Abstract:

Engaging social media in higher education is unavoidable post COVID-19. Several studies indicate students’ preference of social media platforms in their studies. The 21st-century students are technologically savvy: most own smart phones and are active users of social media. Students perceive social media as useful, providing collaborative learning, enhanced communication, enjoyment, and easy to use and all these improve their learning. Social media utilisation positively influences students’ opinions of their academic achievement although a lack of quantified evidence exists to support this perception. This study considered the covariance, correlation coefficient, and the simple linear regression approach to examine the association of WhatsApp group activity and student performance in Mine Surveying studies at the University of Johannesburg. The approach used in this study was an attempt to quantify the use and influence of a WhatsApp group communication on student performance. A third-year study module was used to investigate if any relationship exists in the use of WhatsApp and students’ final performance. The correlation coefficient r=0.5 was obtained, suggesting a positive and moderate relationship between WhatsApp participation and final performance.

Keywords:

Social media, covariance, correlation coefficient, simple regression, mine surveying.