Technology-Enhanced Learning in Africa: A Challenge and Opportunity?

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The educational system is not immune to the profound effects of information and communication technologies (ICT). We cannot simply control the speed at which contemporary technologies grow. We can, however, prevent the next generation from becoming digital strangers. Attempts by schools to incorporate ICT into their pedagogy have been met with mixed results. Research also suggests that there should be a need for programmes that assist twenty-first century educators in adopting new, emerging technologies into their daily teaching processes and not just using them much less frequently than they do at home. This article aims to identify and analyse proven opportunities within African digital education while also highlighting the risks associated with their underutilisation. A systematic review of literature was undertaken to delve deeply into the development of technology-enhanced learning (TEL) systems, TEL systems functionalities, and TEL systems pedagogical approaches used across multiple disciplines in African higher education over the past twenty-seven years. Three academic databases (Scopus, Web of Science, and IEEE Xplore) were searched yielding 199 articles from 1995 to 2022 that qualified for the study analysis. The findings show that the growth of TEL systems in Africa is “one move, two gains,” boosting students’ greater access to and inclusion in education, and enhancing pedagogical outcomes. However, “substitution” and “augmentation” outcomes are more prevalent, whereas TEL systems are rarely implemented at the levels of “modification” and “redefinition.” The perils and opportunities of TEL systems are also explicitly discussed.