Assessing an exploratory digital environment for learning about southern African pre-colonial urbanism in space and time : a case study for Seoke, the capital of the Bangwaketse

Abstract

The teaching of pre-colonial urban settlements in Africa has been neglected and, where present, it has traditionally relied on false concepts of civilization that played directly into stereotypes of precolonial African societies as backwards. These stereotypes are wrong and need to be challenged to transform the cultural understanding of African adaptability, resilience and accomplishments. This study, using the case study of the ancient settlement of Seoke, shows how digital environments have great potential as pedagogical tools to redress these past misunderstandings of African urbanism. Seoke was the capital of the Bangwaketse of Botswana in the 18th century. The site is characterised by the hundreds of stone walls that remain to this day. Seoke, and other archaeological sites in the region are inaccessible to the public due to private land ownership, their tough terrain and the Covid-19 pandemic. The educational potential of Seoke in exhibiting the scale, influence and organisation of Southern African settlements prior to colonization is hindered due to the inaccessibility of the site. In this study, Seoke was used as a case study for developing an exploratory digital environment for learning about pre-colonial Southern African urbanism in space and time. The environment incorporates a curation of archival material and spatial information through media such as images, videos, maps and 3D visualizations in a story map, which is a spatial data-driven form of storytelling. The exploratory environment was targeted at university students who are not deeply knowledgeable about pre-colonial southern African history or Seoke and is accessible online. The usability of the environment was studied to inform future work that includes other archaeological sites. A questionnaire and eye-tracking study was conducted to test the usability of the environment with students from three universities. A usability assessment found that users effectively learned while using the platform. Users found the various components of the exploratory environment to be well integrated and reported that they would like to use the platform again. Overall, the exploratory environment was effective in accomplishing the aim of the study, which was to create a platform for learning. Participants were able to learn while using the exploratory environment and performed well when recalling information and applying information learned. However, participants felt that the environment required technical support and prior knowledge to navigate, which influenced the usability of the platform. In future work the exploratory environment can be improved by enhancing its efficiency and by being less technical.