Herramientas de comunicación instantánea en educación en líneael impacto de WhatsApp en el desempeño y compromiso del estudiante

Resumen

This research aimed to assess the impact of using the instant messaging tool WhatsApp on academic success and the learning experience of students in online higher education programs. A mixed methods approach was implemented in two phases: firstly, a systematic literature review was conducted following the PRISMA methodology, in order to identify the main factors associated with student success in university-level online education. Secondly, a quasi-experimental study was carried out in two sections of the “Introduction to Scientific Research” course in the online modality at the Technical Particular University of Loja, Ecuador. One section was assigned as a control group and the other as an experimental group, which incorporated the use of WhatsApp in academic tutorials. Indicators such as intensity of student interaction with the CANVAS virtual learning platform and academic performance according to final grades were measured. Results from the qualitative analysis showed that close teacher-student interaction is the most influential factor in the success of online programs, followed by solid instructional design. The quasi-experimental phase found that incorporating WhatsApp significantly increases student commitment to various components of the virtual environment, which could help mitigate high dropout rates. However, no significant differences in academic performance between groups were found. It is concluded that WhatsApp intensifies student participation, but additional strategies are required to improve learning in virtual contexts.