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Chapter 6 - Africa’s University Landscape

Embracing Digital Transformation

from Part I - (R)evolution of the Higher Education Sector

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  09 June 2022

By
Fred Moonga
Edited by
Andreas Kaplan
Andreas Kaplan
Affiliation:
ESCP Business School Berlin
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Summary

Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) in Africa are going through transformations like in the rest of the world. Transformations include digitalisation, and participation in Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR). The transformations have opportunities and challenges. The latter include competition, reduced public funding, the effects of ecological changes on the curricula, and adoption of Technology Enhanced Learning (TEL) enhanced by the COVID-19 pandemic. The former include the speed at which information is accessed and processed, easy connections among people, and easy and virtual teaching and learning which economises on resources. One Lecturer can teach thousands of students based in different places at the same time. This chapter analyses digitalisation in HEIs in Africa. It argues that while adoption of TEL was already underway, COVID-19 enhanced it by limiting options for teaching and learning. Thus, digitalisation in HEIs is eco-friendly, flexible, and economical.

Keywords

competitionCOVID-19digitalisationflexibilityhigher educationtransformation
Type
Chapter
Information
Digital Transformation and Disruption of Higher Education , pp. 60 - 72
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2022

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