Financial inclusion of the elderly : exploring the role of mobile banking adoption

The extant literature highlights that mobile banking offers various benefits for consumers. However, there is only a limited number of studies that investigate mobile banking adoption by the elderly. This study investigates the factors influencing the adoption of mobile banking by the elderly in a developing country context. The authors explore the enablers, barriers and perceptions of the elderly towards mobile banking adoption. Data were collected through interviews and focus group sessions with respondents from KwaZulu Natal Province in South Africa. The study relies on the Actor-Network Theory as a lens through which to understand the interrelated factors that influence the elderly’s perception and adoption of mobile banking. The results reveal a low adoption of mobile banking by the elderly. In addition, it was evident that the barriers that influence the adoption of mobile banking by the elderly include a lack of information and understanding, security and trust issues, demographic factors, language, the complexity of mobile banking applications, and resistance to change. The identified important enablers towards the adoption of mobile banking include convenience, unlimited access, cost-effectiveness. The study proposes a mobile banking adoption model for the elderly and highlights the interrelated technical and non-technical factors influencing mobile banking adoption. Additionally, it offers design guiding principles aligned to the elderly’s needs and perceptions of mobile banking.https://aip.vse.czpm2021Informatic

The international case for micro-credentials for life-wide and life-long learning : a systematic literature review

AIM/PURPOSE : Systematic literature reviews seek to locate all studies that contain material of relevance to a research question and to synthesize the relevant outcomes of those studies. The primary aim of this paper was to synthesize both research and practice reports on micro-credentials (MCRs). BACKGROUND : There has been an increase in reports and research on the plausibility of MCRs to support dynamic human skills development for an increasingly impatient and rapidly changing digital world. The integration of fast-paced emerging technologies and digitalization necessitate alternative learning paradigms. MCRs offer time, financial, and space flexibility and can be stacked into a larger qualification, thereby allowing for a broader range of transdisciplinary competencies within a qualification. However, MCRs often lack the academic rigor required for accreditation within existing disciplines. METHODOLOGY : The study followed the PRISMA framework (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta Analyses), which offers a rigorous method to enhance reporting quality. The study used both academic research and practice reports. CONTRIBUTION : The paper makes a theoretical contribution to the discourse about the need for innovation within existing educational paradigms for continued relevance in a changing world. It also contributes to the debate on the role of MCRs in bridging the gap between practice and academia despite the growing difference between their interests, and the role that MCRs play in the social-economic plans of countries. FINDINGS : The key findings are that investments in MCRs are mainly in the Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) and Education sectors, and have taken place mainly in high-income countries and regions – contexts that particularly value practice-accredited MCRs. Low-income countries, by contrast, remain traditional and insist on MCRs that are formally accredited by a recognized academic institution. This contributes to a widening skills gap between low- and high-income countries or regions, which results in greater global disparities. There is also a growing divide between academia and practice concerning their interest in MCRs (a reflection of the rigor versus relevance debate), which partially explains why many global and larger organizations have gone on to create their own learning institutions. RECOMMENDATIONS FOR PRACTITIONERS : We recommend that educational mechanisms consider the critical importance of MCRs as part of innovative efforts for life-wide (different sectors) and life-long (same sector) learning, especially in low-income countries. MCRs provide dynamic mechanisms to fill skills gaps in an increasing ruthless international battle for talent. RECOMMENDATIONS FOR RESEARCHERS : We recommend focused research into skills and career pathways using MCRs while at the same time remaining responsive to transdisciplinary efforts and sensitive to global and local changes within any sector. IMPACT ON SOCIETY : Work and society have transformed over time, and more so in the new digital age, yet academia has been slow in adapting to the changes, forcing organizations to create their own learning institutions or to use MCRs to fill the skills gap. The purpose of education goes beyond preparing individuals for work, extending further to creating an environment where individuals and governments seek their own social and economic outcomes. MCRs provide a flexible means for co-creation between individuals, education, organizations, and government that could stem global rising unemployment, social exclusion, and redundancy. FUTURE RESEARCH : Future research should focus on the co-creation of MCRs between practitioners and academia.https://www.informingscience.org/Journals/IJIKM/Overviewhj2023Informatic

NEMISA Digital Skills Conference (Colloquium) 2023

The purpose of the colloquium and events centred around the central role that data plays today as a desirable commodity that must become an important part of massifying digital skilling efforts. Governments amass even more critical data that, if leveraged, could change the way public services are delivered, and even change the social and economic fortunes of any country. Therefore, smart governments and organisations increasingly require data skills to gain insights and foresight, to secure themselves, and for improved decision making and efficiency. However, data skills are scarce, and even more challenging is the inconsistency of the associated training programs with most curated for the Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) disciplines. Nonetheless, the interdisciplinary yet agnostic nature of data means that there is opportunity to expand data skills into the non-STEM disciplines as well.College of Engineering, Science and Technolog

FACTORS INFLUENCING THE ADOPTION OF MOBILE BANKING TECHNOLOGY BY THE ELDERLY IN SOUTH AFRICA

Emerging technologies and innovations have provided smart solutions for conducting business and enhancing the livelihood of individuals, particularly those in developing countries. A high penetration of smartphones and technological advancements have afforded banking consumers an opportunity to transact on mobile electronic banking platforms using mobile devices such as smartphones. This method of banking has been perceived as convenient and cost-effective in the market, providing consumers with full access to their bank account profiles and the ability to manage it from anywhere, and at any time. Mobile banking services have been highly adopted by young people. The adoption rate among the elderly is reported to be low compared to other age groups. Scholars indicate that this research area has been overlooked, thus it is a challenge to understand what enables or hinders the elderly from adopting and using mobile banking. Therefore, this study aims to identify the factors that influence the adoption of mobile banking by the elderly in the South African context. The findings of this study may help banking institutions to provide mobile banking applications that are designed in alignment with the needs of the elderly and improve adoption by the ageing population that is reportedly growing. The purpose of the study is to identify the enablers and barriers that influence the adoption of mobile banking among the elderly in developing countries; understand the perceptions of the elderly towards mobile banking and propose guiding principles to be considered by mobile banking providers. The study followed an interpretive approach. Qualitative data was collected using interviews (focus groups and individual interviews), and a systematic literature review was conducted. The Actor-Network Theory was adopted as a lens to interpret the data and understand the adoption of mobile banking by the elderly. The findings of this exploratory study were aligned with previous studies that reported low adoption of mobile banking technology by the elderly. The results indicate that a lack of information and understanding, security, trust, demographic factors, language, the complexity of mobile banking applications, and resistance to change are barriers that influence adoption. Convenience, unlimited access and cost-effectiveness were identified as important enablers that favour the adoption of mobile banking. The study sheds light on the elderly community’s perceptions and willingness to use mobile banking. The study contributes to the existing body of knowledge by identifying the factors that influence the adoption of mobile banking by the elderly, particularly in a developing country context. This study further highlights the application of the Actor-Network Theory as a theoretical framework for examining the interplay and complex relationship between the elderly and mobile banking. The study proposes a model for understanding the adoption of mobile banking by the elderly coupled with guiding principles for consideration by banking institutions and mobile banking providers. The study collected data from South African elderly citizens (aged 60 and above) residing in KwaZulu Natal province. Future studies may extend the research through collecting additional data from other provinces across urban and rural settings. This study was conducted in a cross-sectional nature and future studies can look at conducting a longitudinal research project. Additionally, this study only solicited the perceptions of the elderly, the research may be expanded by collecting data from other actors such as banking institutions and mobile banking providers.Dissertation (MIT)--University of Pretoria, 2020.CSIRInformaticsMITUnrestricte

Massifying Data Science Education through Immersive Datathons

As the demand for data-driven decision making continues to rise, data science education is becoming more and more crucial. The primary aim of the study was to understand how data science education may be scaled to non-science participants, particularly using immersive DSE training sessions that culminated in a datathon (data science hackathon). The data science immersion were based on a project-based pedagogy informed by the CRoss Industry Standard Process for Data Mining (CRISP-DM) to integrate data science\u27s transdisciplinary nature. Quantitative exploratory research was adopted in this study to answer the research questions. The study surveyed 107 datathon participants to collect the study data. Using various statistical measures including Exploratory Factor Analysis, the key results revealed that non-science participants who completed the data science immersions and datathon were sufficiently knowledgeable in all the CRISP-DM components as well as those who attended other data science programmes. This means data science skills can be attained when individuals learn and apply skills at the same time. In this case, the learning process is sped up while presenting an opportunity for other team members to learn. The study recommends data science immersions and datathon to encourage transdisciplinary collaborative learning to massify data science skills

Transdisciplinary teaching practices for data science education: A comprehensive framework for integrating disciplines

Teaching data science programmes poses challenges for instructors due to the transdisciplinarity of the field and the diverse backgrounds and skill levels of students. Effective data science education requires a comprehensive approach that incorporates theoretical knowledge, practical skills, and industry relevance. However, it is difficult to find appropriate teaching strategies and tools that successfully integrate all these elements into the classroom. Consequently, there is a need to identify and develop effective pedagogical methods, instructional resources, and technological solutions that enable instructors to deliver well-rounded data science education that caters to the diverse needs of students and prepares them for real-world data-driven challenges. Knowing which technology is appropriate to use in conjunction with a particular teaching pedagogy to deliver a particular piece of learning material to diverse students is crucial. Therefore, this study aimed to explore how the TPACK (technological pedagogical content knowledge) influences data science teaching practices. To achieve this, the study surveyed 26 data science instructors to assess their confidence in the seven TPACK constructs. The findings of the study showed a low representation of women in data science education. The findings also showed a balanced knowledge between pedagogy and technological content, indicating that instructors can contribute to a comprehensive and engaging learning environment that supports student success in data science education. Despite this positive finding being established, it was not clear which technological teaching and learning tools instructors are familiar with. To this end, future studies are recommended in this area. The results further showed that model evaluation is not taught at undergraduate level. Therefore, the study recommends continuous professional development for data science instructors to effectively contribute towards training current and future data scientists. This is necessary since technologies, data, and data science tools and techniques evolve. Furthermore, the study recommends research be conducted on the type of data science framework required to guide instructors in terms of curriculum design, pedagogies, and technological tools. Research that informs policy is also necessary to support efforts directed at data literacy, especially to support personnel involved in human capacity development in data science. Lastly, within the scope of data science, interdisciplinary collaboration at national and international levels is recommended so that instructors can stay updated with advancements in subject matter, technology, and pedagogy