Deploying Contemporary Information and Communication Technology (ICT) Solutions for Academic Delivery in Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) – The USIU-Africa Experience

Abstract

Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) have a fundamental role to play in enhancing the development and nurturing of demand driven digital and technical skills because of their quadruple mission, namely, teaching and learning, research and scholarship, public service and engagement, and innovation and entrepreneurship. The COVID-19 pandemic’s effects on global economies has meant that as with every other sector, higher education institutions face major transformations that require continuous reform to make them better responsive to the unyielding and unpredictable demands of the 21st century societies. This paper details the authors’ experience and learnings at USIU-Africa in as far as using cutting-edge technology to set up learning and administrative platforms using an incremental approach over the years. These initiatives have invariably contributed towards blurring the boundaries between learning modalities, supporting students' sense of belonging and connectedness and student enrolment in courses that enable them to participate on site, synchronously online, or asynchronously online as preferred via the HyFlex mode of delivery.