Technologies to inspire education in science, engineering and technology through community engagement in south africa

Abstract

This study purpose was exploring emerging technologies in community engagement, inspiring students’ interest in Science, Engineering and Technology in South Africa. The article introduces the Inspired towards Science, Engineering and Technology project, before reviewing literature related to educators using emerging technologies in community engagement. It shows teaching practices and curricula, and students’ experiences and assessment. The study is located within a theoretical framing, clarifying community engagement issues in an emerging technologies context. Explaining the research methodology for the study attends to the importance of interpretation for qualitative design and considers issues of reliability and validity for quantitative designs. Quantitative results and qualitative responses is discussed, providing insight into participants’ demographics. Results are also connected to literature. The authors make suggestions about the implications of results for universities. Conclusions drawn provide guidance to researchers and practitioners beyond the primary domain, and the authors reflect on results contributing to the research area.