Social Media: The Role It Plays in Online Learning

                                      Social Media: The Role It Plays in Online Learning

                                                       Pamela L. McGimpsey

                                                     Lenoir-Rhyne University

            The role of online learning in the instructional design of course development continues to be a subject of extensive interest and research.  Numerous studies have found students appreciate the flexibility, convenience, and that level of classroom anonymity afforded to the online learner.  As technological advances make the delivery of learning management systems like Blackboard, Moodle, and Canvas easier to navigate for instructor and student, these virtual learning environments are no longer the only platform for online learning.  Social media’s Facebook and Twitter are now being considered to become part of the realm of online teaching because it encourages active participation and relationship building. 

                                                       The Role of Social Media

            Fitting into the mold for the constructivist approach for teaching and learning social media presents a setting for individuals not only to chat about a favorite activity, but it can also provide a stage that supports the online learning community.  Whittaker (2014) led a preliminary study into the success of Facebook as a “closed group” community of 44 students enrolled in an undergraduate Animal Science degree program that also required compulsory face-to-face learning activities.

 

Five themes emerged from the data gathered: other, course content query, administrative query, problem solution, and joke.  Of those themes problem solution had the largest number of responses with 40% being from the administrator answering a direct question, or providing guidance to where additional information could be found.  Students posted 60% of the responses in support of each other.  A student posting example:  “At the end of the day a power calculation requires an indication of the type II error that’s acceptable.  Generally you would find a common acceptable type II error would be 20% so requires a power of 80%” (Whittaker, 2014, p. 142).

In 2011, Tay and Allen argued “it is the particular pedagogic application of social media – not the technology itself – that will lead to a constructivist learning outcome. Whereas social media might afford us possibilities for collaboration, shared content creation, and participation in knowledge building, those possibilities need to be actualized through the effective integration of social media into learning environments” (p. 156).  Stated simply, social media becomes part of the complimentary pairing with the contemporary learning management system that allows students to collaborate while working as individuals. 

The 140 character world of Twitter can also build an educational support community as Feliz, T., Ricoy, and Feliz, S. (2013) found as they investigated the use of Twitter as a resource to develop a learning community.  A total of 39 people participated in the research ranging in ages between 21 and 50; all with very different backgrounds, training, and experience.  Though students overall generated a large number of tweets, most tweets originated from the younger study participants. 

Older students (age 41-50) and those aged between 31 and 40 showed a lower level of participation.  This agrees with the findings of another study (Espuny, Gonzalez, Lleixa, and Gisbert, 2011), which noted that knowledge of social media increases as age decreases.  Moreover, in the present research it was found that the students with the worst academic results tended to show lower participation in the Twitter social network.  Occupation does not; however, seem to have an influence on the level of participation. (Feliz et al., 2013, p. 212)

Rutten, Ros, Kuijpers, and Kreijns (2016) found for students in pre-vocational education that when compared with virtual learning settings social network sites “offered a stronger environment for practicing online career skills, but students do not show more online career behavior in these environments” (p. 140).  While the authors admit the findings of this explorative study has limitations the end result of student engagement with social media being accepted as a learning platform is an outcome that illustrates “how different digital environments can be used effectively in schools to teach students how to use an SNS for career purposes” (Rutten, et al., 2016, p. 149).

                                                         Conclusion

Available literature on the topic of social network systems and the role they currently play in online learning is limited.  Each article researched for this literature review closed with the same synopsis.  Social media paired with learning management systems can be a complimentary integration of a hybrid learning platform generating a student community that will serve to positively enhance the educational experience for learners and instructors.  Additional research is necessary to study the long term impact of social networks on online learning. 

References

Feliz, T., Ricoy, C., Feliz, S., (2013).  Analysis of the use of Twitter as a learning strategy in

            master’s learning.  Open Learning, 28(3), 201-215.

Tay, E., Allen, M., (2011).  Designing social media into university learning: technology of

            collaboration or collaboration for technology.  Educational Medial International,

48(3), 151-163.

Rutten, M., Ros, A., Kuijpers, M., Kreijns, K., (2016).  Usefulness of social network sites for

            adolescents’ development of online career skills.  Educational Technology & Society,

            19(4), 140-150.

Whittaker, A. L., Howarth, G. S., Lynn, K. A., (2014).  Evaluation of Facebook to create an

            online learning community in an undergraduate animal science class.  Educational

            Media International, 51(2), 135-145.