Evaluating #VetFinals: Can Twitter help students prepare for final examinations?

Abstract

Twitter is increasingly used in education. In this article, Twitter was evaluated for its potential to aid veterinary students in their preparation for final examinations. "#VetFinals" revision sessions were facilitated by experts on a variety of topics. The initiative was evaluated through consideration of potential participants, session content and student experiences. In analysis of nine sessions, 52 students participated from eight veterinary schools. During a session, the facilitator tweeted 66 times on average, primarily asking a general question. Students on average tweeted 84 times, mostly in response to facilitators. They also asked novel questions and responded to fellow students. Focus groups and interviews with 11 students suggested that: sessions are useful for preparation/self-testing to succeed in exams; the facilitator and session style impact on learning; the sessions feel like personalized learning; there are elements of safety and exposure leading to some fear of tweeting; peer-learning promotes competition; a community of learners was formed; Twitter has become a part of normal professional life. Whilst not all students will take part in this type of social media use, many found it beneficial. The importance of the facilitator suggests the need for faculty development.

Use of Twitter across educational settings: a review of the literature

“…In line with research on privacy aspects of social media , a number of studies also highlight students concerns over their right to privacy and how these concerns affected their Twitter use (DeGroot et al, 2015;Gonzalez & Gadbury-Amyot, 2016;Rinaldo et al, 2011). With the growing use of the internet for professional purposes, concerns associated with online reputation were also flagged (Cho & Rangel, 2017;Kinnison et al, 2017). There was also a concern for judgment and exposure within the class.…”

“…The sense of community in the online environment also enhanced students' self-confidence. For instance, studies by Cohen and Duchan (2012) and Kinnison et al (2017), report confidence facilitation via Twitter, as the platform allowed more timid students to participate as much as others.…”

“…In addition to creating a community, Twitter serves as a platform to help students combat isolation and shyness. Twitter supports the participation of shy students in a more active manner (Cohen & Duchan, 2012;Kinnison et al, 2017;Mercier et al, 2015;Tiernan, 2014). Many students expressed that they would not have shared their opinions otherwise if they had not been using Twitter (Fox & Varadarajan, 2011).…”

“…There was also a concern for judgment and exposure within the class. Some students also displayed anxiety over grammatical correctness and the reactions from fellows and other users on the platforms (Kinnison et al, 2017). Similarly, another study also found that students used it infrequently and were unaware of the guidelines of using Twitter for educational purposes that led to anxiety towards its use and adoption (Gooding et al, 2016).…”

“…On the other hand, few studies have also highlighted the negative aspects of incorporating Twitter in the educational context. These studies have emphasized the inappropriate usage, overexposure, reputation, information overload, addiction, as well as other issues associated with the content and personal privacy (Cho & Rangel, 2017;Kinnison, Whiting, Magnier, & Mossop, 2017;Rinaldo, Tapp, & Laverie, 2011).…”