Engagement of Students in an Organic Chemistry Lecture/Lab Course via Social Media Using Twitter

Abstract

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.