The current study employed online module login data harvested from three tools, myUnisa, Moya MA and Flipgrid to determine how such data served as a proxy measure of student engagement. The first tool is a legacy learning management system (LMS) utilised for online learning at the University of South Africa (UNISA), while the other two tools are a mobile messaging application and an educational video discussion platform, respectively. In this regard, the study set out to investigate the manner in which module login data of undergraduate students (n = 3475 & n = 2954) and a cohort of Mathew Goniwe students (n = 27) enrolled for a second-level module, ENG2601, as extracted from myUnisa, Moya MA , and Flipgrid served as a proxy measure of student engagement. Collectively, these students were registered for this second-level module at UNISA at the time the study was conducted. The online login data comprised myUnisa module login file access frequencies. In addition, the online login data consisted of the frequencies of instant messages (IMs) posted on Moya MA by both the facilitator and Mathew Goniwe students, and video clips posted on and video clip view frequencies captured by Flipgrid in respect of the afore-cited module. One finding of this study is that student engagement as measured by login file access frequencies was disproportionally skewed toward one module file relative to other module files. The other finding of this study is that the overall module file access metrics of the Mathew Goniwe group were disproportionally concentrated in a sub-cohort of highly active users (HAU).

This paper reports on a study that integrated two instant messaging applications (Moya Messenger App and WhatsApp) and a myUnisa’s online discussion forum (ODF), and utilised them as tools to support student learning at an open and distance e‑learning university in South Africa. The participants in this study were 41 undergraduate education students enrolled for an undergraduate English Studies module. Employing a case study research design, the study utilised voluntary sampling to select its participants, and set out to answer three research questions. Data were collected through the three afore‑mentioned tools. To this effect, the study made the following observations. First, both the instructor and students were able to engage in asynchronous and synchronous scaffolding using Moya Messenger App. This included engaging in features of scaffolding such as orientation, coaching, conceptual scaffolding and meta‑cognitive scaffolding, largely by the instructor. Second, the instructor used Moya Messener App to engage in presence teaching, while students utilised it to engage in presence learning. Third, students utilised WhatsApp to produce short synchronous formal essays based on a compare and contrast essay writing activity. Fourth and last, students used myUnisa’s ODF to produce meta‑content reflective writing about the module.

No abstract

The current paper reports on a study that was conducted at the University of South Africa (UNISA) in 2021. The study involved three cohorts of undergraduate students (n = 20, n = 12 and n = 18), where each cohort participated in one of the virtual sessions offered on MS Teams as part of their modules’ virtual classes. Employing a case study research design, the study used the interactions students had on MS Teams through messages in each session to determine how such messages served as indicators of student engagement. Four student engagement dimensions, namely emotional, behavioral, cognitive and academic engagement, were the focus of this study. Two of the findings of this study are: (a) only few students dominated the messages posted during the three live virtual sessions; and (b) cognitive and emotional engagement dimensions were the two predominant dimensions of student engagement. The paper ends with the implications and recommendations.

No abstract