Social Media in Higher Education
Is it a good idea?
We use social media for everything these days—dating, shopping, job hunting—the list goes on. In the last few years, it’s even started filtering into the higher education space. Who here remembers when SmartBoards replaced chalkboards and whiteboards? This is like that, only with Facebook. Instead of typed hardcopies of essays, students submit blogs as final projects.
Back in 2012, when social media in education was a brand new concept, Paul Tess decided to look into the research. Social media is a slippery slope, but Tess found that if it’s implemented enthusiastically and properly, social media can engage students and instructors alike. This review also raised more questions, urging for further research to be done.
Tess’s methodology relied heavily on keyword phrases to filter research, including social media, Facebook, higher education, social networking sites, and blogs.
Social Media Specifics
The term social media describes various technologies related to networking and community. Social networking sites, virtual game worlds, virtual social worlds, blogs, and multimedia platforms are all examples of social media.
Tess used data from the Pew Internet Project to understand how society uses social media, which then informed the feasibility of social media in higher education. This project found that 83% of online 18-29-year-olds used social media, and 61% reported daily use.
In this study, Tess examined Facebook, LinkedIn, blogs, and Twitter.
Most of the research considered Facebook to be the face of online social networks. One review found that 94% of college students use Facebook for an average of 10-30 minutes a day. By the end of 2012, the research was also indicating a decline in college-aged Facebook users, a trend that has continued since then.
LinkedIn is a career-oriented networking site, encouraging people to make professional contacts and build trust.
Blogs allow people to share their own personal content and to build connections with others.
Twitter, sometimes referred to as a microblogging service, is a fast-track for connection and communication due to its character length restraints. It also fosters debate with its quick back and forth.
Social Media in the Classroom So Far
Due to social media’s rising popularity, educators have begun to use it as a new way to engage students. A 2010 study outlined three motivations for social media in the classroom:
Students have become a highly connected collective through social media.
University students access information and consume knowledge differently.
Education has shifted to a more student-driven template.
Some scholars argue that social media shouldn’t be adopted in higher education simply because it can be—it wasn’t designed for a formal education setting. A 2009 study recommended studies on ownership and boundaries before integrating social media into universities.
The Downsides of Social Media in the Classroom
When asking students, a divide was discovered between using social media for their personal lives and using it as an educational tool. More than 70% of the students interviewed said they had at least one social media account, but very few used it for instructional purposes. A 2010 study found this could be explained by:
A separation between social life (pleasurable) and education (painful).
Concerns of copyright infringement and plagiarism.
Added technological time constraints to using social media and information overload.
The Benefits of Social Media in the Classroom
On the bright side, this review found that social media fosters a sense of community among students and teaches them effective collaboration. Specifically, social media can help future healthcare professionals develop communication skills.
Tess also found that social media adoption in the classroom will be supported enthusiastically in the future. A study of 190 students found that 51% were committed to using social media as an educational tool because most believe it can improve student engagement.
Social Media For Online Learning
When examined, most students in an online learning environment felt that social media could be used to mimic the feeling of an in-person learning environment. 70% of students surveyed agree that using social media for communication is comparable to face-to-face class communication. 74% agreed that social media allows them to collaborate and comment on other students’ work even more effectively than in-person.
Limitations of the Studies
The literature on social media in the higher education classroom was united by similar limiting factors:
The definition of social media is difficult to pin down, so some researchers used a highly specific definition, while others used a broader one.
Convenience sampling made generalizing within sample groups difficult.
The studies often relied on self-reported data, which can sometimes be a flawed measurement for studying behaviour.
How Do Different Social Media Fit Into the Classroom?
Facebook was the most popular social media site of study. Students thought Facebook in education could be useful for:
Increased interaction and participation in discussions
Access to notes and materials
Communication with other students
Schedule views
However, some researchers and educators have concerns about Facebook as an educational tool. While they recognize its validity as a social networking site, some feel its design doesn’t necessarily translate into a learning environment.
Blogs are generally a positive and effective tool for students, and they were mainly used for learning assessments, communication between students, and posting assignments. While students typically found blogs to be a good option, some cited concerns such as a dislike of writing, privacy, and an unfamiliarity with technology.
Twitter in higher education raised concerns about poor grammar, addiction, and time. On the other hand, it encourages concise writing, connection with a professional community, and writing for an audience. It also created new ways for instructors and students to connect.
Whether we like it or not, social media has crept into all areas of our lives and has become a tool for learning and communication in recent years. Students use social media to create group chats for classes and assignment work, and they can find assessment tools and schedules there too.
Not all researchers support social media adoption in the classroom, but if instructors consistently and proficiently utilize it, outcomes tend to be good. Students increasingly use social media for individual needs, so its adoption into education can encourage engagement and even better grades!
Study Objectives & Methods
The role of social media in higher education classes (real and virtual) – A literature review.
Paul A. Tess
Published in Computers in Human Behaviour.
This researcher investigated the research of social media in higher education. He found many arguments for and against various social media in the classroom and summarized them in his review. He also concluded that more research is necessary to understand whether social media can be an effective educational tool.
