Digitization of civil technology practical lessons for project-based learning at Ekurhuleni-East, South Africa

Abstract

In this modern education system, digitizing education at the secondary school level will be crucial to preparing learners for a world in which technology will become a valuable tool to make Civil Technology practical skills learning easy and more integrated into real-life projects. Digitization of practical lessons involves transferring traditional in-person hands-on practical demonstrations into digital formats using images and video recordings. However, following a teacher-led class, this teaching approach eases teachers' workload because learners will be using digital resources like smartphones and tablets to recall and practice the demonstrated practical skills; and that creates enough time for teachers to monitor and evaluate Project-Based Learning (PBL) activities in the classroom or workshop. Thus, using a case study research strategy, this study aimed to investigate whether digitization of practical lessons could assist in overcoming the challenge of limited time for PBL activities in schools. Purposive sampling was used to select twelve (12) Civil Technology teachers to participate in this study. Non-participant observation and semi-structured interview instruments were used as data-collection methods. Data collected was analysed using thematic analysis. The study found that Civil Technology teachers preferred the hands-on demonstration method and video recordings to conduct PBL. Furthermore, this study found that most Civil Technology teachers from Ekurhuleni East, South Africa do have Information and Communication Technology (ICT) knowledge and their schools have access to educational technologies like computers, smart boards, and internet coverage in their yards that may support digital teaching and learning. Therefore, this study recommends the digitization of Civil Technology practical lessons for effective teaching and convenience purposes.