Today a wide range of Web 2.0 applications (such as Facebook, Twitter, Blogs, RSS, Podcasts and Wikis) are giving new challenges and opportunities in teaching and learning. The work described here concerns a pilot study to investigate the acceptability and effectiveness of using web 2.0 as an aid to learning. The work focuses on a university course on academic writing skills. The role of Web 2.0 applications are studied in building informal classes for traditional students and in adopting Web 2.0 practices by educators responsible for delivering existing courses. The extension of the UTAUT model is used as a research framework to evaluate the acceptability and effectiveness of web 2.0 applications. © 2010 IEEE. © 2010 IEEE.