Digital pedagogies of academic librarians in the fourth industrial revolution

Abstract

Globally, the role of academic librarians as online teachers at higher education institutions is experiencing a tsunami of change. This is due to the Fourth Industrial Revolution and the influence of technology on pedagogy. The 21st-century academic librarian is challenged to adopt innovative teaching methods using technology in a digital environment. The purpose of this study was to explore the pedagogical and technological preparedness of academic librarians at University of Technologies in South Africa for online teaching. The technology pedagogy content knowledge framework guided the methodology in exploring the pedagogical and technological preparedness of academic librarians. A pragmatic approach using quantitative techniques was used in the data collection process. The data collected from the findings were analyzed and validated resulting in emerging themes. The results show a lack of pedagogical and technological skills among academic librarians at UOT in South Africa.