Digital Technology Enabled Education: Exploring Digital Education Affordances on Student Performance

Abstract

Digital education leverages technology to enhance teaching and learning through approaches like technology enhanced learning and online education. Technology enhanced learning employs strategies such as blended, flipped, and personalised learning by using digital resources to improve educational experiences. The Covid-19 pandemic triggered a swift transition to online teaching and learning in educational institutions across the world, and it significantly affected South Africa’s higher education sector. This transformation revealed substantial disparities as resource endowed universities rapidly adapted to online teaching and learning while historically disadvantaged institutions faced challenges due to insufficient resources. Resource constraints, including inadequate digital technology tools, internet connectivity, high data costs, and insufficient preparedness among students and educators, impeded productive learning experiences. While there is sufficient literature in the realm of digital education and online education, there is still a gap in the efficacy of inclusive digitally enabled education. This study examined the effects of this transition on student performance in South African universities by emphasising the critical necessity for equitable access to digital education and comprehensive support systems, which were identified as the current gap. The study gives solutions for enhancing resilience and accessibility in forthcoming digital technology educational frameworks by analysing these problems. The discussion was centred on the critical elements that influence the efficacy of digital technology enabled education, which was analysed through the lens of community of inquiry framework. Central to this was the development of the conceptual framework that was deemed to sustain inclusive digital education in a socio epistemological orientation approach. This study posits that learning occurs within an epistemically integrated and engaged community characterised by social presence, teaching presence, cognitive presence, student skills, academic skills, technology, infrastructure, and environment. These requirements are essential for establishing equitable digital education in all South African higher education institutions. This study used a mixed methods research strategy that incorporated questionnaires with both closed and open-ended questions and documents review. The data were gathered from three South African higher educational institutions that were categorised as metropolitan, rural, and semi-rural. The study further used mixed methods sampling by incorporating both probability and purposive sampling techniques. With the probability sampling, the study adopted the stratified sampling process in which only the third- and fourth year students were required to complete the questionnaire. A total of 165 responses from academics and students were collected via a questionnaire from these universities. The quantitative data were analysed descriptively using the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) software, and the qualitative data was analysed using thematic and factor analysis. The study triangulated these approaches to reach conclusions. This study employed triangulation to elucidate the intricacies of the phenomena, resulting in the addition of a conceptual framework to the literature on digital technology enabled education. The findings highlight that the sudden shift to digital education in South Africa worsened existing inequalities, particularly for low-income students who struggled with limited access to computing resources, internet connectivity, and power outages. About 49% of academics mentioned that their courses required practical work, while 51% did not, which means almost half of academic courses taught involved practical or laboratory work, which portrays a need for technological affordances. The findings showed a high percentage of academics and students being negatively affected by this swift digitalisation of teaching and learning processes. Both students and academics faced challenges due to a lack of digital literacy and were negatively impacted by the rapid transition to online learning. The following are some of the recommendations of the study: Compulsory computer and digital literacy skills for academics and students regardless of their field of study, online professional training for academics, and ubiquitous access to educational, technical/technological, social, environmental, access, and infrastructure resources. In responding to the research question, this study will help higher education institutions deliver more effective digital education to improve the student digital experience, create a ubiquitous learning environment to achieve equity, bridge the student attainment gap, promote social inclusion, and broaden equitable access to tertiary education for all students. This will be achieved through the conceptual framework that identifies key factors for achieving success in digital technology enabled education for South African universities. This framework is highly pertinent and is essential for transforming the South African educational system, reducing inequalities and fostering sustainable development.