Optometry education, like other health professions, has historically been conducted via contact teaching and learning in classrooms, clinics and laboratories. In 2020, COVID-19 imposed an abrupt move to online learning for higher education institutions. This was performed with little insight into the feasibility and readiness for its adoption…

The integration of digital devices in education has been widely practised throughout the world. The vast availability of digital devices enables teachers to prepare and deliver subject content in different ways. Despite the availability of various digital devices in the Fourth Industrial Revolution, some teachers still experience…

This paper contributes to the conceptualisation of digital literacy as a social practice. While previous studies have focused on student digital skills and digital practices in well-resourced environments, there is a research gap concerning digital literacy as a social practice in resource constrained environments, such as South African…

Introduction: The initial response of higher education institutions (HEIs) to the COVID-19 pandemic was to shift to online learning as a contingency. However, not all students were equipped with the appropriate resources to make this shift. Research problem: There is scant contemporary research outlining the types of educational resources…

The purpose of the study was to examine the challenges of remote learning that were faced by students in four rural institutions of higher learning amid the COVID-19 pandemic. It is well documented that in South Africa as well as globally, the COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted the teaching and learning in higher institutions of education. A call was…

The aim of this study was to identify the influence of technology on the education systems of South Africa and Russia. The study has brought to light the importance of technology, and that it contributes to the increase of quality of education. The correct application of relevant technology in education can be used as valuable support to education…

Despite high hopes that schools are institutions of integrity and are properly governed, very few have demonstrated this with distinction. With this article we argue that good governance depends on the partnership between schools and parents in times of emergency. The theoretical framework from Epstein's theory of overlapping spheres of influence…

Massive open online courses (MOOCs) could have been leveraged to bridge the education accessibility inequality gap in many developing countries, however many of the MOOCs platforms are developed to work in areas with good internet connections and high bandwidth leaving many rural areas excluded. The goal of this study was to develop a MOOCs model…

The study investigates the effects of e-learning as an alternative form of curriculum dissemination for rural Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) college students. This study adopted connectivism theory, which enabled lecturers to reflect and adapt to how learning has changed and the accompanying implications of designing the…

This paper focuses on a study conducted in two historically disadvantaged schools (deep-rural and semi-urban) in South Africa where the rising access to mobile technology implies that the long-standing promise of mobile learning is becoming accessible despite the lack of recent research. This research aims to investigate the relationship between…

The COVID-19 pandemic continues to disrupt the teaching and learning in international higher education. Those of us in the global South have particularly been hard hit, struggling to balance working/ functioning economies, a struggling healthcare system, education, commerce, trade, transport, and the community spread of what was later found to be…

There is a certain degree of technological determinism in the discourse on information and communication technology (ICT) in education. Technological determinism is the relationship between the technical and the social, in this case, technological development taking place outside the socio-economic realities of societies. Hence, the discourse on…

Universally, information and communications technologies (ICTs) have revolutionised multiple ways of executing tasks in many sectors. In the education sector, ICTs provide a scaffold to enhance technology-driven teaching and learning information needs of the teachers and learners in a school environment. The aim of the study was to investigate the…

The effect of the COVID-19 pandemic has been felt by both male and female students in Open and Distance e-Learning (ODeL) and contact-based learning institutions in South Africa. However, young female students have been the most affected group. Societal norms that reinforce cultural practices which favour male students hinder the academic…

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic and subsequent school closures have had profound impacts on learners and their families globally, affecting their psychosocial wellbeing. However, the extent and nature of these effects, particularly in diverse socioeconomic contexts, remain largely under-explored. Aim: This study aimed to investigate the effects…