The purpose of this chapter is providing readers with an overview of the content promoting the growth of the Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR) and the implications for information and communication technology (ICT) open distance e-learning (ODeL) students. Preparing students for the 4IR presents important and complicated opportunities towards changing higher education. Education should be about content design and delivery for teaching, learning, and assessment, with the profile of ODeL ICT students at the core. This chapter reports on issues, controversies, and problems arising from the 4IR. The mixed-method research approach adopted involved collecting and analyzing quantitative and qualitative data obtained from first-year courses at a Southern Africa institution. The emerging picture cautions concerning students' real biographic information and digital literacy in a developing world context. The conclusion summarizes the content and informs instructors to examine their perceptions of student profiles regarding teaching, learning, and assessment in preparation for the 4IR. © 2021, IGI Global.
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