The status quo of Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR) in the South African higher institutions

Abstract

Purpose- The paper aims to investigate the status quo of 4IR in the South African Higher Education Institutions Design/methodology/approach- The study adopted a survey design with different South African university students in Gauteng province using quota-sampling method. This was done through structured questionnaire. Percentage, frequency mean score and exploratory factor analysis were used to analyse the collected data. Findings- findings showed that the current status of 4IR is susceptible & made easy, the existing 4IR infrastructure needs to be mended, the universities have a blended learning approach, the nature of learning has not been transferred to digital learning, the full potential of 4IR has not being realised to outdated infrastructure and the 4IR adoption is very low due to its costs. The most rated benefits included the demographic effect of different socio-economic status affecting the students with adopting 4IR, the 4IR infrastructure is still under review & improvement in universities as well as that the infrastructure lack exclusive rights to many available technology innovations. Practical implications- This research paper was conducted in Gauteng province. The findings therefore show a true reflection of the status quo of 4IR in the South African higher institutions.