South African Postgraduate STEM Students’ Use of Mobile Digital Technologies to Facilitate Participation and Digital Equity during the COVID-19 Pandemic

Abstract

The transition to online mobile teaching and learning during the COVID-19 pandemic required more than access to mobile digital technologies, particularly in South Africa, a country trying to address the injustices and inequalities of the pre-democracy period. The argument advanced in this research is that the transition to online mobile teaching and learning could be used as leverage to promote active participation, quality inclusive learning, develop relevant and responsive content and achieve mobile digital equity. This interpretative case study was conducted at a South African teacher-training institution. The primary aim of this study is to explore the following question: How did postgraduate STEM students use mobile digital technologies to facilitate teaching and learning under COVID-19 conditions? Data was obtained from 20 purposively selected postgraduate STEM students enrolled for their Bachelor of Education honours degree. They participated in online discussion forums and maintained reflective journals. Due diligence was taken to ensure all the required ethical protocols were observed. Mishra and Koehler’s Technological Pedagogical and Content Knowledge (TPACK) model framed this study. The constructs of the model were used during the analysis of data. The findings highlight that mobile digital technologies were used for translanguaging, supporting students in developing disciplinary science understanding through exposure to practical work and linking cross-cutting concepts in STEM subjects. The findings of this study are significant as they indicate how to operationalize STEM teaching in developing countries; how to address issues of access and social justice; and how to leverage mobile technologies to improve practice in STEM subjects, post-COVID.

Challenges That Need to Be Addressed before Starting New Emergency Remote Teaching at HEIs and Proposed Solutions

“…This was carried out to include students in the sample who had experience with traditional face-to-face learning prior to the implementation of ERT. A total of 16 students from different courses and levels of study (68.75% from bachelor level and 31.25% from master level) were interviewed in Italy (1), Poland (2), Slovenia (5) and Spain (8).…”

“…This could be due to problems in adapting course material for online delivery and the need for better preparation for emergency teaching scenarios. As shown in Table 7, students perceived fewer challenges in the hybrid mode (15) compared to online classes (5). Self-discipline is recognized in online mode as the most challenging aspect (3.1), followed by technical problems with the internet connection (3.0) and the fact that the teachers, in their opinion, were not able to maintain the attention of all the students (3.0).…”

“…The teaching and learning community was pushed out of the zone of the formally defined [3,4] to an unfamiliar and unpredictable environment [2]. The Sustainable Development Goal 4 (SDG4) of the 2023 Agenda is to "ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all", and many aspects of this objective were undermined during the pandemic [5].…”

Android-Based Mobile Learning Application Using App Inventor on Computer Operating System Material: The Development and Validity Study

“…The integration of mobile learning applications into educational settings has garnered significant attention due to their potential to enhance engagement, interactivity, and accessibility [4]. These applications hold the promise of providing learners with dynamic and personalized learning experiences, especially in complex subjects like computer operating systems [5], [6].…”