A teaching team composed of a faculty member (lecture)
and a graduate
teaching assistant (lab) endeavored to engage students enrolled in
several sections of the same organic chemistry course through the
use of social media. Students were encouraged to follow both instructors
on Twitter and were asked to share aspects of the class using the
social media site. Instructors regularly posted content and links
relevant to the course and interacted with students, modeling professional
social media interactions. Although the extent of student participation
was limited, it was determined that this is a possible complementary
outlet for class communication, sharing of information, and limited
data gathering. In the lab courses, students were found to be more
reticent to engage but did use the “follow” function
to add the lab instructor to their Twitter networks. Lab and lecture
courses were surveyed in order to determine factors affecting student
engagement on social media. Results of the surveys and data collected
in both courses are discussed with an emphasis on best practices.
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