First-year engineering students’ use of digital technology for learning

Abstract

The use of digital technology has become integral for teaching and learning in engineering curricula at universities. However, in South Africa, many students enter their first year of study with limited prior access to and engagement with digital technologies for learning, which presents challenges for them and their educators. This paper is based on a PhD study that explores the student experience, specifically agency, when students use digital technologies for their coursework in first-year engineering. The key question posed in this study is “How do engineering students demonstrate agency when using digital technologies for their coursework?” The study drew on Cultural Historical Activity Theory as a systemic framing for analysing learning as a socially mediated, culturally situated activity, emphasizing the dynamic interactions between its tenets. An ethnographic approach, which entailed observations, focus groups, and individual interviews, was employed to collect data and answer the research question. By mapping the elements within activity systems, the study identifies contradictions such as mismatches between students’ prior digital experiences and institutional expectations that catalyse learning. The findings show variation in agentic engagement and action by students as they developed their ability to use digital technologies for course activities. The study revealed how digital literacy is not merely acquired but co-constructed through participation in culturally and historically embedded practices where students took initiative to improve their digital skills, used adaptation strategies to sustain learning, and redefined the status quo in unfavourable circumstances.