A Synchronous Tool for Innovation and Improvement of University Communication, Counseling and Tutoring: The WhatsApp Experience
David Pérez-Jorge 1 * , Fernando Barragán-Medero 1, Josué Gutiérrez-Barroso 2, Fátima Castro-León 1
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1 Department of Didactics and Educational Research. Faculty of Education, Universidad de La Laguna, La Laguna, SPAIN2 Department of Sociology, Universidad de La Laguna, Tenerife, SPAIN* Corresponding Author

Abstract

M-learning stands as a different way of learning and the use of WhatsApp appears to be an innovative and effective resource. The objective of this research is to evaluate the effects of the use of this communication tool in the academic monitoring, counseling and tutoring of university students in the Faculty of Education at the University of La Laguna. A control group (N=120) and an experimental group (N=120) of first-year students were established (undergraduate students in Childhood Education, Primary Education and Pedagogy) with the aim of knowing the effect of the use of WhatsApp. An ad hoc questionnaire was used to evaluate the development of both those competences related to academic work and performance and those transversal competences through the use of an m-learning tool based on peer tutoring. The results obtained have revealed important improvements as regards those competences related to time efficiency, planning and organization, and those related to active learning, decision making and motivation.

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This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

Article Type: Research Article

EURASIA J Math Sci Tech Ed, Volume 14, Issue 7, July 2018, 2737-2743

https://doi.org/10.29333/ejmste/90588

Publication date: 26 Apr 2018

Article Views: 3265

Article Downloads: 1563

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