The use of digital educational technologies in African higher education: between the democratization of devices and the accentuation of digital inequalities. Case of the Universities of Benin, Niger and Ivory Coast

Abstract

The literature on the use/non-use of digital technologies generally points to a lack of material, relevance or interest in certain technical devices. However, even within university courses, whether they are entirely or partially distance learning, involving the use of digital techniques and networks, non-access is observed. In African universities, there is a digital divide between students with economic capital and students from poor (unemployed) families. The present research, conducted in three universities in three French-speaking African countries with 302 students, therefore questions the causes and reasons for non-use of technical devices among students.