New Education Technologies in Higher Education: E-Leadership Perspectives on South African Student Learning During and Post-Covid Reality

Abstract

The study’s main focus was to investigate the e-leadership perspectives on new educational technologies that were deployed/implemented during Covid-19 and whether it helped close the digital divide in South African public universities. The study adopted a systematic review to achieve the study objectives. The findings showed that access to appropriate technology and internet speed or even access to the internet at all was a significant challenge, reflecting, again, deep inequalities between students, especially in rural communities. Some institutions of higher education were forced to close due to a lack of access to technology. The study results revealed that higher education institutions had to navigate the storm of Covid-19 through various means, such as migrating their courses online, taking different measures in their administration processes, and prioritizing their responsibilities. The results indicated that the majority of educators did not receive financial support for teaching and learning tools. Numerous opportunities came along with the introduction of the World Wide Web, one of which is electronic learning. The study’s findings also showed that post-Covid-19, institutions of higher education have made steady progress in implementing hybrid and blended teaching and learning. In conclusion, institutions of higher education should embrace a culture of change, using the post-Covid-19 moment as an opportunity to experiment and innovate to meet the changing needs of their students, including the rural ones, to bridge the gap.