Emerging Technologies have been put forward by many theorists and researchers in the field of education as the key to 21 st century pedagogy alternative, with promise to address learning challenges and provide a platform for authentic learning. This paper reports on use of Emerging Technologies to address learning challenges and derive authentic learning in a Mathematics for Business undergraduate course at Africa University. The research was motivated by an authentic learning challenge based on assessment results and feedback from current and past participants of the course. Following the identification of the learning challenge and educational goal an affordance analysis matching learning tasks with technologies was performed using an affordance analysis model by Bower(2000). The research objectives were to Observe the interest of emerging technologies, Assess student motivation to adopt and use emerging technologies, and Evaluate pedagogical impact of using emerging technologies. The key findings were students were generally keen and motivated to the use of emerging technologies, however the pedagogical impact could not be ascertained in this early and first phase of the research. Further research is required to determine the pedagogical impact, this will involve taking the students through full semester learning cycle up to assessment and compare the results and also administer a suitable framework to evaluate authentic learning.

In South Africa, the Department of Basic Education has continuously referred to the lack of students with good passes in mathematics and physical science to be able to enroll for medical and financial sector degrees. The reason for the lack of good passes has been attributed to the availability of resources and the training of teachers. Many universities have developed interventions and strategies to assist students who enter their institutions. Using the cultural historical activity theory, this chapter argues that technology in the form of podcasts can mediate the problem of under-prepared mathematical students by providing supplemental instruction. The chapter justifies the choice of podcasts and presents literature on how and why podcasts will mediate learning.

Depression being a behavioural health disorder is a serious health concern in Zimbabwe and all over the world. If depression goes unaddressed, the consequences are detrimental and have an impact on the way one behaves as an individual and at the societal level. Despite the number of individuals who could benefit from treatment for behavioural health concerns, their difficulties are often unidentified and unaddressed through treatment. Technology carries the unrealised potential to identify people at risk of behavioural health conditions and to inform prevention and intervention strategies.

One of the challenges being faced in the 21st century is child obesity, which is a serious health concern in Zimbabwe and the world. If obesity is not controlled, it has detrimental consequences when a child risks suffering from health challenges such as cancer, type 2 diabetes, heart disease, and osteoarthritis in adulthood. Therefore, it is paramount to have an early prediction of child obesity using the BMI scale. Technology has the unrealized potential to identify people at risk for behavioural health conditions and inform prevention and intervention strategies. In this study, a prediction model was proposed to investigate how technology can be used to predict child obesity. Using a prediction model, this study sought to understand technology's potential value in child obesity. Three different machine learning methods were used to establish accuracy in the prediction model. The findings of this study indicate that it is feasible to use a prediction tool to identify individuals at risk of being diagnosed with obesity, which can facilitate early intervention and improved outcomes.

The chapter is a walkthrough of a practical application of the explanatory sequential mixed method research design to investigate the adoption of open educational resources at a higher education institution in Zimbabwe. This is a complex phenomenon that required both quantitative measures to establish the nature and extent and precise qualitative explanations and justifications, an inherent precondition of mixed methods research. Justifiably explanatory sequential mixed method research was the appropriate research design to unpack the complex research problem due to its unique nature that permits flexible ontological, epistemological, philosophies, and analytical perspectives. The chapter illustrates how the quantitative component is complemented by the qualitative component to explain the complex phenomenon through integrated analysis and interpretation of research findings leading to valid conclusions and recommendations. In contribution to the development and use of explanatory sequential mixed methods research design, a new framework is proposed based on the lessons learned.