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T witter for teaching: Can social media be used to enhance the process of learning?
Author(s) -
Evans Chris
Publication year - 2014
Publication title -
british journal of educational technology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.79
H-Index - 95
eISSN - 1467-8535
pISSN - 0007-1013
DOI - 10.1111/bjet.12099
Subject(s) - attendance , tutor , social media , psychology , construct (python library) , interpersonal communication , mathematics education , process (computing) , pedagogy , social psychology , computer science , world wide web , programming language , operating system , economics , economic growth
Can social media be used to enhance the process of learning by students in higher education? Social media have become widely adopted by students in their personal lives. However, the application of social media to teaching and learning remains to be fully explored. In this study, the use of the social media tool Twitter for teaching was considered. Undergraduate students in B usiness and M anagement ( n = 252) were encouraged to use T witter for communicating with their tutor and each other during a 12‐week course. Their involvement was evaluated using a survey considering amount of T witter usage and students' attitudes and experiences. The data were analysed using factor analyses, which revealed a single usage construct and three attitudinal factors. Three findings emerged. Firstly, a positive correlation was found between amount of T witter usage and student engagement in university‐associated activities including organising their social lives and sharing information. Secondly, course‐related tweeting was not related to interpersonal relationships between students and their tutor. Thirdly, T witter usage did not impact class attendance. The results are salient for educational practitioners wishing to introduce social media into their teaching.