Dear Andrea and colleagues,
Thank you for raising this important point.
From the Hawassa University context, both Zoom and WhatsApp are commonly used by most academic staff members and are generally familiar communication tools. However, among students, the situation is somewhat different. Students rarely use Zoom and WhatsApp on a regular basis, while Telegram is by far the most widely used communication platform for student interactions and information sharing.
To facilitate participation in the e-internship programme, we can prepare short instructional videos introducing the selected digital tools and explaining how participants can use them effectively. In addition, mentors and facilitators can provide guidance and technical support during the initial stages to ensure smooth interaction and engagement.
Regarding Padlet, we have not previously used it at Hawassa University, so we have limited experience with its suitability in our context. Nevertheless, if the tool is easy to access, mobile-friendly, and requires minimal bandwidth, it may be worth exploring through a small pilot session before full implementation.
I would also recommend considering tools that integrate well with Moodle and are accessible through mobile devices, given that many students primarily access online learning resources using smartphones.
Kind regards,
Yitna
