Mr Mashite Tshidi

Mr Mashite Tshidi joined the University of Pretoria as an nGAP lecturer in 2025. He is currently completing his PhD in education at the University of the Witwatersrand, where he also obtained his undergraduate and Master’s degrees. His research focuses on the role of technology in addressing educational inequalities in South Africa, particularly in under-resourced schools. He examines how artificial intelligence and learning analytics can enhance teaching, support learners, and bridge digital divides in computing education.

His work on learning analytics-driven programming education is among the first in South Africa to develop a predictive model that identifies challenging programming concepts for Grade 10 learners, expanding an approach that has primarily been applied in higher education but remains underexplored in school contexts.

He also investigated the use of generative AI in coding and robotics teacher preparation, offering a novel framework for integrating AI tools into professional development in a subject area that is still emerging nationally.

To date, he has published two peer-reviewed journal articles, with several manuscripts under review, and produced four peer-reviewed conference papers. These outputs resulted in presentations at INTED, SAARMSTE, and other national and international conferences, reflecting his commitment to advancing educational technology research and practice.