thinking for learning in modern conditions. The abstract-logical method is used to identify problems affecting the development of the labor market under the influence of digital technologies. Results and their value: The result of the study is that conclusions are drawn about the upcoming changes. Automation and digitalization are likely to lead to significant unemployment in most countries, so adaptation innovation policies are needed to help offset unemployment due to digitalization. Governments need to invest heavily in higher education as an economic development tool for their citizens. Lifelong learning should be identified as a critical element of success in the era of the fourth industrial revolution. Curricula should develop digital skills and address workforce disruptions due to automation.


Computers ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (12) ◽  
pp. 163
Author(s):  
Dominique Scaravetti ◽  
Rémy François

Global industry is at the heart of its fourth industrial revolution, being driven by the emergence of new digital solutions: Augmented reality allows us to consider the evolution towards the “the augmented operator”. This technology is currently little used in higher education, especially for mechanical engineers. We believe that it can facilitate learning and develop autonomy. The objective of this work is to assess the relevance of augmented reality in this context, as well as its impact on learning. The difficulties for a student approaching a technical system are related to reading and understanding 2D and even 3D representations, lack of knowledge on components functions, and the analysis of the chain of power transmission and transformation of movement. The research is intended to see if AR technologies are relevant to answer these issues and help beginners get started. To that end, several AR scenarios have been developed on different mechanical systems, using the relevant features of the AR interfaces that we have identified. Otherwise, these experiences have enabled us to identify specific issues linked to the implementation of AR. Our choice of AR devices and software allows us to have an integrated digital chain with digital tools and files used by mechanical engineers. Finally, we sought to assess how this technology made it possible to overcome the difficulties of learners, in different learning situations.


2022 ◽  
Vol 5 (1) ◽  
pp. 253-314
Author(s):  
Mohamed Abdel Salam Mohamed Mahmoud El Balshi ◽  

The current study aimed to develop mechanisms for developing the culture of small information technology projects among university students in the context of the Fourth Industrial Revolution by integrating the development of the culture of small information technology projects in the university’s vision, objectives and strategy, and localizing it in the university environment, activating it in the university’s teaching and learning processes, and strengthening the university’s partnership and the outside community to achieve this. The study used the descriptive approach, and the researcher applied a questionnaire consisting of (37) phrases distributed over (4) axes, and the sample amounted to (136) university professors from (5) Egyptian universities. The study found: The need for the university to emphasize in its objectives the teaching of students to build and manage small information technology projects through the development of knowledge and awareness of it, consolidating the values ​​and beliefs that support them, and that the university is interested in formulating a strategy that supports innovation and creativity among faculty members and students, and that the promotions of teachers and assistant professors be linked to their supportive activities for educating students with small IT projects, and to provide paper or digital brochures on opportunities to build small IT projects in the surrounding environment, and to support the practice of cultural activities, and spread the culture of patent in the information technology sector among its students, and that the university’s learning outcomes target the need for graduates to possess positive attitudes and values ​​towards them. and pay attention to educating students about the impact of the Fourth Industrial Revolution on small IT projects, and that the university link the teaching and learning processes, building and managing small information technology projects, and directing its faculty members towards linking the contents of the curricula with the skills of building and managing small information technology projects, with the need to achieve partnership with the external community through the establishment of exhibitions and platforms for marketing information technology projects, and hosting businessmen in seminars or meetings to inform students of their successful experiences.


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