Co-designing an Integrated Digital Education Portal for the Eastern Cape Rural Learners

Abstract

The digital divide gap remains widening as poor and rural communities continue to struggle to access and benefit from emerging technologies. However, access to digital technology has bridged physical and economic barriers in some communities by allowing access to information, which, in turn, has pushed the digital economy or Industry 4.0 (4IR) forward. Unfortunately, in African rural communities, access to digital technology is still distant. Research on rural schools indicates that the greatest portion of those living in rural areas access their internet through their mobile phones unlike in urban areas where the internet is accessed through wireless and digital subscriber lines (DSL) in addition to mobile phones. As a result, these differences have created a digital divide between urban and rural areas as well as among provinces in South Africa. Additionally, rural schools produce poor results and have poor ICT infrastructure and physical resources, and the economic status of the learners is equally a huge worry. Rural schools have challenges in accessing books and the latest learning material, affecting the quality of education. Most critically, most digital education solutions are designed and developed without the involvement of rural learners and teachers. In this study, the Eastern Cape schools in South Africa are considered. Through participatory design, including learners, teachers and key education stakeholders, a digital education portal is co-designed. Results have shown that education stakeholders are willing to participate and contribute to digital education platforms. Stakeholders would like a simple design that considers their views and input in order to easily use and benefit from the designed platform.