Small talk versus smart talk: Providing accounting content and emotional support in a distance education course

Abstract

Integrating mobile phones into higher education, and more specifically in the distance education context, is no longer regarded a strange phenomenon. Mobile devices are widely used by distance education institutions to make learning available and accessible to increasingly more students. Although mobile learning provides more mobility and convenience to these students than online learning, students may still experience the distance gap if communication and guidance are not incorporated into the presentation of a course. Börje Holmberg refers to this guidance of the student by the facilitator as ‘didactic conversation’. His theory postulates conversation as essential in a distance education course to explain content, and to correct and redirect the student. By creating a sense of emotional involvement, students will feel more connected to the course than before, which will inevitably increase study pleasure and motivate students to learn.

This paper reports on a case study of a selected group of students’ perceptions and experiences of the use of mobile phones in an accounting module at the University of South Africa to bring about more didactic conversation. Making use of short message service (SMS) and instant messaging software on mobile phones, regular communication between the facilitator and the students was increased. The qualitative data provided insight into how participating students perceived the use of these tools to assist them in their studies. Based on the evidence provided, it was evident that mobile phone intervention increased communication and exchanging of views. Creating a feeling of empathy and belonging, students enjoyed their studies and felt motivated to persist throughout the semester.