Engagements in teacher learning communities (TLCs) in South African school settings have been predominantly face-toface. However, with the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, some rural teachers began resorting more to collaboration that prioritises the use of 21st-century communication technology. In this article we report the findings of a…

Adolescents with perinatally acquired HIV in South Africa have limited access to relevant sexual and reproductive health (SRH) education. Mobile health (mHealth) can discreetly deliver such education but has not been tested with members of this population. In this study, we describe the effects of an mHealth intervention to support transition to…

The pervasiveness of various social media platforms and its use among young people have strengthened collaborative learning across different contexts. With this study I explored the integration of WhatsApp by business studies teachers to promote collaboration among learners. This qualitative study is located within an interpretive paradigm and…

This study reports on the usefulness of computer skills for enhanced teaching and learning among lecturers in an open-distance e-learning (ODEL) environment. Computer skills have become fundamental due to increasing new technological tools of web-based management systems, laptops, digital tablets, learning management systems, webinars, and the…

Information and communication technology (ICT) not only improved communication in the 21st century, but it also led to rethinking the facilitation of online learning. University students in the information age have access to the internet, chat rooms, Twitter, and other social media. However, the literature reveals that most students use these…

Aim/Purpose: Social media platforms have been increasingly incorporated into teaching and learning. However, studies using mixed methods to explore WhatsApp's potential to broaden online teaching and learning remain limited. Background: This study reports the experiences and perspectives of undergraduate students in terms of their WhatsApp usage…

This study explored the interactional aspects of text messaging on mobile phones for youth with complex communication needs. A qualitative case study design was used to investigate aspects such as reasons, place, timing of communication, content and communication partners. Data were gathered from seven youth with complex communication needs…

Loneliness is a common concern among university students, as these individuals experience many of the risk factors associated with loneliness. This experience of loneliness tends to lead to numerous consequences such as negative self-evaluations, anxiety, and depression, which in turn lead to impaired concentration and a decline in academic…

In rural contexts, schools experience many challenges such as lack of electricity, unstable WIFI, not enough classrooms and inadequate classroom technology. These challenges resulted in many teachers shying away from the use of technology in the classrooms. As with other subject fields, IsiNdebele language teachers want to prepare their learners…

There is a need for synchronous and inclusive online peer tutoring in large, undergraduate classes. As a lack of data or internet connectivity may limit online peer tutoring, the use of a data-free instant messenger was implemented for online tutoring in a class of 342 students. The Moya application allows students to chat and send voice notes to…

This paper examines how WhatsApp can be used to build learning communities and facilitate interaction, through the lens of Ubuntu -- an African concept of humanness, which means that an individual person owes his or her existence to the existence of others. The Afrocentric concept of Ubuntu and interaction work concomitantly towards the…

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic and the resulting school closures in South Africa necessitated a major shift in how to support learners' ongoing mathematics learning. For 10 weeks learners were strictly confined to their homes with restrictions that prohibited seeing any person outside of their household. The only means to access…

Much of the research on how social media is embedded into the educational practices of higher education students has a Western orientation. In concentrating on a case study of the varied ways in which African International Distance Education (IDE) students actively use social media to shape their learning experiences, we discuss an…

This paper critically reviews literature on the role of Mobile Instant Messaging (MIM) applications, such as WhatsApp, in supporting learning and teaching practice. Using formal qualitative synthesis as its methodology, and dialectical theory as an analytical framework, our main objective was to identify tensions, affordances, constraints, and…

This study investigated the impact of using smartphones on the academic performance of undergraduate students at the North-West University, South Africa. To determine the impact, this study deployed the quantitative research approach to collect data from 375 undergraduate students using questionnaires. It was found that most undergraduate students…