Innovative Practices in Technology and the Improvement of Learning and Teaching in Higher Education: A Case for Private Institutions

Abstract

In the 21st Century, many Higher Education Institutions globally are undergoing dramatic changes like massification, globalisation and diversification. Another key transformer of the Higher Education environment is that of technology innovation. The aim of this study is to determine the extent of technology integration in Higher Education Institutions. The research looks at the benefits and challenges of integrating technology into Higher Education Institutions in Southern Africa. There is an attempt to determine how innovative technology in a Higher Education Institution can impact students’ academic performance and also influence positively the efficiency of the institution. In the research, technology is broadly represented, from personal devices to complex management systems, security and artificial intelligence. The research methodology reflected a mixed method approach. This enabled data collection both qualitatively and quantitatively through the distribution of an online questionnaire. The data received showed that students believed that innovative technology integration at their Higher Education Institution would not only benefit the institution on many different levels of operation, but also impact positively on the nature of their learning experience and their results. From the research one can conclude that despite the revolutionary technology developments that most of us have experienced on a personal level, the Higher Education Institutions have generally been slow to embrace wholly the integration of innovative technology. Pockets of the technology revolution is evident in a growing number of universities and colleges in the United States of America. The nature of technology integration in the South African Higher Education Institutions is limited though, but there are encouraging signs of their sprint to innovate with their technology integration despite financial limitations, particularly the private tertiary institutions. There is an opportunity for greater research to be conducted on the positive impact of technology integration into Higher Education Institutions in South Africa which may further revolutionise the current traditional view and experience of a tertiary education.