Prof Upasana Singh

Academic Qualifications

PhD in Information Systems – University of South Africa (UNISA)
Master’s Degree in Information Systems and Technology – University of KwaZulu-Natal (UKZN)
B.Com Honours in Information Systems and Technology – University of Natal (UND)
B.Com – University of Natal (UND)

Biography

Dr Upasana Gitanjali Singh is an Associate Professor and Academic Leader in Information Systems and Technology at the University of KwaZulu-Natal (UKZN), South Africa, and an Adjunct Senior Lecturer at the Victorian Institute of Technology, Australia. She holds a PhD in Information Systems (UNISA).Her expertise lies in educational technologies, digital teaching, learning and assessment, AI-driven innovation, and IT strategy. She has an extensive international publication and keynote record, and she chairs the International Conference on Digital Teaching, Learning and Assessment (digiTAL2K). She is widely recognised as a passionate global collaborator advancing future-ready and inclusive higher education.

“Shaping future-ready education through ethical AI, digital innovation, and global academic collaboration.”

Research Interests

Digital Teaching, Learning, and Assessment – Exploring how technology transforms traditional and online education practice, including frameworks and pedagogies for effective digital instruction and evaluation.
Online Pedagogy and Educational Technologies – Investigating innovative teaching methods, tools, and platforms that enhance engagement, effectiveness, and access in digital learning environments.
AI in Education and Digital Innovation – Studying how artificial intelligence and emerging digital technologies can be integrated responsibly to support learning, assessment, and educational strategy.
Digital Divide and Digital Capital – Researching issues of inequity in access to technology and digital skills, particularly across gender, region, and socio-economic lines, and developing models to bridge these gaps.

Professional Bodies

Volunteer – IEEE

Member/Reviewer – South African Computer Lecturers’ Association (SACLA)
Member – South African Institute for Computer Science and Information Technology (SAICSIT)
Member – Computer Society of South Africa (CSSA)
Member – Future Focus Foundation
Member – South African Research Innovation and Management Association (SARIMA)

Selected Publications

Moonsamy Maistry, S. M., & Singh, U. G. (2025). Faculty perspectives on the role of ChatGPT-4.0 in higher education assessments. Journal of Education, special issue on AI in education. https://doi.org/10.17159/2520-9868/i98a05 (ojs.sabinet.co.za)
Leihy, P., Singh, U. G., Oojorah, A., & Buzduga, A. C. (2025). Critical moments: Educational reflections on the early 2020s in Chile, South Africa, Mauritius and Romania.
Singh, U. G., & Moonsamy Maistry, S. M. (2024). AI and higher education in developing country contexts: About envisioning potentiality!. Book chapter on AI’s implications for higher education.
Moyo, T., Gerwel Proches, C., Mutambara, E., & Singh, U. G. (2024). Rethinking the use of social blogs for corporate reputation management in emerging markets post COVID-19. Corporate Governance and Organizational Behavior Review, 8(1), 41–57.
Tabani, M., Gerwel Proches, C., Mutambara, E., & Singh, U. G. (2024). Effect of social media usage in Zimbabwe’s telecommunications industry and its impact on corporate reputation management. In Digital Public Relations and Marketing Communication Trends in Africa (pp. 47–67). Routledge.
2022 Watson, R., & Singh, U. G.(2022). Support mechanisms utilised by educational leaders during COVID-19: Experiences from the Western Australian public education school sector. School Leadership & Management. 1-25
2022 Singh UG., Watson R, & Nair CS. (2022). Comparative reflections of Australian and African female academics on working from home during COVID-19. Frontiers in Psychology .13, 1-10.
2022 Moyo, T., Proches, CG., Mutambara, E., Singh, UG. (2022). The Nexus between Twitter, as a Social Blog, and Social Capital in Corporate Reputation Behaviour for the Zimbabwe Telecommunications Industry. Gender and Behaviour. 20 (1), 18827-18851.
2022 Moyo, T., Proches, CG., Mutambara, E., Singh, UG. (2022). The Relationship between Twitter and Top-Level Management in Improving Corporate Reputation Behaviour in the Telecommunications Industry in Zimbabwe. Gender and Behaviour. 20 (1), 18852-18882.
2022 Watson, R., Singh, U. G., & Nair, C. (2022). Experiences of female academics in Australia during COVID-19: Opportunities and challenges. Journal of University Teaching & Learning Practice, 19(1), 176-198.
2022 Singh, U. G., Watson, R., & Nair, C. S. (2022). Across continents: A comparison of African and Australian academics’ online preparedness. Perspectives in Education, 40(1), 39-61.
2021 Singh, U.G. (2021). Investigating Mobile Payment Adoption in Mauritius. African Journal of Business and Economic Research. Vol 16(3). 257-284.ISSN(Print): 1750-4554.
2021 Singh, U.G. (2021). The Educational Impact of Adopting Electronic Notes Pre Covid-19. Asian Journal of Science and Technology. 10(1). 32-40.
2021 Khandelwal, P. & Singh, U.G. (2021). COVID-19 Induced Agility in Teaching Methods: Study of an Indian Engineering College. University News, 59(24). 22-30.
2021 Oluwatimilehin, J., Evans, N.J., Singh, U.G. & Leung, W.S. (2022). Conceptualising digital capital in higher education institutions, its value during Covid 19 pandemic and beyond. Inkanyiso, 13(1). 157-165.
2021 Singh, U.G. & Msibi A (2021) Students’ perceptions towards IoTs adoption: A case study. Journal of Physics: Conference Series (1742-6588), 1714( 012149).
2021 Singh U.G. & Bharat C.R. (2021) Students’ perceptions of an e-commerce app. Journal of Physics: Conference Series (1742-6588), 1714( 012149).
2020 Osih S. C. & Singh U.G. (2020) Students’ perceptions on the adoption of an e-textbook (digital) as an alternative to the printed textbook. South African Journal of Higher Education, 34(6).
2020 Juddoo, S. & Singh U.G. (2020). Optimising Syntax Generalisation for Enterprise Modelling, Alternation, 25(3).
2020 Sungkur, R., Sebastien, O. & Singh, U.G. (2020) Social Media as a Catalyst for Distant Collaborative Learning: Trends and Concerns for Small Island States. Journal of the Knowledge Economy, 11(4). 1454-1469.
2018 Singh, U.G., de Villiers, M.R. (2018). An Evaluation Framework and Instrument for Evaluating e-Assessment Tools. The International Review of Research in Open and Distributed Learning. 18(6) 165-185.
2018 Singh, U.G. & Gokool, R. (2018). Students’ perceptions of the Moodle Quiz e-assessment tool in an isiZulu language course. South African Association for Language Teaching (SAALT). 52(1) 128-150.
2017 Begue, A., Kowlessur, V. Singh, U.G., Mahomoodally, F. & Pudaruth, S. (2017). Automatic recognition of medicinal plants using machine-learning techniques, International Journal of Advanced Computer Science Applications. 8. 166-175
2017 Pudaruth, S., Gunputh, R.P. & Singh, U.G. (2017) Forgotten, excluded or included? Students with disabilities: A case study at the University of Mauritius. African Journal of Disability (Online). Vol 6. 1-12.
2016 Singh, U.G. & Wassermann. J. (2016). A story of a journey in implementing an e-assessment system at a South African university. Africa Education Review, 13(3-4). 1-16.
2016 Macharia, P., Singh, U.G. & Zuva. T. (2016). Improving quality and access to healthcare by adopting emerging technologies. International Journal

Additional Information

Singh UG., Nair CS., & Goncalves, S. (2023). Digital Teaching, Learning And Assessment: The Way Forward. Elsevier, USA. 1- 500. (To be published in 2023).

Singh UG., Nair CS., & Watson, R. (2023). Academic Quality and Integrity in the New Higher Education Digital Environment: A Global Perspective. Elsevier, USA. 1- 400. (To be published in 2023).
2022 Singh UG., Nair CS., Blewett CN. & Shea T. (2022). Academic Voices: A conversation on new approaches to teaching and learning in the post-COVID World. Elsevier, USA. 1- 500
2021 Singh, UG., Reddy, PS., Phiri, MW. & Appavoo, P. (2021). Global Trends in Management, IT and Governance in an e-World (eMIG 2019 International). CSSALL Publishers, South Africa. 1-313
2022 Watson, R., Singh, UG., & Nair, CS. (2022) Female academics’ career progression and motivation during COVID-19: An African perspective. In Women and COVID-19: A Clinical and Applied. Cambridge, UK. (Awaiting publication, accepted).
2022 Singh, U.G. (2022). Exploring the Digital Divide in African Higher Education In Higher Education Institutions in times of Covid-19: Managing Continuity & Change. People, Technology, Innovation. Routledge. UK. (Awaiting publication, accepted).
2022 Singh, U.G. (2022).A Self-Assessment of Academic Empowerment in the Transition to the Digital Space with the ASSET© Framework. In Digital Transformation. Alternation Book Series. South Africa. (Awaiting publication, accepted).
2022 Watson, R., Singh, U.G., & Nair, C.S. (2022). Higher Education Academics’ perspectives: Working from home during COVID-19. In ‘Pandemic, disruption and adjustment in higher education.’ Brill. Netherlands.
2022 Maina, A.M. & Singh U.G. (2022) Exploring the scope of IoT-health and big data policy. In Global Healthcare Disasters: Predicting the Unpredictable with Emerging Technologies. Apple Academic Press. USA.
2022 Singh, U.G. & Holmes, V. (2022). Comparative reflections on the transition to online delivery in higher education during the pandemic. In Academic Voices: A conversation on new approaches to teaching and learning in the post-COVID World. Elsevier, USA.
2021 Singh, U.G. & Sharma, S. (2022). Teaching Adaptability in Higher Education Institutions: A Case study of a Private Indian University. In Academic Voices: A conversation on new approaches to teaching and learning in the post-COVID World. Elsevier, USA.
2021 Singh, U.G. & Gooria, V. (2021). The COVID-19 Effect on Mauritian Higher Education. In Global Trends in Management, IT and Governance in an E-World (EMIG 2019 International). CSSALL Publishers. South Africa.
2021 Singh, U.G., Nair, C.S. & Watson, R. (2021) The transformation in Higher Education in Australia during the COVID-19 pandemic. In Pandemic and remote teaching in Higher Education. CINEP, Portugal.
2021 Singh, U.G., Proches, C., Blewett, C., Leask, C. & Taylor; S. (2021). Business School Students Perspectives on Emergency Online Learning (EOL), In Higher Education in Transition: Students Online, CINEP, Portugal.
2021 Singh, U. G., Nair, C.S. (2021). Teaching, Learning, and Assessment During the COVID-19 Pandemic: An African Perspective. In Challenges and Opportunities for the Global Implementation of E-Learning Frameworks, IGI Global, USA.
2021 Singh, U.G. & Sharma, D.K. (2021). Investigating Academic Transition During the COVID-19 Pandemic: The Case of an Indian Private University. In Technology and Tools of Engineering Education: Research and Innovations. CRC Press Taylor and Francis. USA.

Discipline

Computer Science

Email

singhup@ukzn.ac.za

Contact

+27 31 260 7955

Campus

Westville

Office Address

M Block, M1-4