Transforming and Sustaining Digital Mathematics Teaching and Learning in Higher Education Institutions in South Africa

A Literature Review

Abstract

The digital transformation in the global higher education sector determines the future course of a sustainable education management strategy. In this era of the Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR), utilising technology-driven teaching methods to enhance learning, assessment, and teaching is essential. This paper examines how digitising education improves the quality of teaching at higher education institutions in rural regions. This research used secondary data from various authors to support its qualitative research approach. This information was utilised to gather public and peer-reviewed journals, online materials, and pertinent textbooks. Many authors claim that students acquire the mindset and abilities to tackle complex problems through digital transformation in mathematics education. This paper will focus on the teaching and learning of Mathematics through digitisation and explore how this transformative initiative can be maintained in rural higher education institutions, using a specific university as a case study. In this context, difficulties faced by students and teachers were revealed through primary sources, including policies and verbal informants. This paper is grounded in Wenger's (1998) theory of the virtual community of practice. According to the study results, teachers and students concur that insufficient infrastructure, poor internet connectivity, and power outages hinder technology integration in the classroom. It was demonstrated that the ability of participants to participate in online teaching and learning equally was influenced by their challenges in accessing data and using devices. As per the recommendations, management ought to arrange training workshops and online resources to equip teachers and students for digital environments. To tackle the issues emphasised in this paper, teachers should evaluate online resources to determine if they are easily accessible, affordable, and user-friendly. Nonetheless, these issues must be addressed to promote the adoption of technology.