Supporting ABET Students at Unisa during the Fourth Industrial Revolution

Teaching adult students in the context of the Fourth Industrial Revolution poses numerous difficulties in the global higher education context. Unisa students are generally adults who are working, but younger students also register with the institution, and they require support. The paper focuses on the adult students in the ABET department, which falls within the School of Educational Studies. The ABET student cohort comprises both older and younger students who are keen to learn. However, the lack of internet connectivity makes teaching and supporting them during the Covid-19 pandemic difficult, with a number of students situated in the rural areas. For the study, the researcher used the community of inquiry theoretical framework, which promotes interaction between student, teacher and content. At Unisa, teaching and learning take place on the myUnisa learning management system. The findings suggest that some students do not have the necessary skills to use myUnisa. The lack of skills in the use of technologies is a cause for concern.