Using Social Media Platforms for Learning in Higher Education

In higher education literature, there are discussions and growing research about the use of social media tools in teaching and learning. Social media is still considered an emerging technology in education, with rapid changes in the development and usage of tools. In education, social media tools are used to disseminate, manage, and store information and for communication and discussion-based learning activities. The influence of social media on education is causing a shift in learning, and for instructional designers, there are well-established theories of learning and instruction to be considered. This paper will briefly examine the use of Twitter as a tool in higher education, through a case in Australia where learners were involved in ongoing feedback interactions with peers, educators, and the broader online community. Illustrated in this case are examples of facilitating and sharing of knowledge in online environments, as well as concerns of higher education institutions about privacy and intellectual property. Embedded in these examples are implications for instructional design, including a decentralizing affect the use of social media has on teaching, and the various models of access to and usage of social media in different countries.

Literature Review

As seen throughout the history of instructional design and technology, the introduction of newer digital technologies is viewed as having the potential to enhance and transform learning, and dramatically change the ways educators teach. As Dennen (2019) states, an iterative process occurs when educators design new technology-based learning activities, in that they are using common knowledge of learning to inform their approach. As learning theories have shifted, Flynn and Moreau (2015) have found that a constructivist approach indicates “knowledge is subjectively constructed, primarily with a social context. Learners learn more from those with more expertise than themselves. This may be the instructor, but also may be from other more knowledgeable peers” (p. 558.) This reflects the instructional design implication that social media can be used to develop dynamic learning communities and facilitate the sharing of knowledge in online environments. Instructional designers must be equipped to facilitate what Dommett (2019) refers to as “socially constructed learning that arises through participation in dialogue and interaction with others” (p. 325). While constructivism looks at learning as a social activity involving collaboration and negotiation, Dennen (2019) also posits that the advent of social media, along with collaborative and self-directed learning experiences, suggests connectivism as a better learning theory for instructional designers to consider. Flynn et al. (2015) back that up noting that themes of connectivism mirror constructivist theories, “namely that learning is social, learning is an active process, learning requires reflection and learning occurs in a particular context” (p. 559). If knowledge grows as individuals collaborate, another key implication for instructional design is that social media can be used to support learning interactions in or out of class, especially when seeking feedback and critique from a broader, authentic audience. Using social media offers opportunities to implement constructivist and connectivist learning theory, create a community of practice, and connect with content leaders. However, instructional designers must be aware of the decentralizing effects and accompanying distractions of social media. Mahlambi, Civilcharran, and Ajayi (2018) note that some features of social media cause distractions and that students may find difficulty in distinguishing between academic and social activities and tasks on these platforms. Unique to connectivism, according to Flynn et al. (2015), is the concept of how people learn is altered by technology and that instructional designers and educators must recognize the impact of these social media tools to adequately prepare learners to flourish.

Using social media comes with the risks of privacy concerns, intellectual property rights for learners as well as for higher education institutions. As noted by Amin and Rajadurai (2018), “in education, social media is considered non-traditional and can produce new outcomes that might be problematic for institutions of higher education” (p.506). Instructional designers must be mindful of mitigating issues for learners or instructors in designing instruction using social media. While there may be pressure to incorporate social media into learning activities, a pivotal implication to be considered is existing institutional tools, and as Dommett (2019) notes, the ways the tools to be used support learning outcomes. They may “not be interchangeable, so learning activities should be designed with the strengths of the tools in mind” (p. 342). Amin et al. (2018) refer to concerns of quality, accreditation, institutional hierarchy, formal and informal learning, and policies related to the adoption of social media that are considerations for instructional design. Institutions have their cultural values, policies, and hierarchies, and the reality is that access and usage of social media vary by country, and the changing nature of technology and platforms are also vital implications to be considered.

Case Overview

This case demonstrates how social media can be used to provide learners with ongoing feedback through online interactions with a wider audience outside of the class. In a second-year digital media course of 200 students at Deakin University in Australia, the professor had difficulty sustaining feedback conversations in the existing LMS. According to “Authentic Feedback Through Social Media” (n.d.) utilizing a “learning by doing educator-in-charge” philosophy, (p. 2), the instructor opted to take these conversations to a more robust, immediate external social media tool, namely Twitter, a microblogging and social networking service. Utilizing a course-specific hashtag, the learners were engaged in ongoing feedback interactions with peers, educators, and the broader public and industry practitioners.

There were two-course assessments, a blog, and a video that were subject to a series of feedback loops, and a gamification element was included to induce participation. The intent was to generate authentic assessment and feedback. This activity allowed for real-world application of feedback as practiced by the digital media industry/discipline, in familiar spaces such as Twitter, YouTube, and other video and blogging platforms.

Case Analysis

As an online digital media course, a community of learners was created via the learning management system (LMS). However, the professor, in this case, realized that getting the learners to engage in the feedback process via that LMS was the challenge. According to Dommett (2019), Twitter as a learning tool has been used to share relevant resources, for collaborative group work, and as a networking and research tool. By engaging the public and digital media industry practitioners in conversations via a Twitter hashtag, learning was constructed socially, and not solely from the professor. In the hashtag conversations, the learners were encouraged to post blogs and videos they had created to initiate feedback conversations. The ongoing feedback generated was from a broader, more authentic audience. The learning process was active and required reflection that built on previous work. The design of this approach reflected a dynamic learning community on Twitter and facilitated knowledge sharing among the learners, the public, and industry content leaders.

The feedback loop design using Twitter mirrored how feedback is enacted in the digital media industry. Twitter, because of the character limitations, supports a culture of critiquing content (Dommett, 2019). Brief, critically worded feedback in a hashtag can generate numerous notifications for the learners. One lesson this case illustrates is how the follow up to Twitter interactions and notifications can be time-consuming. By decentralizing the learning into a more public forum, the professor also had to account for how the communication patterns of the technology would impact the teaching approach. The professor, in this case, replaced scheduled lectures with videos and podcasts to allow time for the learners to engage in Twitter interactions.

Learners’ capability and attitudes with social media tools also have to be considered. Mahalambi et al. (2018) found that learners often forget to check the LMS used by the University for teaching and learning and that students preferred using social media platforms due to their familiarity and ease of use. Similarly, Dommett (2019) found that students already using social media found it to be effective in developing knowledge and suitable for tasks related to course learning outcomes. In this case study, the learners did not have extensive prior experience with Twitter, and the professor’s use of gamification helped to motivate students to use the tool. Tur, Carpenter, and Marin (2017) noted that students that not previously used Twitter expressed surprise at its use for educational purposes. “There is a need to provide guidance regarding educational applications of technology” (p 25). Because the information flow of Twitter may be overwhelming for learners, scaffolding in the form of games or intense instructor participation at the start can offer guidance. Scaffolding may also help change attitudes and beliefs about the use of social media as an educational tool. As Amin et al. (2018) note, individuals can develop knowledge during an active, collaborative, and cooperative experience and share the responsibilities to help each other. Instructors have to develop techniques to assist learners in negotiating online learning spaces to avoid falling into social traps and to succeed academically.

In this case study, Deakin University had a flexible technology policy to allow the professor to move beyond the learning management system. That it was a digital media course, both the content and the approach were fitting for social media. The professor was able to navigate the existing policy to make the learning activity successful. In moving beyond the official technology provided by the institution, there are additional learning opportunities. With those opportunities, there are considerations for privacy, intellectual property rights, and accreditation that can restrain efforts to use social media. Amin et al. (2018) found that modification of learning methods requires “assurances that the learning of the students can still be accredited” (p. 506).

Given that social media is an open platform, specific hierarchical structures at institutions may not allow for a technology policy to support the use of social media for learning. Access and usage of social media various vary at institutions around the world. Amin et al. (2018) found in Pakistan, “although the use of social media tools is massively increasing, it lacks purpose for adoption…social media tools are not used for educational purposes” (p. 501). There, the debate is ongoing on how social media can be used for education. In Spain, Tur et al. (2017) found that students using Twitter found the finding and sharing of information, advantageous for educational and professional learning, while students in the United States found conversational communication through chat and hashtag use to be the most relevant for learning. In the textbook, Reiser and Dempsey (2017) mention China as a country that limits access to social media, and all these country examples illustrate some of the considerations for instructional designers when creating learning activities for online learners in higher education.  

Summary

This case illustrated how social media could be used for feedback, and how Twitter specifically, created an avenue for learners to get that feedback from professionals in the given industry. Social media facilitates extended interaction and learning and can help build relationships for academic and professional knowledge building. Instructional designers should understand both constructivism and connectivism theories to guide their approach to learning events. They should also be mindful of learners’ awareness and usage of social media and how they apply that awareness and usage of social media in educational pursuits. Social media, while popular, isn’t available everywhere, and is considered disruptive technology for education in some countries where institutional learning is a teacher-centered/instructor-led responsibility.

References

Amin, A., & Rajadurai, J. (2018). The conflict between social media and higher education institutions. Global Business and Management Research: An International Journal, 10(3), 499-510.

Authentic Feedback Through Social Media (n.d.) Retrieved from (http://newmediaresearch.educ.monash.edu.au/feedback/case-studies-of-effective-feedback/case-study-4/). Published by the Australian Government Department of Education and Training. Creative Commons BY-SA Au s 4.0

Conley, Q., & Sabo, K. (2015). The social media instructional design model: A new tool for designing instruction using social media. International Journal of Social Media and Interactive Learning Environments, 3(4), 290-304. doi: 10.1504/IJSMILE.2015.074008

Dennen, V. P. (2019). Digital pedagogies and theories of learning and instruction. Technology, Instruction, Cognition & Learning, 11(2/3), 115–119. Retrieved from https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&AuthType=ip,shib&db=eue&AN=137697715&site=eds-live&scope=site      

Dommett, E.J. (2019) Understanding student use of twitter and online forums in higher education. Education and Information Technologies, 24: 325-343. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10639-018-9776-5

Flynn L., Jalali A., &Moreau K.A. (2015) Learning theory and its application to the use of social media in medical education. Postgraduate Medical, 91: 556-560. doi: 10.1136/postgradmedj-2015-133358

Mahlambi, S., Civilcharran, S., & Ajayi, N. (2018). The perception of students about the use of social media as an alternate learning platform, presented at 2018 International Conference on Intelligent and Innovative Computing Applications, Plaine Magnien, 2018. doi: 10.1109/ICONIC.2018.8601228.

Reiser, R.A., & Dempsey, J.V. (2018). Trends and issues in instructional design and technology (4th ed.). New York, NY: Pearson Education.

Tur, G., Carpenter, J., & Marín, V. (2017). Using Twitter in higher education in Spain and the USA [Uso de Twitter en educación superior en España y Estados Unidos]. Comunicar, 25(51), 19-28. doi: 10.3916/C51-2017-02.