Mathematics Educators’ Readiness for Online Education in the Fourth Industrial Revolution: A Case of Two Selected Universities in Ethiopia

The digital revolution is the widespread diffusion of information and communication technologies and transformation into an entirely digitised society. The study aimed to investigate the extent of mathematics teachers’ readiness for online education in the Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR) and COVID-19 psychologically, sociologically, environmentally, financially, and concerning human resources and content in the case of two selected universities in Ethiopia. Many educational institutions were obliged to transition to an online method of teaching and learning because of the lockdowns implemented in many countries to combat the epidemic. The study used a quantitative research method to investigate the university’s e-readiness of e-learning in the 4IR). The study participants were purposively selected from mathematics departments in the two universities. The study’s literature review reveals that both 4IR and COVID-19 bring new teaching opportunities in education sectors known as e-learning. The Chapnick Readiness Model (2000) was used to determine the findings. The study found that while teachers’ are ready psychologically, sociologically, environmentally, and financially, and regarding human resources and content were moderate. They lacked knowledge of 4IR in all these categories. Most teachers are far from mastering 4IR knowledge and skills. The study reveals a lack of e-readiness of teachers toward technology due to a lack of teachers’ training during their degrees, a lack of training on e-learning, technical support on e-learning, and a course for using e-learning.