Whatsapp Utilisation at an Initial Teacher Preparation Programme at a University of Technology in South Africa

Abstract

All universities in South Africa are encouraged to use a Learning Management System such as Blackboard to facilitate blended learning. Despite, the availability of Blackboard at one university of technology in the country, some lecturers and students prefer utilising WhatsApp for teaching and learning. The purpose of this study is to investigate students and lecturers' perspectives about learning and teaching using WhatsApp at a university in South Africa. The study was done using a qualitative case study within an intepretivist paradigm. It was guided by Garrison, Anderson and Archer's Community of Inquiry as a theoretical framework. Sixteen students and two lecturers who heavily use WhatsApp were purposively selected to participate in semi-structured interviews and focus group discussions. The study found that lecturers use WhatsApp not only for communication purposes, but to foster collaborative learning among students. Although students noted some limitations which they experience when using WhatsApp, they preferred the social media to blackboard. The study concludes that although WhatsApp is response to students' needs, it does not adequately prepare students to graduate with digital literacy skills expected by the Department of Education in the country.

Towards flexible learning and teaching: Lessons learned from educator and student experiences during the COVID-19 pandemic

“…Prior to the pandemic, WhatsApp was described as a valuable communication platform that could be accessed at any time during disruptions in higher education, such as the student protests in South Africa (Mabaso & Meda, 2019). During the pandemic, this was confirmed by Nyembe (2021) who suggests that increased collaboration on WhatsApp supports FLT in that students have access to an easily accessible platform that may can improve learning and teaching outcomes.…”

WhatsApp platform uses in Teaching and Learning in South African Tertiary Institutions

“…Despite their geographical separation, students can connect more with their academics and peers when WhatsApp technologies are incorporated into teaching and learning (Cetinkaya, 2017;Dawood & Van Wyk, 2021). Through WhatsApp applications, students can communicate and interact, which improves their knowledge (Mabaso & Meda, 2019;Rahaded, 2020). Furthermore, WhatsApp offers students who are hesitant to participate in class an alternative secure environment to do so.…”

“…Students can read and re-listen to the teacher's material via WhatsApp; however, academics cannot monitor whether students go through the information posted on WhatsApp. Even if students repeat material independently, there are questions students will still ask outside of class hours (Kgomotlokoa, 2020;Mabaso & Meda, 2019). Including WhatsApp to lessons is preferable because some students who would have missed the lecture will not be left behind.…”