Social Media as a tool for increased student participation and engagement outside the classroom in Higher Education

Abstract

In recent years, the rise of social media networks and the potential they hold for Higher Education teaching and learning has not gone unnoticed by practitioners. There is now an increasing body of academic work that has set out to investigate the benefits that social media can have on the student learning experience. However, the vast majority of these studies have been carried out in American universities and largely focus on students enrolled in social science or science subjects. This study, building upon the findings of previous trials, sought to examine how social media platforms could be utilised to facilitate increased student participation and engagement amongst Humanities students at a British university. The project outcomes offered positive indicators about the potential that social media can hold for this form of learning, reinforced by the levels of interest and enthusiasm amongst students. Yet, the results also indicate that for social media to achieve its full potential, students need to be inculcated, nurtured and encouraged to engage with this form of learning.

Engaging diverse student audiences in contemporary blended learning environments in Australian higher business education: Implications for Design and Practice

“…Evans (2014) found a strong causal relationship between Twitter use and student engagement in university activities and class based discussions, and similarly Graham (2014) found business students regarded the social dimension to learning and discussion among their team members made projects more enjoyable. The reasons why Facebook was preferred over other platforms, particularly compared to our LMS discussion board, was related to ready access of notifications and the privacy of conversations.…”

“…In addition to institutionally supported LMS and other synchronous communication tools, evidence from previous studies suggests the increasing use of social media applications in supporting peer exchanges and cooperative endeavors (Evans 2014;Kelm 2011;Graham 2014). Evans (2014) found a strong causal relationship between Twitter use and student engagement in university activities and class based discussions, and similarly Graham (2014) found business students regarded the social dimension to learning and discussion among their team members made projects more enjoyable.…”

Predicting Web 2.0 use among US teens—Expanding the power of the skill, will and tool model

“…The relevance of social media skill to education is supported by research finding positive impact on critical thinking (Daniels & Billingsley, 2014) and increased participation (Graham, 2014). Incorporating SNSs as a supplement to teaching may improve attitude (Barczyk & Duncan, 2013), engagement (Junco, 2012), motivation (Lam, 2012) and trust (Chang & Lee, 2013).…”

Personalizing twitter communication: an evaluation of ‘rotation-curation’ for enhancing social media engagement within higher education

“…Many academics and educators have embraced 'the participatory web' to engage in a plethora of scholarly activities online (Costa, 2014a;Weller, 2011). The use of social media, generally defined as "a group of Internet-based applications that build on the ideological and technological foundations of Web 2.0, and that allow the creation and exchange of User Generated Content" (Kaplan & Haenlein, 2010, p. 61), is an prominent feature of contemporary academic practices (Graham, 2014). For research purposes, academics are using social media to create online 'communities of practice' (Lewis & Rush, 2013), to produce knowledge collaboratively (Cooper & Condie, 2016), to network outside of their own universities with interested individuals and groups (Lupton, 2014), and to disseminate research findings and publications (Rowlands, Nicholas, & Russell, 2011).…”

“…Within teaching, academics are using social media platforms to extend learning dialogues beyond traditional educational contexts (see Dabbagh & Kitsantas, 2012;Dhir, Buragga, & Boreqqah, 2013, for reviews). Social media can offer ways to immerse students in deeper learning experiences (Graham, 2014), particularly mainstream platforms such as Facebook and Twitter which act as commonplace sites for everyday social interactions and social support during university study (DeAndrea, Ellison, LaRose, Steinfield, & Fiore, 2012). While some educators are focused on 'e-professionalism', emphasising the risks and misuses of social media platforms for both students and staff, Fenwick (2016) notes that social media opens up new possibilities for student professionalism, which may be harnessed for students' future employability.…”