Social Media in Higher Education:
As I look back, this is actually the first course where social media has been intentionally integrated as part of the learning experience. In previous courses, I've used platforms like LinkedIn, but that was primarily for professional networking rather than as an educational tool.
I've never been given the opportunity to explore social media through the lens of professional and academic growth. In fact, most of my courses rarely incorporated external tools that required students to create personal accounts. I've created blogs and used tools like Canva, but I haven't had coursework that involved building or maintaining a social media presence.
One aspect of this course that I appreciate is the opportunity to use an alias and a separate email address while exploring these platforms. Before the course began, I was concerned about how much my personal and academic social media identities would overlap. Having the option to keep those spaces separate has made me much more comfortable with engaging online.
As I think about why some instructors may hesitate to incorporate social media into higher education, I imagine they are considering many of the same concerns their students have. Some students may be uncomfortable using social media for coursework, particularly if they are not given the option to maintain some level of anonymity. Instructors also need to be knowledgeable about the platforms they ask students to use in order to effectively integrate them into the learning experience (Gülbahar et al., 2017). Additionally, when grades are riding on participation on SoMe, what happens if the site is having technical issues? Is the student penalized for this?
Despite these barriers, I do see the benefits. In today's social media-driven society, incorporating these platforms into learning can provide meaningful opportunities for engagement through microlearning. Together, microlearning and social media can foster critical thinking, increase interaction, support personalized learning, and accommodate a variety of learning styles (Gülbahar et al., 2017).
Overall, I believe social media can be a valuable addition to higher education when it is implemented thoughtfully. Institutions should provide instructors with the training and support they need to use these tools effectively (Gülbahar et al., 2017). Educators should carefully select the platforms they incorporate into their courses and provide students with opportunities to maintain some level of anonymity. Setting clear and realistic expectations is also essential. When these elements are in place, social media has the potential to increase learner engagement while supporting both academic and professional growth.
Sources:
Gülbahar, Y., Rapp, C., Kilis, S., & Sitnikova, A. (2017). Enriching higher education with social media: Development and evaluation of a social media toolkit. The International Review of Research in Open and Distributed Learning, 18(1). https://doi.org/10.19173/irrodl.v18i1.2656
Ashley, I’m so happy to read this post! 😊 I remember that at the beginning of the course you were understandably hesitant about using social media in an educational context, so it’s been really rewarding to see how your perspective has evolved over the semester. I especially liked your point about having the option to use an alias and a separate email address. I think that flexibility lowers the barrier to participation and allows students to focus on learning rather than worrying about their online identity. Your conclusion also resonates with me: social media can be a powerful learning tool when it is intentionally designed, supported by instructors, and implemented with students' privacy and comfort in mind. It’s been great seeing your reflections develop throughout this course! Go beyond!
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