Abstract
WhatsApp is used by 1.2 billion users worldwide. This social media platform is also used as an educational tool and has been the focus of many studies in higher education. WhatsApp was used as an educational tool to improve communication, to promote student engagement and to provide better student support in two design-based modules, namely Projects II and Design Project III, at the Central University of Technology (CUT) in South Africa. The purpose of this paper is to present a case study with descriptive statistics of quantitative data regarding student perceptions on the use of WhatsApp in these design-based modules. Student perceptions are important when new technologies are introduced and can be used to assess such teaching innovations. The research question thus arises, what are the perceived advantages and disadvantages of using WhatsApp in design-based modules at CUT? The results suggest that students have a generally positive view of WhatsApp as an educational tool that helps them to connect with others and collect information in a quicker and easier fashion (these are identified advantages). Disadvantages, listed by a minority of respondents, included the cost of airtime in South Africa, limited bandwidth and being distracted by using WhatsApp for other purposes. Although this study has focused on the use of WhatsApp in design-based modules, it will be interesting to investigate the use of several social media platforms over a range of modules offered at CUT.
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