Social Network Sites as a Moderating Factor in E-Learning Platform Adoption: An Extension

In this chapter, the authors analyze and discuss how the activity inside a social network impacts on the value of a Learning Object (LO) used in a collaborative e-learning platform. Recent works propose metrics for measuring LO reusability based on a variety of approaches. In this work, they combine and extend these approaches in order to design a valuation strategy which helps to identify the usage of LOs inside a social network. Their proposal is to identify the factors that are relevant for the valuation of a LO and determine which of them can be computed automatically from its context of usage, the level of success of its authors and its metadata. The authors’ analysis was performed on a particular social network called LOP (LO Poll) system, which strongly motivates the creation and collaborative valuation of LOs. They present preliminary conclusions obtained from an experiment performed in order to analyze the feasibility of the proposal.

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Social Network Sites and e-Learning Adoption

Communications in Computer and Information Science - Engaging Learners Through Emerging Technologies ◽

10.1007/978-3-642-31398-1_7 ◽

2012 ◽

pp. 69-79 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Ramón Rufín Moreno ◽

Cayetano Medina Molina

Keyword(s):

Social Network ◽

Social Network Sites ◽

E Learning

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Responses to COVID-19 in Higher Education: Students’ Learning Experience Using Microsoft Teams versus Social Network Sites

Sustainability ◽

10.3390/su131810036 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 13 (18) ◽

pp. 10036

Author(s):

Abu Elnasr E. Sobaih ◽

Amany E. Salem ◽

Ahmed M. Hasanein ◽

Ahmed E. Abu Elnasr

Keyword(s):

Social Network ◽

Distance Learning ◽

Teaching And Learning ◽

Learning Experience ◽

Social Network Sites ◽

Public Institutions ◽

Digital Learning ◽

Education Students ◽

Paired Samples ◽

Learning Platform

The long-lasting impact of COVID-19 forced governments to continue with distance learning. Due to the absence of a formal digital learning management system (DLMS), public universities in many countries adopted social network sites (SNSs), e.g., Facebook and WhatsApp, and/or digital communication platforms, e.g., Microsoft (MS) Teams and Zoom for teaching and learning. This research investigates students’ learning experiences and responses to course/s incorporating SNSs and MS Teams as a sole distance learning platform during COVID-19. An online, pre-tested, questionnaire was used, directed at bachelor students in public institutions in Egypt, offering tourism and hotel programs, who received their courses using both SNSs and MS Teams. The results showed that the usage of both SNSs and MS Teams helped students to access information and learning resources, have good impact on their knowledge construction and critical refection, and report overall positive learning experience. The results of paired-samples t-test showed statistically significant differences between students’ experiences of course/s incorporating SNSs and MS Teams. However, students recorded limited support by their educators and peers and low participation in course activities that adopted MS Teams. They also reported poor assessment and feedback with course/s that incorporated SNSs. Hence, several implications for scholars, policymakers, and educators were presented for achieving better learning experience and to cope with the pandemic or similar crises, especially in universities with poor infrastructure, including unavailability of DLMS.

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