Download PDFOpen PDF in browserTowards improving learning experiences in self-paced online learning courses12 pages•Published: May 1, 2023AbstractOne of the key goals of higher education institutions (HEIs) is student career success. In HEIs, students are given the necessary subject-specific information, skills, and experience to achieve this. In South Africa, which has historically been one of the technological leaders in Africa, there are currently insufficient Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR) specialists graduating from higher education to meet the rising need for a skilled workforce in those fields. The completion rate of supplementary online courses to expand this 4IR skills base is also a major concern. In this paper, we report on the strategy implemented to improve the course completion rate of a self-selected sample of students who attended face-to-face Data Science introduction workshops in the Eastern Cape province of South Africa. We achieved a 76% completion rate of two MOOCs courses in these workshops. We examined the contribution of the participant’s personal factors and background contextual factors. We also listed any other factors suggested by the students, which collectively contribute to the learning experience construct of the social cognitive career theory (SCCT) and serve as a practical means of improving 4IR skills exposure and the outcome expectations. Therefore, this paper shows the mechanism which can be used to offer 4IR programmes, in HEIs, to raise students' self-efficacy and outcome expectations in fields such as Data Science. In addition, the learning experience inputs can be utilized to increase students' interest in majoring in 4IR courses.Keyphrases: 4IR, Data Science, University In: Hossana Twinomurinzi, Nkosikhona Msweli, Tendani Mawela and Surendra Thakur (editors). Proceedings of NEMISA Digital Skills Conference 2023: Scaling Data Skills For Multidisciplinary Impact, vol 5, pages 104--115
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