Abstract

This study aimed to investigate the Jordanian university students’ perceptions toward and use of Short Message Service (SMS) as out-of-class student–instructor interaction tool. The participants in this study were 33 graduate students who were enrolled in on-campus information technology course at a public Jordanian university. SMS was used in the course as out-of-class student–instructor interaction tool, where the students were encouraged to contact the instructor for any matters via SMS. Case study research approach was selected in the in the current study. At the end of the experiment, Date were collected through survey instrument and semi-structured interviews. In addition, students’ texting activities and frequency were recorded and analyzed. The analysis of the collected data showed that the students had positive perceptions toward the use of SMS as out-of-class student–instructor interaction tool, where the reported advantages of SMS overshadowed the disadvantages.Students’ positive perceptions toward the use of SMS as out-of-class student–instructor interaction tool in the educational setting were reflected in their actual use of the SMS. All the participants had used the SMS to exchange different type of information with the instructor. Based on the findings, recommendations regarding the implementation of the SMS in the Jordanian higher education were discussed.

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