Digital Storytelling in African Higher Education

In order to take stock of Africa’s progress on the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) 2030, and because of the critical importance of education (and specifically higher or tertiary education) in sustainable development, this chapter considers the network of higher education-related SDGs (specifically 3.7, 4.3, 4.4, 4.5, 4.6, 4.7, 4.A, 4.B, 4.C, 5.6, 5.B, 9.5, 9.C, 12.8, 13.3, 17.6, and 17.8), their targets, and their indicators. As part of the domestic adoption of the SDGs in the African context, Agenda 2063 and its related higher educational targets and strategies are also explored. The African higher education landscape is then assessed by way of three models—the Space-Education Equation (SEE), the Benefits to Education by Space Transection (BEST), and the Enhanced Education for Sustainable Development Access and Success (EESDAS) model. These give structure to the analysis of African progress on the identified SDGs, primarily as recorded in the Global SDG Indicators Database. Following this, the critical role of educational technologies and e-learning in bridging the educational access and success gap is appraised, including various continental efforts in this regard, and the importance of ensuring education itself is placed on a sustainable trajectory (for example by meeting the growing demand for higher education), not only its provision. The discussion then ties these themes together by considering the role of the space sector, and its technologies, applications, and data in African higher education, specifically in relation to their contribution to educational delivery or provision, their motivational role in promoting study of, and interest in, the sciences, and their use in the content of education itself. A range of SDG-related projects undertaken by the European Space Agency are examined, specifically to highlight possible directions and partnerships for the newly-founded African Space Agency in its educational endeavours.

The paucity of clear, comprehensive and current information about higher education, and internationalisation in African higher education, scratches African countries from contention in both the race within Africa, and the race globally, for quality higher education for the world's mobile students. In addition to a lack of information, other challenges may limit the development of the potential of African higher education, its students, staff, curricula and myriad opportunities for practical experience in many fields. This article explores some of these challenges to internationalisation in African higher education. In addition, Kenya is examined as a case study, and information is provided on the current shape and size of internationalisation in public higher education institutions in Kenya. Developments in internationalisation in Kenyan higher education are contrasted against developments in South African higher education, and the similarities and differences are highlighted. The authors discuss how Africa could strengthen her position through well-functioning cooperative partnerships. South African Journal of Higher Education Vol. 20(1) 2006: 118-142

A growing number of university teachers advocate the benefits of multimedia and digital technologies in their classrooms. Such technologies are promoted: as a means to ensure the relevance of subject disciplines; and, as tools of engagement to assist students to meet their learning outcomes. Digital storytelling or narration is one example of how educators can utilise technology to introduce innovative teaching methods. In its broadest sense, digital narration involves using digital resources in learning environments for the production by students of multimedia narratives. This paper reports on the results, over a two-year period, of an evaluation of the use of digital narratives in an advanced undergraduate unit on contemporary Australian literature in one Australian university. The evaluation explored students’ and the teacher’s experiences of digital storytelling. In particular, it examined participants’ satisfaction with and anxieties about the use of digital narratives. It also considered the issues that the use of digital narratives raises vis-a-vis the constructive alignment with the themes, aims, and objectives of the unit, as well as the kinds and levels of technical training and assistance required to support students and staff. The results of this evaluation will be of interest to academics considering the use of multimedia technologies in their undergraduate classes.

Everyone has a story to tell, and this book will inspire and guide readers to teach and learn through the production of digital narratives. This book presents the stories of educators who through digital storytelling inspire students from diverse communities to construct their empowering digital narratives. Educators from a wide range of disciplines present innovative case studies of teaching digital storytelling through the lens of personal narratives, metaliteracy, and information literacy. They describe how teaching students to tell their personal digital stories prepares them as learners who are reflective while playing active learner roles such as producer, publisher, and collaborator. As an innovative resource for teaching and learning with digital media, this book: Combines the theory and practice of digital storytelling with metaliteracy and the ACRL Framework for Information Literacy for Higher Education Explores how to inspire learners to share their original digital narratives Offers the opportunity to explore and address issues of race, class, and gender to give voice to these issues as part of the storytelling process Investigates the role of diversity, equity, and inclusion in writing and producing original digital narratives Examines novel approaches to collaborative digital storytelling and peer review Presents pioneering models for global digital storytelling among international learners online Describes empowering digital narratives constructed by students who found and shared their voices through this creative process Provides inventive models for teaching effective planning through well-written scripts and visual storyboards Offers openly-available resources such as rubrics, assignment descriptions, and digital technologies Showcases the application of metaliteracy OER in digital storytelling learning activities and courses Through this book, faculty, librarians, school library media specialists, and instructional designers will learn how to teach the theory and practice of digital storytelling. This innovative resource will also empower students to reflect on their roles as digital storytellers and metaliterate learners in today’s dynamic and evolving information environment.

The article deals with issues related to the use of effective educational technology for teaching students' project activities on the example of information and communication technologies, in particular, a task in the "digital narrative" format. Various approaches to the definition of the concept of "digital storytelling" are presented. It contains information about various multimedia tools used to create a "digital narrative". A detailed description of the Genially.ru resource is provided, an online tool for creating interactive audio presentations. An example of creating a multimedia presentation in the "digital narrative" format is given.

Reforms in African higher education have been a multi-faceted challenge encompassing their missed links, among others, with historical, geo-political, and socio-economic hurdles. Despite the observed quality improvement over the last two decades, its full participation in economic development has been a dream yet to be achieved. The outbreak of coronavirus has come to add more strain on this fragile system. This chapter reflects on transformations taking place as palliative or “cosmetic” measures adopted to alleviate, mitigate, and avert the escalation of the crisis in African higher education. It uses the study of literature and sources of authority to tap arguments. Analyses established that measures taken leave out rural and poverty-stricken higher education institutions. These cannot access infrastructure, technologies, and qualified staffing to accommodate abrupt changes from face to face to online delivery mode. The chapter recommends extensive resources mobilization coupled with systematic and punctual quality verifications in African higher education.

Background The evolving landscape of the African higher education sector necessitated by global higher education reforms and the need for research informed responses to address contextual challenges is partly dependent on effective postgraduate research supervision. A wide range of postgraduate research supervision models and practices are documented globally. In the African context, the experiences of postgraduate research supervision are not clearly understood from the experiences of all stakeholders. Aim The proposed scoping review aims to map evidence on the range of postgraduate research supervision experiences at higher education institutions in Africa. Methods The methodological framework proposed by Arksey and O’Malley will be used to conduct the review. Relevant articles will be sourced from different electronic data bases namely; ERIC, Web of Science, EbscoHost and Scopus. A combination of search terms and Boolean operators will be used to obtain the relevant articles based on the inclusion criteria stipulated within the Population, Context and Concept (PCC) framework of study identification for this review. Results Studies reporting on postgraduate research supervision experiences from the perspective of academics, students and support staff in the African higher education context will be included. The results may also provide insights postgraduate supervision experiences from varying postgraduate research disciplines. Conclusion The findings will provide consolidated empirical evidence on experiences of postgraduate supervision in the African higher education context, thereby providing holistic insight on postgraduate research supervision practices, models currently used, implementation challenges and highlight research gaps. This may inform recommendations that advance knowledge within this field, particularly in the African higher education context.

Background The evolving landscape of the African higher education sector necessitated by global higher education reforms and the need for research informed responses to address contextual challenges is partly dependent on effective postgraduate research supervision. A wide range of postgraduate research supervision models and practices are documented globally. In the African context, the experiences of postgraduate research supervision are not clearly understood from the experiences of all stakeholders. Aim The proposed scoping review aims to map evidence on the range of postgraduate research supervision experiences at higher education institutions in Africa. Methods The methodological framework proposed by Arksey and O’Malley will be used to conduct the review. Relevant articles will be sourced from different electronic data bases namely; ERIC, Web of Science, EbscoHost and Scopus. A combination of search terms and Boolean operators will be used to obtain the relevant articles based on the inclusion criteria stipulated within the Population, Context and Concept (PCC) framework of study identification for this review. Results Studies reporting on postgraduate research supervision experiences from the perspective of academics, students and support staff in the African higher education context will be included. The results may also provide insights postgraduate supervision experiences from varying postgraduate research disciplines. Conclusion The findings will provide consolidated empirical evidence on experiences of postgraduate supervision in the African higher education context, thereby providing holistic insight on postgraduate research supervision practices, models currently used, implementation challenges and highlight research gaps. This may inform recommendations that advance knowledge within this field, particularly in the African higher education context.

Excellence in educational quality provisioning and accountability is an obligatory function for higher education. Currently certain scholars allege that poor provisioning and lack of accountability are rife in most higher education institutions. They cite varied reasons for the failures. Of note, African higher education institutions are also subject to these shortcomings. As is the case with most higher education institutions worldwide, governments and communities require African higher education institutions to comply with globally acceptable standards for quality provisioning and accountability if they wish to compete in the global arena. However, this ‘global measuring yardstick' should consider the contextual dynamics of African higher education landscapes when deliberating on issues of quality. In this article, I endeavour to provide a critical analysis of the provisioning-accountability approach, as a foundation and pillar for the enhancement of excellence in African higher education with due consideration to contextual issues. It is hoped that this exploratory inquiry based on a literature study will provide useful insights for higher education management and their partners needed to engage in globalised yet locally grounded standards and sustained educational quality practices. South African Journal of Higher Education Vol. 21 (4) 2007: pp. 694-705

One of the features of the internationalisation of higher education is the increasing use of the English language as a medium of instruction and research in higher education. This growing use of English spurs this article’s attempt at systematically reviewing literature focusing on African higher education systems. The analysis of the selected literature focuses on assessing the main themes, theoretical assumptions and core findings. As a result, 30 articles accessed through continental and international research databases were included in the final analysis after a five-step selection process using relevant keywords related to the topic and the context of the study. The findings indicate that research on the English language in higher education in African contexts overwhelmingly focuses on the language as a medium of teaching and learning. The other aspects, such as the role that the language plays as a medium of research and archiving knowledge, seem to be overlooked. The findings of the majority of both empirical and review papers seem to present critical and, at times, unfavourable views on the role English plays in the specific contexts studied. In light of these findings, the recommendation is that the role of the English language as a medium of instruction should be expanded to cover issues related to research, publication and archiving knowledge. This indicates that the continent’s higher education systems need more research on English language, which suggests that robust and pragmatic theoretical approaches might also be needed in future studies. A further observation is that the findings from the reviewed studies might be the result of using theories that are underpinned in traditions that are already critical of the use of the English language. Thus, more research attention could be given to strengthening the efficacy of using multiple theoretical perspectives to render the African contexts studied more intelligible.

In Albania's increasingly hypermediated political landscape, digital interactive storytelling has emerged as a widely utilized technique in political communication. Despite persistent gender biases shaped by stereotypical prejudices and a public opinion strongly influenced by male-dominated opinion leaders, digital interactive storytelling has the potential to enhance women's public image and standing within the political arena. This medium enables women in politics to communicate directly with audiences, bypassing intermediaries and mitigating potential message distortions, while harnessing storytelling elements like narrative, imagery, and the intrinsic appeal of a compelling, well-told story. This research investigates how digital interactive storytelling helps women in Albanian politics shape their public image. Specifically, it examines whether there is a qualitative and quantitative difference in how women are represented on their social media profiles versus traditional Albanian media outlets. We monitored the Instagram profiles of five Albanian parliament members, all chairing parliamentary commissions, observing their posts over the past year. We also analyzed coverage in Panorama Online, a prominent and influential media outlet in Albania, to examine how these digital narratives are portrayed in the media. Our findings indicate that digital storytelling has heightened the visibility of women in Albanian politics, with media coverage reflecting these figures in alignment with their chosen strategic narratives. Media portrayal largely emphasizes these women as experts in their fields and as advocates of their respective parties' ideological platforms. Received: 12 August 2024 / Accepted: 16 November 2024 / Published: 3 December 2024

The paper investigates the effectiveness of digital narratives in promoting resilience and coping skills among students in crisis situations, particularly in the context of wartime education in Ukraine. Employing a mixed-methods approach, the research includes a literature review and primary data collection through narrative analysis, reflective interviews, and the Brief COPE Inventory. The study involved 94 students from two national universities in Kyiv. Findings indicate that digital narratives promote active engagement in problem-focused coping strategies, increase emotional involvement, and enhance personal resilience. Students demonstrated clarity, relevance, emotional engagement, and effective multimedia use in their narratives. The study highlights the potential of digital narratives in educational settings for improving academic performance, emotional regulation, and interpersonal communication among students.

As new technologies continue to emerge, students and lecturers are provided with new educational tools. One such tool, which is increasingly used in higher education, is digital storytelling, i.e. multi-media digital narratives. Despite the increasing attention that education and media scholars have paid to digital storytelling, there is scant research examining digital narratives from a discourse-analytic perspective. This paper addresses this gap in the literature and, in line with the belief that individuals make meaning through a range of semiotic devices, including, among others, language, sound, graphics and text, it aims to examine discourse strategies of factuality and subjectivity in historical-cultural digital narratives and their multimodal realisations (Kress & Van Leeuwen 2001; Patrona 2005). To carry out this study a corpus of 16 digital stories was compiled and analysed from a multidisciplinary framework which draws from studies on digital storytelling, computer-mediated communication, media studies, and multimodal discourse analysis. Results show that students/digital story tellers resort to a number of varied multimodal discursive strategies which are constitutive of their identity as capable students in an educational setting.

This paper focuses on metacognition facilitation through digital narratives. The objectives of the study were to explore how the creation of digital narratives strengthens the formation of metacognitive skills, and which teaching practices promote awareness of learning. The process of digital narrative creation connects literacy, language, technologies, and metacognitive planning, debugging, monitoring, and assessment strategies. A metacognitive awareness inventory questionnaire was used to assess the level of metacognitive skill formation, and content analysis and descriptive statistics were employed to analyze interviews and discussions. The study involved engineering and pedagogy students from three universities. Findings demonstrated improved metacognition subject to the implementation of appropriate teaching practices and the existence of an educational partnership between students and teachers. The most relevant practices were identified, and it was concluded that digital narratives may be an efficient strategy for the development of metacognitive skills including knowledge about cognition and regulation of cognition.

Telling a story is an essential tool for being human. Storytelling has been described as an aspect of the social self that helps shape relationships through the power of words. This chapter examines the role of digital personal narratives in the schooling of middle grades English language learners (ELLs) in one middle school in a rural, Northeast state. The ELL students, their teacher, and the author engaged in a digital story project, which was part of a literacy unit that took place over a period of six months in an intermediate English classroom of 14 students. Using the This I Believe (TIB) national curriculum that focuses on the core values that guide daily lives, the ELL students narrated their own stories. The author argues for the use of such stories in institutions where the preparation of future professionals, such as teachers, social workers, and counselors grapple with the meaning of cultural competency skills and its implications for their fields. How might such institutions embrace and integrate more student voices? How might such stories inform pedagogy? As a result of the project, the author developed a model that could utilize these digital narratives to develop cultural competency in a preservice teacher education program. Such stories could become part of a larger agenda of meaningful activities for preservice teachers related to the areas of (1) digital storytelling, (2) response to literature, (3) service learning and research, and (4) critical reflection.