Addressing current ICT skills training and development orientations for an online postgraduate programme: a case study at a higher education institution in the Western Cape, South Africa

Abstract

This case study explored the educational value of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) skills training and development for selected cohorts of postgraduate students at a higher education institution in the Western Cape, South Africa. The study aimed to gain clarity in relation to ICT competency, specifically targeting postgraduate students within a purely International Online Masters Programme (IOMP) focusing on digital skills and literacies. This includes assisting students with logging into the Learning Management System (LMS), creating MS Word documents for the completion of assignments, and formatting and inserting a table of contents needed for referencing. The main area of inquiry was to understand how educators, in particular, might assist students in gaining the best possible onboarding and educational experience of a specific Learning Management System (LMS) platform for the duration of the stipulated two-year online learning experience. Within an interpretive paradigm, this qualitative case study draws on social constructivism and critical theory to inform its theoretical framework and accordingly engages with participants' lived experiences and perceptions through these lenses. Noting that this International Online Masters Programme (IOMP) has been offered in collaboration with other partner universities since 2001, the findings of the study usefully draw attention to current ICT innovation for educators within an international collaborative partnership to consider for onboarding requirements as well as course delivery as a whole.