Technological support initiatives in living and learning communities: Insights from undergraduate students experiences

Abstract

In the past decade, the prevalence of electronic media has witnessed a notable escalation in use predominantly attributed to the increasing sway of digitalization. Covid-19 pandemic caused significant disruptions across the global educational landscape, precipitating digitalization. The widespread cessation of in-person lectures necessitated a swift transition to eLearning modalities and other institutional digital platforms. Despite the student’s status in terms of technology use preparedness, online classes and resource have been rolled out to ensure a continuation of education delivery in universities. Durban University of Technology (DUT) adopted an integrated learning management systems for its classes and introduced courses aimed at training students on the use of institutional digital platforms. These transformative efforts, assist students in the adjustment to the unexpected educational paradigm shift despite persistent challenges for technology literacy. Undergraduate students grapple with the constraints of disadvantaged technological skills, educational backgrounds, despite the infusion of supplementary support programs. The Technology for Learning (TFL) is a learning program introduced to train first year students on all DUT online learning management systems like Moodle, Office 365 suite, Ms Teams and OneDrive system in their Living and Learning Communities (LLCs). The primary focus of this research was to examine the contribution of TFL to the technology adaptation of undergraduate students into university life guided by the Technology Acceptance Model and the Social Constructivism theory. A qualitative approach was applied.  Two focus group discussions involving 20 first-year student participants engaged in TFL training sessions across two LLCs were used to gather invaluable insights and experiences. The findings suggest, as a support program, TFL significantly impacted undergraduates’ students learning by fostering the adoption and understanding of learning management systems use in HEIs. Key themes emerging from the study included heightened confidence in information search and grasp. There was an indication of better understanding of institutional learning management systems. Based on these results, the study recommends a continuation of the ongoing development of TFL support initiatives within LLCs housing undergraduate students. These initiatives have the potential to provide additional support education to technologically disadvantaged students navigate a fast-paced learning environment, thereby ensuring that no student is left behind.