Paper Title
Utilizing Mobile Instant Messaging (MIM) Applications to Facilitate Group Development and Engagement Activities in Online Educational Seminars

Abstract
Mobile instant messaging (MIM) apps are rapidly changing the way that the world communicates. Universities are increasingly using such technologies as supplements to their Learning Management Systems (LMS) especially in online courses. This case will demonstrate how the authors successfully employed a variety of digital technologies in a series of cross-national teaching seminars. Most notable was their usage of WhatsApp, an MIM app very much-used in Africa and much of the developing world. The authors will demonstrate how they used WhatsApp, coupled with other technologies, to create shared global teams, which had high levels of real-time collaboration, and process based learning which enhanced their overall educational experience. Keywords - Mobile Instant Messaging (MIM), Whats App, Group Development, Group Engagement, Online Education