Using WhatsApp to Support Communication in Teaching and Learning

Digital children are surrounded by various digital media such as Facebook (social media) and WhatsApp (instant messaging tools). Communication dynamics have been affected by these media. As a result, teaching and learning has been impacted by the emergence of these technological media. This study investigated the use of WhatsApp to support communication in teaching and learning in a small university, using questionnaires and interviews to gather data from 166 students and the 2 lecturers. The study found that when used to support communication in teaching and learning, WhatsApp enhances student-to-lecturer interaction, students-to-student interaction, student-to-lecturer intimacy and student-to-student intimacy. It also increased student's interest in a course on condition that lecturers and other students create some sense of humour during teaching and learning on the WhatsApp platform. Due to unnecessary post by some students, it's recommended that WhatsApp platform be improved such that group Administrators can restrict postings to groups (but viewing not block). Also it should be improved to include optional structured or unstructured conversation (especially for a group). Lecturers and students should add course related humour during interaction to sustain interest of slow paced students till they catch up.