The disruptive nature of technologies such as artificial intelligence, additive manufacturing nanomaterials and robotics has decidedly made the workplace of the future more complex, with traditional skillsets falling short in addressing the demands of the 4IR era. The authors discuss the need for current tertiary students to be skilled for futuristic, technology driven jobs in a 4IR economy. This paper examines the current school curriculum, vis-a –vis the literature on what the 4IR economy requires of its workforce. We submit that the current curriculum for Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) courses at most South African universities do not align with skills requirements for a 4IR economy. A methodical, structured literature review was conducted for the purpose of this research. The PRISMA framework was employed to select the relevant literature for the study. After screening and elimination of articles, 26 sources remained and were included in the study. The study proposes four critical success factors that government can adopt in order to formulate strategic and sustainable plans to ensure that students are appropriately skilled and positioned to operate in a competitive 4IR economy once they graduate. The literature reveals a disjuncture between the current STEM curriculum and the required skillset required in a 4IR economy. The challenge leads to a state of unpreparedness of students in handling the fast approaching revolution in skills demand. The authors also found that soft skills, ideation, creativity and problem solving, which are not taught at school are critical for the workforce of the future. Probable solution to the skills gap challenges is the implementation of content knowledge, incorporated with experiential techniques. This will lead to the shift from the institutions of higher education to the individuals through investing in skilling and reskilling students in practical ways. Future research should focus on how government, Industry and academia can effectively collaborate in ensuring that students are trained to apply content knowledge in creative ways which can solve many of the continent’s problems. The findings reveal that government must work closely with academia and industry towards the goal of graduating skilled, employable graduates in the 4IR economy. Future research will investigate the extent to which students are being skilled by faculty to face future challenges.
The paper investigated the challenges faced by female students enrolled in the Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) field of study. The social cognitive theory (SCCT) was employed to examine the role played by the environment, goals, behaviour, and self-efficacy factors of female students studying towards Engineering and Information Technology degrees at a traditional South African university. The study examined the interdependencies between these four factors and their role in female students’ success in STEM courses at the university. The finding revealed that female students possess the selfefficacy required to excel in their studies, despite overt or covert hostilities and other challenges they face during their study. The data analysis indicate that female students need the support of their families in achieving their goals. The fear of disappointing parents or family members if they fail to obtain their qualifications seem to be a key motivation to female students in STEM courses. It is recommended that all stakeholders be positively involved in ensuring that female students in the STEM fields get the needed support. Such support, in tandem with their self-efficacy, outcome expectations and goal setting, will ensure that they overcome obstacles and are adequately equipped to realise their dream of achieving qualifications in this critical segment of the economy.
The introduction of technology to teaching and learning has brought about modernisation of academic activities. The drastic paradigm shift faced by the education sector is inevitable, especially as the impact of the much-touted Fourth Industrial Revolution is being felt in key sectors of the economy. This reality imposes the need for technology-enhanced learning for tertiary students as it represents the future of the workplace for which they are being prepared at university. For effective learning to take place, institutions need to incorporate technological tools in their teaching and learning. Adapting to a myriad of technology tools can be challenging, especially for less privileged learners who might be adjusting to tertiary life and previously have not been exposed to the basics of computers and other technology tools. This challenge is further compounded by the fact that most of these learners are experiencing the independence of tertiary education for the first time and are still struggling to balance their academic workload with the anxieties of social blending. This paper investigated how first-year students at a traditional, previously disadvantaged university in the Eastern Cape province, South Africa, adapted to Blackboard Learn (also referred to as WiseUP), the learning management system (LMS) adapted for blended learning at the university. The paper explored the challenges faced by the new students and thereafter employed a combination of the Theory of Planned Behaviour and the Technology Acceptance Model to build a new model, which reveals the critical factors that influence students to embrace technology. This model will assist lecturers, faculty and student support structures to understand the underpinning factors that influence first-year students to embrace the technology tool, namely, the university’s LMS. Quantitative data collection and analysis were used in the case study, which was conducted with two groups of first-year students in management and information technology courses. Results show the significant factors that influence students’ attitudes positively towards the use of technology for learning.
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