scholarly journals The Use of Social Media in E-Learning: A Metasynthesis

2017 ◽  
Vol 18 (5) ◽  
Author(s):  
Ernest Mnkandla ◽  
Ansie Minnaar
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Social Media ◽  
Deep Learning ◽  
Distance Learning ◽  
Learning Strategy ◽  
Mobile Apps ◽  
Learning Theories ◽  
Instructional Designers ◽  
E Learning ◽  
Use Of Social Media

<p class="3">The adoption of social media in e-learning signals the end of distance education as we know it in higher education. However, it appears to have very little impact on the way in which open and distance learning (ODL) institutions are functioning. Earlier research suggests that a significant part of the explanation for the slow uptake of social media in e-learning lies outside of conventional factors attributed to distance learning reforms.</p><p class="3">This research used the conceptual framework for online collaborative learning (OCL)<em> </em>in higher education. Social media such as blogs, wikis, Skype or Google Hangout, Facebook; and even mobile apps, such as WhatsApp; could facilitate deep learning and the creation of knowledge in e-learning at higher educational institutions.</p><p class="3">This metasynthesis is an interpretative integration of peer-reviewed qualitative research findings on social media in e-learning. It includes a synthesis of data, research methods, and theories used to investigate social media in e-learning. Seven themes emerged from the data which have been recrafted into a framework for social media in e-learning as the final product. The proposed framework could be useful to instructional designers and academics who are interested in using modern learning theories and want to adopt social media in e-learning in higher education as a deep learning strategy.</p>

scholarly journals Uses and Gratifications factors for social media use in teaching: Instructors’ perspectives

2016 ◽  
Vol 20 (2) ◽  
pp. 475-494 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anatoliy Gruzd ◽  
Caroline Haythornthwaite ◽  
Drew Paulin ◽  
Sarah Gilbert ◽  
Marc Esteve del Valle
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Social Media ◽  
Uses And Gratifications ◽  
Media Use ◽  
Resource Discovery ◽  
Learning Theories ◽  
Online Questionnaire ◽  
Social Media Use ◽  
Education Data ◽  
Use Of Social Media

This research was motivated by an interest in understanding how social media are applied in teaching in higher education. Data were collected using an online questionnaire, completed by 333 instructors in higher education, that asked about general social media use and specific use in teaching. Education and learning theories suggest three potential reasons for instructors to use social media in their teaching: (1) exposing students to practices, (2) extending the range of the learning environment, and (3) promoting learning through social interaction and collaboration. Answers to open-ended questions about how social media were used in teaching, and results of a factor analysis of coded results, revealed six distinct factors that align with these reasons for use: (1) facilitating student engagement, (2) instructor’s organization for teaching, (3) engagement with outside resources, (4) enhancing student attention to content, (5) building communities of practice, and (6) resource discovery. These factors accord with a Uses and Gratifications perspective that depicts adopters as active media users choosing and shaping media use to meet their own needs. Results provide a more comprehensive picture of social media use than found in previous work, encompassing not only the array of media used but also the range of purposes associated with use of social media in contemporary teaching initiatives.

scholarly journals SOCIAL MEDIA IN HIGHER EDUCATION AND ITS EFFECT ON GLOBAL CHALLENGE

2019 ◽  
Vol 2 (01) ◽  
Author(s):  
Harisa Mardiana
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Social Media ◽  
Learning Process ◽  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
Mixed Method Research ◽  
Global Challenge ◽  
Digital Devices ◽  
E Learning ◽  
Data Collection Technique ◽  
Use Of Social Media

My interest of doing the research is to investigate the effect of social media in higher education on globalization. As the learning process changes, social media takes a step ahead to present itself to support the learning process in campus. Furthermore, students can communicate and share everything about the content of learning with their peers, lecturers, staff and others. The changes refer to available demand on access toward contents, schedules, and news, in different time, location and digital devices that provide the user with the chance to interact through comments, feedback and creative participation. The objective of the research is to describe the problems faced by the stakeholders of the higher education regarding the use of social media in higher education context. The research found that ignorance or lack of preparation were the most significant challenges. In fact, innovation in learning has converged with all application in mobile device, and the change of learning has led to the new management. The design of the research was a mixed method research quantitative and qualitative method. Data collection technique was done through observation, questionnaires and interview and data analysis. The result of the research showed that social media in higher education need to be implemented in university. And the effect in higher education needed to be incorporated into curriculum for the learning by social media and the adoption of social media as a teaching and learning process including the program of e-learning.

USE OF BLENDED LEARNING IN HIGHER EDUCATION – SOME EXPERIENCES

2015 ◽  
Vol 37 (1) ◽  
pp. 54-67 ◽  
Author(s):  
R J Singh
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
South Africa ◽  
Distance Learning ◽  
Blended Learning ◽  
Learning Experiences ◽  
Learning Opportunities ◽  
Face To Face ◽  
E Learning ◽  
Face To Face Learning ◽  
Made In

This article reports on the use of blended learning in higher education. Blended learning has become popular in higher education in recent years. It is a move beyond traditional lecturing to incorporate face-to-face learning with e-learning, thereby creating a blend of learning experiences. The problem is that learning in higher education is complex and learning situations differ across contexts. Whilst there is face-to-face contact at some institutions, others offer distance learning or correspondence learning. In each context, the mode of learning may differ. The challenge is to cater for various learning opportunities through a series of learning interactions and to incorporate a blended approach. The aim of this study was to examine various ways of defining blended learning in different contexts. This was done through an examination of experiences of the use of blended learning in different higher education contexts. The study presents a case of blended learning in a postgraduate course. The experiences from all these cases are summarised and conclusions and recommendations are made in the context of blended learning in higher education in South Africa.

scholarly journals Unwaged Posts in UK Universities: Controversies and Campaigns

2015 ◽  
Vol 13 (2) ◽  
pp. 533-553 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kirsten Forkert ◽  
Ana Lopes
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Social Media ◽  
Trade Unions ◽  
Creative Industries ◽  
Early Career ◽  
Higher Education System ◽  
Use Of Social Media ◽  
The Uk ◽  
The University ◽  
Uk Higher Education

This article examines unwaged posts at UK universities, using recent examples of advertised job posts. While unpaid work is common in the UK higher education system, unwaged posts are not. The posts under scrutiny in this article differ from traditional honorary titles as they target early career academics, who are unlikely to have a paid position elsewhere, rather than established scholars. The article contextualizes the appearance of these posts in a climate of increasing marketization of higher education, entrenching managerialism in higher education institutions, and the casualization of academic work. We also discuss resistance to the posts, arguing that the controversy surrounding unpaid internships in the creative industries created a receptive environment for resisting unwaged posts in academia. We analyze the campaigns that were fought against the advertisement of the posts, mostly through social media and the University and College Union. We explore the tactics used and discuss the advantages and limitations of the use of social media, as well as the role of trade unions in the campaigns against these posts, and we reflect on what future campaigns can learn from these experiences.

Factors influencing the intention to use social media for work-related purposes at a South African higher education institution

2017 ◽  
Vol 1 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Liezel Cilliers ◽  
Willie T. Chinyamurindi ◽  
Kim Viljoen
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Social Media ◽  
South African ◽  
Education Institution ◽  
Behavioural Intention ◽  
Intention To Use ◽  
Higher Education Institution ◽  
Media Usage ◽  
Work Related ◽  
Use Of Social Media

Orientation: The rapid development of information communication technology (ICT) has changed much of contemporary society. ICT’s influence extends to the working context with ramifications not only for employees but also for the entire organisation.Research purpose: The primary purpose of this research was to investigate the behavioural intention of a sample of employees at a traditional higher education institution to make use of social media within the workplace.Motivation for the study: Social media has become a common tool within society for communication and networking purposes. An understanding of the factors that influence behavioural intention to use social media within the workplace can assist the organisation to better manage social media usage within the workplace.Research design, approach and method: The research adopted the positivism paradigm with a quantitative research approach. The data were analysed making use of exploratory factor analysis and multiple regression analysis. A traditional higher education institution was chosen as the research site for the study, relying on a convenience sample (n = 134) and data gathered using the work-related social media scale and behavioural intention to use scale.Main findings: Although most employees make use of social media for problem-solving and communication purposes already in the workplace, organisations should allow their employees to help manage their reputation on social media.Practical and managerial implications: An understanding of the factors that influence behavioural intention to use social media within the workplace can serve as a useful precursor for both employee and organisational-specific interventions. This study has specific relevance to the use of ICT platforms, such as social media, in traditional higher education institutions in South Africa. The study’s results are therefore useful to both employees as end-users and managers as drivers of such interventions in the workplace.Contribution: This study is one of the first within a South African work context to investigate social media usage in a traditional higher education institution and proposes a workplace social media usage framework (WSMUF) that helps not only employees but also the entire organisation to predict intention to use social media in the workplace.

Students’ Privacy Concerns on the Use of Social Media in Higher Education

2014 ◽  
pp. 54-75 ◽  
Author(s):  
Laura Aymerich-Franch ◽  
Maddalena Fedele
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Social Networks ◽  
Social Media ◽  
Undergraduate Students ◽  
Educational Institutions ◽  
Privacy Concerns ◽  
Use Of Social Media ◽  
The University ◽  
Video Calling ◽  
Correct Implementation

Social media is principally used by students in the private sphere. However, its implementation for educational purposes in higher education is rapidly expanding. This chapter looks into undergraduate students’ perceptions of using social media in the university context. In particular, it examines students’ privacy concerns regarding faculty use of social networks to support classroom work and video calling or online chats to meet for work discussion. Two-hundred-forty-four undergraduate students completed a survey and four focus groups were carried out. The results reveal that although students generally accept using social media in the instructional arena, privacy concerns can easily emerge. Educational institutions are encouraged to take these concerns seriously. Using applications specifically created for learning purposes and developing some guidelines for a correct implementation of these resources for the faculty to follow might contribute to alleviate these concerns.

How Social Media Tools are used in Research

2015 ◽  
pp. 830-850
Author(s):  
Anabela Mesquita ◽  
Ana Ramalho Correia ◽  
Diana Aguiar Vieira
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Social Media ◽  
Education Institution ◽  
Time And Space ◽  
Higher Education Institution ◽  
Social Media Tools ◽  
Use Of Social Media ◽  
Reasons For Use

Social media tools are being widely used. Every day we witness new tools appearing or new features being added to already existing tools. Their characteristics allow us to communicate and collaborate without time and space constraints. Moreover, they also help us in the development and creation of new content as well as in the sharing and publishing of it. Since they are so popular, can it be that researchers are also using them in the research workflow process? If they use them, what are the most commonly used tools and their reasons for use? These are some of the questions addressed in this chapter. The authors analyse responses given by a higher education institution to a questionnaire on the use of social media tools. These findings contribute to a greater understanding of the importance of these tools for research purposes.

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