Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Emerging Realities from COVID-19 and the Fourth Industrial Revolution: Mathematics Education Lecturers’ Collaborative Autoethnographic Experiences

  • Chapter
  • First Online:
Mathematics Education in Africa

Abstract

With the emergence of Covid-19 in South Africa in March 2020 and the subsequent lockdown restrictions, traditional universities looked to the University of South Africa for best practices regarding online teaching and learning. The Covid-19 lockdowns resulted in thousands of pre-service teachers in South African universities and colleges shifting and having to adapt at short notice to online learning. The outbreak caused students and lecturers to be thrust into online learning and teaching situations, with most of them having no prior training or preparation for the shift. For lecturers, the shift to online teaching represented monumental pedagogical and technical challenges, as they were expected to adopt and adapt to an online modality while rapidly learning to use various tools and maintaining the academic integrity of their institutions and modules. This chapter presents the autoethnographic experiences of four University of South Africa lecturers relating to teaching and administering learning and assessments for mathematics education modules. Within the qualitative research approach, we use a collaborative autoethnographic reflexivity approach to demonstrate the intersections between university society and self; the particular and the general; the personal and the politics of knowledge in the context of 4IR and the Covid-19 pandemic. Our experiences of online teaching and learning made us realise that the training of successful and effective mathematics teachers in online spaces during the pandemic is a complex and dynamic task, marked by issues of social justice, quality, equity, and academic inclusion, especially in a country as unequal as South Africa.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

Log in via an institution
Chapter
USD 29.95
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
eBook
USD 119.00
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Softcover Book
USD 159.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Compact, lightweight edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info
Hardcover Book
USD 159.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Durable hardcover edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Institutional subscriptions

References

  • Adedoyin, O. B., & Soykan, E. (2020). Covid-19 pandemic and online learning: The challenges and opportunities. Interactive Learning Environments, 1–13.

    Google Scholar 

  • Aldowah, H., Ul Rehman, S., Ghazal, S., & Umar, I. N. (2017). Internet of things in higher education: A study on future learning. Journal of Physics: Conference Series., 892, 012017. https://doi.org/10.1088/1742-6596/892/1/012017

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ali, G. E., & Magalhaes, R. (2008). Barriers to implementing elearning: A Kuwaiti case study. International Journal of Training and Development, 12(1), 36–53.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Anderson, T. (2008). The theory and practice of online learning. Athabasca University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Anderson, T., Rourke, L., Garrison, D. R., & Archer, W. (2001). Assessing teaching presence in a computer conference environment. Journal of Asynchronous Learning Networks, 5(2), 1–17. http://www.sloanconsortium.org/sites/default/files/v5n2_anderson_1.pdf

    Google Scholar 

  • Aristovnik, A., Keržič, D., Ravšelj, D., Tomaževič, N., & Umek, L. (2020). Impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on life of higher education students: A global perspective. Sustainability, 12(20), 8438.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Barr, B. A., & Miller, S. F. (2013). Higher education: The online teaching and learning experience. University of Phoenix Faculty School of Advanced Studies. https://www.scirp.org/(S(lz5mqp453edsnp55rrgjct55))/reference/ReferencesPapers.aspx?ReferenceID=2631602.

  • Boylorn, R. M. (2015). Stories from Sweetwater: Black women and narratives of resilience. Departures in Critical Qualitative Research, 4(1), 89–96.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Butler-Adam, J. (2018). The fourth industrial revolution and education. South African Journal of Science, 114(5–6), 1–1.

    Google Scholar 

  • Chang, T. Y., Hsu, M. L., Kwon, J. S., Kusdhany, M. L. S., & Hong, G. (2021). Effect of online learning for dental education in Asia during the pandemic of COVID-19. Journal of Dental Sciences, 16(4), 1095–1101.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Cheung, A. C., & Slavin, R. E. (2013). The effectiveness of educational technology applications for enhancing mathematics achievement in K-12 classrooms: A meta-analysis. Educational Research Review, 9, 88–113.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Church, K., & de Oliveira, R. (2013). What’s up with WhatsApp?: Comparing mobile instant messaging behaviors with traditional SMS. In Proceedings of the 15th International Conference on Human-Computer Interaction with Mobile Devices and Services (pp. 352–361).

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Cross, K. P. (1998). Why learning communities? Why now? About Campus, 3(3), 4–11.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Davis, N. (2016). What is the fourth industrial revolution?. https://www.wefprum.org/agends/2016/01/what-is-the-fourth-industrialrevolution/

  • DeNoyelles, A., Mannheimer Zydney, J., & Chen, B. (2014). Strategies for creating a community of inquiry through online asynchronous discussions. Journal of Online Learning & Teaching, 10(1), 153–165.

    Google Scholar 

  • Eady, M., & Lockyer, L. (2013). Tools for learning: Technology and teaching. In Learning to teach in the primary school (pp. 71–89). Cambridge University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ellis, C. (2007). Telling secrets, revealing lives: Relational ethics in research with intimate others. Qualitative Inquiry, 13(1), 3–29.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ellis, C. (2009). Telling tales on neighbors: Ethics in two voices. International Review of Qualitative Research, 2(1), 3–27.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Espasa, A., & Meneses, J. (2010). Analysing feedback processes in an online teaching and learning environment: An exploratory study. Higher Education, 59(3), 277–292.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Fook, J., & Askeland, G. A. (2007). Challenges of critical reflection: ‘Nothing ventured, nothing gained’. Social Work Education, 26(5), 520–533.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Frank, A. W. (2013). The wounded storyteller: Body, illness, and ethics. University of Chicago Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Garrison, D. R. (2011). E-learning in the 21st century: A framework for research and practice. Routledge.

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Garrison, D. R., & Arbaugh, J. B. (2007). Researching the community of inquiry framework: Review, issues, and future directions. The Internet and Higher Education, 10(3), 157–172.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Garrison, D. R., Anderson, T., & Archer, W. (2000). Critical inquiry in a text-based environment: Computer conferencing in higher education. The Internet and Higher Education, 2, 87–105. https://doi.org/10.1016/S1096-7516(00)00016-6

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Gherheș, V., Stoian, C. E., Fărcașiu, M. A., & Stanici, M. (2021). E-learning vs face-to-face learning: Analysing students’ preferences and behaviours. Sustainability, 13(8), 4381.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Grand-Clement, S., Devaux, A., Belanger, J., & Manville, C. (2017). Digital learning: Education and skills in the digital age. RAND Corporation. https://doi.org/10.7249/CF369

  • Gulli, C., Kohler, N., & Patriquin, M. (2007). The great university cheating scandal. Maclean’s, 120(5), 32–36.

    Google Scholar 

  • Halverson, L. R., & Graham, C. R. (2019). Learner engagement in blended learning environments: A conceptual framework. Online Learning, 23(2), 145–178.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Handayanto, A., Supandi, S., & Ariyanto, L. (2018). Teaching using moodle in mathematics education. In. Journal of Physics: Conference Series, 1013(1), 012128.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hornsby, E. R., Davis, A., & Reilly, J. C. (2021). Collaborative autoethnography: Best practices for developing group projects. InSight: A Journal of Scholarly Teaching, 16, 104–114.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hosler, K. A., & Arend, B. D. (2012). The importance of course design, feedback, and facilitation: Student perceptions of the relationship between teaching presence and cognitive presence. Educational Media International, 49(3), 217–229.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Jeffrey, L. M., Milne, J., Suddaby, G., & Higgins, A. (2014). Blended learning: How teachers balance the blend of online and classroom components. Journal of Information Technology Education, 13, 121–140.

    Google Scholar 

  • Jensen-Hart, S., & Williams, D. J. (2010). Blending voices: Autoethnography as a vehicle for critical reflection in social work. Journal of Teaching in Social Work, 30(4), 450–467.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Karasavvidis, I. (2010). Integrating web 2.0 technologies in undergraduate teaching: Experiences with a wiki implementation. In M. Iskander, V. Kapila, & M. Karim (Eds.), Technological developments in education and automation (pp. 449–454). Springer.

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Kivunja, C., & Kuyini, A. B. (2017). Understanding and applying research paradigms in educational contexts. International Journal of Higher Education, 6(5), 26–41.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kuo, Y. C., Walker, A. E., Schroder, K. E., & Belland, B. R. (2014). Interaction, internet self-efficacy, and self-regulated learning as predictors of student satisfaction in online education courses. The Internet and Higher Education, 20, 35–50.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lapadat, J. C. (2017). Ethics in autoethnography and collaborative autoethnography. Qualitative Inquiry, 23(8), 589–603.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lopes, A. P., Babo, L., & Azevedo, J. M. M. L. (2008). Teaching and learning mathematics using Moodle (INTED2008 ed.). IATED.

    Google Scholar 

  • Lotz-Sisitka, H. (2009). Epistemological access as an open question in education. Journal of Education, 46(1), 57–80.

    Google Scholar 

  • Lowenthal, P. R., & Snelson, C. (2017). In search of a better understanding of social presence: An investigation into how researchers define social presence. Distance Education, 38(2), 141–159.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Makamure, C., & Tsakeni, M. (2020). COVID-19 as an agent of change in teaching and learning stem subjects. Journal of Baltic Science Education, 19(6A), 1078–1091.

    Google Scholar 

  • Maphalala, M. C., & Mpofu, N. (2020). Examining first-year students’ experience of being tutored: A south African case study. Issues in Educational Research, 30(3), 1025–1037.

    Google Scholar 

  • Maré, S., & Mutezo, A. T. (2021). The effectiveness of e-tutoring in an open and distance e-learning environment: Evidence from the University of South Africa. Open Learning: The Journal of Open, Distance and E-Learning, 36(2), 164–180.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Maringe, F. (2020). The quarantined academy: Emerging opportunities and risks. HELTASA.. http://heltasa.org.za/the-quarantined-academy-emergingopportunities-and-risks/

  • Mbhiza, H. W. (2021). Shifting paradigms: Rethinking education during and post-COVID-19 pandemic. Research in Social Sciences and Technology, 6(2), 279–289.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Mbukusa, N. R. (2018). Perceptions of students’ on the use of WhatsApp in teaching methods of English as second language at the University of Namibia. Journal of Curriculum and Teaching, 7(2), 112–119.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Melville, N. P., & Robert, L. (2020). The generative fourth industrial revolution: Features, affordances, and implications. Affordances, and Implications. November 11, 2020.

    Google Scholar 

  • Mershad, K., & Wakim, P. (2018). A learning management system enhanced with internet of things applications. Journal of Education and Learning, 7(3), 23–40.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Mlotshwa, N., & Chigona, A. (2018). Using Moodle to enhance mathematics learning in grade 10 classrooms in South Africa. In E-learn: World conference on E-learning in corporate, government, healthcare, and higher education (pp. 429–438). Association for the Advancement of Computing in Education (AACE).

    Google Scholar 

  • Moloi, T. J., & Matabane, M. E. (2020). Reimagining the sustainable and social justice mathematics classrooms in the fourth industrial revolution. International Journal of Learning, Teaching and Educational Research, 19(12), 281–294.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Naveed, Q. N., Muhammed, A., Sanober, S., Qureshi, M. R. N., & Shah, A. (2017). Barriers affecting successful implementation of e-learning in Saudi Arabian universities. International Journal of Emerging Technologies in Learning, 12(6), 94–107.

    Google Scholar 

  • Pope, S., & Mayorga, P. (Eds.). (2019). Enriching mathematics in the primary curriculum. Learning Matters.

    Google Scholar 

  • Pratiwi, A., & Ariani, D. (2020). The use of tutorial model in teaching Indonesian to foreign learners. ISCE: Journal of Innovative Studies on Character and Education, 4(1), 37–46. http://iscjournal.com/index.php/isce

    Google Scholar 

  • Saadatmand, M., Uhlin, L., Hedberg, M., Åbjörnsson, L., & Kvarnström, M. (2017). Examining learners’ interaction in an open online course through the community of inquiry framework. European Journal of Open Distance and E-Learning, 20(1), 61–79.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Şahal, M., & Ozdemir, A. Ş. (2020). Pre-service primary teachers’ views and use of technology in mathematics lessons (p. 28). Research in Learning Technology.

    Google Scholar 

  • Sahu, P. (2020). Closure of universities due to coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19): Impact on education and mental health of students and academic staff. Cureus, 12(4), 1–6.

    Google Scholar 

  • Schmid, J. (2019). Autoethnography: Locating the self as standpoint in post-apartheid South Africa. In S. Laher, A. Fynn, & S. Kramer (Eds.), Transforming research methods in the social sciences: Case studies from South Africa (pp. 265–280). Wits University Press.

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Schwab, K. (2016). The fourth industrial revolution: What it means, how to respond? https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2016/01/the-fourth-industrial-revolution-what-itmeans-and-how-to-respond/

  • Sedio, M. Z. (2021). Exploring e-tutors’ teaching of the design process as content knowledge in an open and distance e-learning environment. Journal for the Education of Gifted Young Scientists, 9(4), 329–338.

    Google Scholar 

  • Shava, E., & Hofisi, C. (2017). Challenges and opportunities for public administration in the fourth industrial revolution. African Journal of Public Affairs, 9(9), 203–215.

    Google Scholar 

  • Shea, P., & Bidjerano, T. (2012). Learning presence as a moderator in the community of inquiry model. Computers & Education, 59(2), 316–326.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Thompson, P., Vogler, J. S., & Xiu, Y. (2017). Strategic tooling: Technology for constructing a community of inquiry. Journal of Educators Online, 14(2), 1–8.

    Google Scholar 

  • Tombro, M. (2016). Teaching autoethnography: Personal writing in the classroom. Open SUNY Textbooks, Milne Library (IITG PI). State University of New York at Geneseo.

    Google Scholar 

  • Troop, D. (2007). You’re never gonna believe this one. The Chronicle of Higher Education, 53(4). Retrieved from https://www.chronicle.com/article/youre-never-gonna-believe/16333

  • Tsakeni, M. (2021). Transition to online learning by a teacher education program with limited 4IR affordances. Research in Social Sciences and Technology, 6(2), 129–147.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Tullis, J. A. (2013). Self and others: Ethics in autoethnographic research. In S. H. Jones, T. E. Adams, & C. Ellis (Eds.), Handbook of autoethnography (pp. 244–261). Left Coast Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Vegliante, R., & Sannicandro, K. (2020). The role of the e-tutor in the university context and in distance learning: An exploratory research. Journal of e-Learning and Knowledge Society, 16(3), 76–85.

    Google Scholar 

  • Youde, A. (2020). I don’t need peer support: Effective tutoring in blended learning environments for part-time, adult learners. Higher Education Research & Development, 1–15.

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Mathematics Education, University of South Africa, Pretoria, South Africa

    Hlamulo Wiseman Mbhiza, Motshidisi Masilo, Zingiswa Jojo & France Machaba

Authors
  1. Hlamulo Wiseman Mbhiza
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Motshidisi Masilo
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Zingiswa Jojo
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. France Machaba
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Hlamulo Wiseman Mbhiza .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Faculty of Education, Cape Peninsula University of Technology, Cape Town, South Africa

    Brantina Chirinda

  2. Faculty of Education, University of Johannesburg, Johannesburg, South Africa

    Kakoma Luneta

  3. University of Rwanda, College of Education (URCE), Kayonza, Rwanda

    Alphonse Uworwabayeho

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2022 The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG

About this chapter

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this chapter

Mbhiza, H.W., Masilo, M., Jojo, Z., Machaba, F. (2022). Emerging Realities from COVID-19 and the Fourth Industrial Revolution: Mathematics Education Lecturers’ Collaborative Autoethnographic Experiences. In: Chirinda, B., Luneta, K., Uworwabayeho, A. (eds) Mathematics Education in Africa. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-13927-7_10

Download citation

Publish with us

Policies and ethics

Search

Navigation