Integrating MXit into a distance education Accounting module

Abstract

Technology, when used appropriately, can assist with high-quality learning and teaching. This article describes the design and implementation of MXit (an instant messaging application) as a tool intended to assist Accounting students at a distance education institution in South Africa. This educational design is underpinned by constructivist theories on the use of technologies to assist students in distance education environments. For the purposes of the study on which this article is based, students in the second-year Accounting module FAC2602 were invited to make use of MXit to communicate with their lecturer during the day, at night and even over weekends during 2008 and 2009. This article reports on the perceptions of students on the use of MXit. Results indicated that students not only found MXit helpful, they also enjoyed the intervention. The findings and comments of both students and lecturers may assist in planning similar interventions in other modules.