Harnessing the technological dividends in African higher education institutions during and post-COVID-19 pandemic

Abstract

Most higher education institutions (HEIs) shifted to remote teaching and learning in response to the global coronavirus pandemic, not only in Africa but also globally. Although this ‘digital turn’ started well before the onset of the global pandemic, it is instructive to note that the COVID-19 pandemic escalated the uptake of digital technologies in the African higher education (HE) context. This chapter critically examines the strategic adoption of digital technologies for the purposes of teaching and learning in selected HEIs in Africa. It situates the ‘digital turn’ in higher education within the broader context of what has been termed the ‘Fourth Industrial Revolution’ (4IR). It shines the spotlight on how HEIs in Africa are using existing capital and human resources to transform the face-to-face education system into online teaching and learning. This chapter also interrogates the unintended consequences of integrating information and communication technologies into HEIs without adequate institutional policies to cushion vulnerable students and lecturers. The platformisation of university education has impacted positively and negatively on the relationship between administrators, lecturers, students, telecommunications companies, and giant platform companies. This chapter further critically discusses required essentialities that are critical for sustainable digital pedagogy in resource-scarce contexts and possible HE scenarios and futures considering the ‘new normal’ occasioned by the global pandemic.