While there’s not a lot of data about how social media
impacts online education, it does appear professors are beginning to find uses
for social media in the classroom. In fact, one survey showed that 41% of responding professors reported using social media in their
teaching.
“We’ve had online learning for quite a long time—since
the 1990s when it started to become popular—but the inclusion of social media
is something that’s relatively new,” Michael Menchaca, an associate professor
at the University of Hawaii, told U.S. News & World Report.
“A lot of us are starting to use it more. I guess we’re still tinkering around
and trying things.”
Among other uses, social media is seen as a way to
communicate and share information with students. For instance, Menchaca
requires his students to introduce themselves to the rest of the class with a
15-second Instagram video. He also uses Google Hangout for group meetings and
Twitter for discussions.
On the other hand, instructors have discovered that there
are so many social-media tools available that it can become difficult to manage
them all. Because social media is open for anyone to see, there are also concerns
that students could be discouraged from participating. Another worry is how
faculty can be sure a student is actually the one posting an assignment.
“I think that as we all become more comfortable with
using social media, it will generate more opportunities for students to
network, communicate information with their professors and instructors, and
eventually enrich and enhance the overall educational experience,” said Abbie
Brown, a professor of instruction technology at East Carolina University,
Greenville, NC.
