Empowering self-directed learners through digital innovation and open educational practices

Volume editor

Dorothy Laubscher

Volume editor

Chantelle Bosch

Volume editor

Marry Mdakane

Synopsis

Empowering self-directed learners through digital innovation and open educational practices explores the interplay between self-directed learning (SDL), open educational practices (OEPs) and digital innovation in education. It represents an academic contribution to the field of education, specifically addressing the transformative potential of OEPs and digital technologies in fostering SDL. By exploring these aspects, it contributes to the scholarly discourse on integrating SDL into digital and open learning environments, thereby supporting the advancement of research and practice in these domains. The chapters collectively explore how SDL can be supported and enhanced through OEPs and digital innovation.

The book incorporates a variety of research methodologies, including a literature review, a systematic literature review, theory synthesis and both quantitative and qualitative research. These diverse methodological lenses provide a robust analysis of the topic, ensuring the work contributes original, evidence-based insights to the academic community.

The unique contribution of Empowering self-directed learners through digital innovation and open educational practices lies in its detailed exploration of how OEPs and digital innovation promote SDL, presenting novel frameworks, strategies and guidelines for educators, facilitators and researchers. By emphasising the practical and theoretical implications of these intersections, the book addresses critical gaps in existing research while aligning with Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) 4 and 9. Specifically, the focus on fostering inclusive and equitable education to support lifelong learning (SDG 4), while the strategic application of digital technologies to improve teaching efficiency and transform educational practices, addresses innovation and infrastructure goals (SDG 9).

The target audience includes higher education researchers, academics, educators and postgraduate students specialising in SDL, OEPs and digital innovation in education. By addressing this specialised audience, the book remains firmly within the scholarly domain, advancing academic discussions and providing actionable insights for future research and practice.

Chapters

Foreword

Ahmed Tlili
Preface

Dorothy Laubscher, Chantelle Bosch, Marry Mdakane
Chapter 1
Framing self-directed learning through open educational practices and digital innovation

Dorothy Laubscher, Chantelle Bosch, Marry Mdakane
Chapter 2
Open educational practices in the era of the Fourth Industrial Revolution: Empowering self-directed learning

Dorothy Laubscher, Byron John Bunt, Jane Yau
Chapter 3
Exploring self-directed learning through co-creation: Postgraduate students’ experiences in an open textbook project

Chantelle Bosch, Lezeth van der Walt, Obakeng Molokwane, Nhlanhla Mbele
Chapter 4
Open play, open minds: Leveraging ‘Prosper’ as an open educational resource for global citizenship and sustainable development learning

Byron John Bunt, Lance Bunt
Chapter 5
Customised Self-Directed Learning Navigator: Utilising multiple mobile applications to develop, monitor and assess self-directed learning

James Sibanda, Christo Johannes Els, Marry Mdakane, Dorothy Laubscher
Chapter 6
Integrating robotics in Engineering Graphics and Design to scaffold Technology Education students’ skill development in cycloid drawings

Albert Kemp, Marietjie Havenga
Chapter 7
The role of the teacher in promoting self-directed learning within the blended learning platform of Alef in Abu Dhabi

Maria Magdalena Botha, Dorothy Laubscher, Chantelle Bosch
Chapter 8
The role of educators in evaluating information and communication technologies to foster self-directed learning

Frans Sipho Mahlaba, Christo P van der Westhuizen, Charlene du Toit-Brits
Chapter 9
Digital technologies in Engineering Graphics and Design to promote education students’ skill development in a space exploration project

Pieter van den Berg, Marietjie Havenga, Albert Kemp
Chapter 10
Experiences with speech input in open questions: A digital innovation to foster self-directed learning

Egon Werlen, Dorothy Laubscher