Abstract
The ongoing global COVID-19 pandemic has affected all aspects of livelihood, but the higher education sector was hit hardest. The pandemic has exposed the inequalities that still exist in the South African Higher Education sector concerning resources. All universities were expected to shift from traditional face-to-face classes to virtual teaching and learning. Consequently, lecturers were expected to establish WhatsApp (WA) groups in different academic programmes in the institution to communicate course information. The aim of the chapter is to examine how WhatsApp groups can be used by the students to maintain and assert their academic identity as members of a group. This chapter draws from the concept of a discourse community as a sense of belonging and utilising communication to share objectives or goals. The chapter employs a qualitative research technique by drawing from the participatory action research (PAR).
Key Terms in this Chapter
Discourse: Written or spoken communication about a topic
Students: Any person who is engaged in university studies or any place of higher learning.
Language Education: A branch of applied linguistics which refers to the practice of teaching a second or foreign language
Educational Technology: Digital or electronic use of technology to facilitate learning.
Discipline Knowledge: Refers to specialised and in-depth content knowledge of a certain type of subject
Academic Identity: Refers to the intellectual and scholarly aspect of an individual’s identity.
WhatsApp: An international electronic platform which allows instant messaging and voice-over-IP service.
Scholarly values: Refers to a student’s desire, preference, or need for specific academic aims and outcomes.