Abstract
The COVID19 pandemic thrust emergency remote teaching (ERT) into the global spotlight and thereby undeniably changed aspects of the higher education (HE) landscape. For a developing country such as South Africa (SA), the use of the mobile instant messaging (MIM) application (app) called Telegram represents a practicable solution to overcome historical socio-economic challenges faced by certain demographic groups of limited or restricted access to devices and data. Against this backdrop, a Telegram teaching intervention was developed by two lecturers in the Engineering Faculty at a University of Technology (UoT) in SA to deliver curriculum content and engage with students in a low-tech, low-cost/low-data usage manner, and consequently to widen access to education, promote inclusivity and thereby facilitate student access, retention and success. This study explored student perceptions of the MIM app being used as a primary vehicle to deliver succinct instructional materials and facilitate class activities to offset the lack of faceto-face classes in a multimodal and flexible curriculum delivery approach. Following the completion of the Telegram teaching intervention, a mixed method approach was used that included two online surveys measuring different aspects of the same project (n=34 and n=32) and a focus group interview (n=6). Three research lenses suggested by Fraser (2008) were used to evaluate student perceptions of the usefulness and (dis)advantages of Telegram. These lenses were: (1) redistribution (of resources), (2) recognition (related to social status) and (3) representation (who can act/say/ challenge in an academic environment). Ethical clearance was obtained from Cape Peninsula University of Technology’s Ethics committee. Initial results indicate that using the Telegram app for teaching and learning was successful. Significantly, the app allows for the emergence of a socially just online classroom environment and an inclusive and enabling learning experience for the students during a very disruptive and fearful time in the world’s history.
Highlights
The COVID-19 pandemic propelled transformation in higher education (HE) towards remote education and evolutions in technology have contributed to the emergence of new and innovative pedagogical approaches (Kauppi et al, 2020)
This study explores an mobile instant messaging (MIM) app teaching intervention that was developed by lecturers at a University of Technology (UoT) as a tool to teach students, facilitate and engage in class interactions, and transfer content during the national lockdown in South Africa, when face-to-face teaching was not possible
Examples of open-ended responses that confirm this are: “Everyone had a chance to communicate effectively” and “I’m a shy person and speaking up in huge crowds so Telegram gave me the platform to be able to speak up without having attention on me (S2-2)”. We found it interesting that, most research participants felt represented when using the Telegram app for learning, as illustrated by this excerpt: “In class you only have that specific time to ask questions unlike Telegram you can ask questions anytime (S2-3)”, some research participants suggested that Telegram should only be used for communication, as opposed to for teaching, learning and communication, as illustrated by these quotes: “Telegram is good for communication and loading notes but Blackboard and online lectures are sufficient
Summary
The COVID-19 pandemic propelled transformation in higher education (HE) towards remote education and evolutions in technology have contributed to the emergence of new and innovative pedagogical approaches (Kauppi et al, 2020). Various studies reported that MIM apps foster communication and collaboration among peers (Nitza & Roman, 2016), enhance social presence (Tang & Hew, 2017), improve access to resource materials and provide peer support (Timmis, 2012). Against this backdrop, this study explores an MIM app teaching intervention that was developed by lecturers at a University of Technology (UoT) as a tool to teach students, facilitate and engage in class interactions, and transfer content during the national lockdown in South Africa, when face-to-face teaching was not possible
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