Researchers: Amy Adolph, Katheleen Andrews, Michelle Hill, Vinata Kulkarni, Constance Raaz, and Steve Wyre Social Media in Online University Courses Copyright

Researchers: Amy Adolph, Katheleen Andrews, Michelle Hill, Vinata Kulkarni, Constance Raaz, and Steve Wyre

Social Media in Online University Courses

Copyright (c) 2014 by Faculty Research Group - All Rights Reserved. This presentation may not be copied or distributed in whole or in part without the written consent of the Faculty Research Group Executive Office.

Presenting Researchers: Michelle Hill, Vinata Kulkarni Academic Forum Conference Santa Rosa, CA

June22-25, 2014

Authors Note: Special Thanks to the Faculty Research Group for Sponsoring this research endeavor and to Louise Underdahl for supervising.


Social Media in Online University Courses

Quantitative Study of Instructors Participating in Online College Courses

Literature Review


What is Social Media …..?

A group of Internet-based applications that build on the ideological and technological foundations

Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Wiki, and YouTube platforms for social engagement and direct communications

Leading Sentence


Why?

social media tools change the way people communicate with one another

The question becomes whether tools influence academic achievement as well as personal communication processes.


Purpose of the Study To evaluate the effectiveness of

online social media used as a supplemental teaching aid by the faculty and the social media, which is integrated into the classroom instructional design


Importance for the Field of Higher Education

Student engagement and retention to online universities.

Whether incorporation of social media tools initiated, are effective to the academic instructional strategy for teaching online courses.


Research Questions

R1. How do social media tools, used as instruction techniques in online classes, affect student engagement and success in online class?

Ho1. Teachers who use social media instructional tools will have a higher rate of student engagement than teachers who do not use social media tools.


Research Questions

Ha1. Teachers who use social media instructional tools will have the same rate of student engagement as teachers who do not use social media tools.

Potential further research questions and hypotheses (see Appendix B).


Supplementary Research Questions

R1. What difference rate is there for online facilitators who use social media within their classes as supplemental learning tools compared to those who do not?R2. What factors are associated with online

facilitators choosing to use social media within their classes as supplemental learning tools?

R3. How beneficial is the use of social media as instructional tools in promoting online student learning?



R4. What difference rates for retention are found in classes where social media are used and classes where social media is not used?

R5. What difference in percentage rates for students and facilitators are there for those who desire the use of social media and those who do not?

R6. For online instructors who use social media, which ones are utilized?



R7. What difference in rates for retention are found in classes with teaching population’s age and years of experience and where social media was used and classes where social media was not used.


Additional Research QuestionsAdditional research can be conducted to investigate the use of social media tools with students at other institutions, both online and ground-based


Methodology

Quantitative Online survey study To provide an initial evaluation on the

potential effectiveness of using social media as part of the classroom instructional design

Some studies have begun to examine the efficacy of social media, but there remains a lack of specific information specifically applicable to the online student population of online classes at universities.


Methodology

The purpose of the current research study is to evaluate the effectiveness of online social media used as a supplemental teaching aid by the faculty and the social media which is standardized into the classroom instructional design.

Use of an online survey method to collect the quantitative data.


Methodology

Convenience sample of facilitators who volunteer to participate with at least 30 instructors who use social media as instructional tools and 30 instructors who do not use social media as instructional tools.

Faculty who indicated their willingness to participate from the convenience sample, will be asked to post a student survey in their respective course rooms.


Methodology

An adequate response rate (of 5%) is expected to produce a convenience sample

Subject matter experts (SMEs) in instructional technology will participate in a structured process to validate the surveys called a Delphi Technique, initially developed by the RAND Corporation in the 1950s for the US Air Force to enable faster consensus by experts (Adler & Ziglio, 1996).


Methodology

An online survey company, such as Survey Monkey, will be used to host the surveys. To maintain compliance with IRB regulations, no information will be gathered or provided by the survey company that will identify participants in any way.

Survey participants will be required to agree to informed consent, which outlines in accordance with the IRB.


Data Analysis

The use of a Likert-type scale and categorical questions in the surveys, parametric statistics cannot be used to analyze the data.

A chi-square test is appropriate to analyze the nominal variables and a Mann-Whitney test will be used to analyze ordinal variable data. SPSS version 20 will be used to conduct the statistical tests.


Appendix

To add some required info


MethodologyType of Study

Data Collectiono Survey

Key Informationo Success Factors

Analysiso Bullet

Dateso Bullet


The quantitative analysis will provide the basis for insight that may help to determine the effectiveness of social media as a teaching tool and the potential impact on virtual college classrooms.

Conclusion


Questions?

References

Adler, M., & Ziglio, E. (Eds.). (1996). Gazing into the Oracle: The Delphi method and its application to social policy and public health. London, England, UK: Kingsley. Almeida, M. (2005). Core principles of brain-based learning. Retrieved from http://twcinternational.20fr.com/custom2.html Blankenship, M. (2011). How social media can and should impact higher education. Education Digest, 76(7), 39-42. Boyer, E. (1990). Scholarship reconsidered: Priorities of the professoriate. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press. Boyle, F., Kwon, J., Ross, C., & Simpson, O. (2010). Student-student mentoring for retention and engagement in distance education. Open Learning, 25(2), 115-130. doi: 10.1080/02680511003787370 Campbell, R., Martin, C. R., & Fabos, B. (2012). Media & culture: An introduction to mass communication (8th ed.). New York, NY: Bedford/St. Martin. Center for Post Secondary and Economic Education. (2011, June 29). Yesterday's Nontraditional Student is Today's Traditional Student. Clasp.org. Retrieved from http://www.clasp.org/admin/site/publications/files/Nontraditional-Students-Facts-2011.pdf

Glisczinski, D. J., (2011). Lighting up the mind: Transforming learning through the applied scholarship of cognitive neuroscience. International Journal for the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning, 5(1). Retrieved from http://dspaceprod.georgiasouthern.edu:8080/jspui/bitstream/10518/4221/1/_Glisczinski.pdf Kaplan, A. M., & Haenlein, M. (2010). Users of the world, unite! The challenges and opportunities of social media. Business Horizons, 53(1), 59-68. doi: 10.1016/j.bushor.2009.09.003 Koohang, A. Floyd, K., Smith, T., & Skovira, R. (2010). The hype of using social networking as a tool for learning in e-learning. Issues in Information Systems, 11(2), 30-36. Retrieved from http://iacis.org/iis/2010/30-36_LV2010_1398.pdf LeNoue, M., Hall, T., & Eighmy, M. A. (2011). Adult education and the social media revolution. Adult learning, 22(2), 4-12. McGuckin, D., & Ladhani, M. (2010). The brains behind brain-based research: The tale of two postsecondary online learners. College Quarterly, 13(3). Retrieved from http://www.senecac.on.ca/quarterly/2010-vol13-num03-summer/mcguckin-ladhani.html

http://dspaceprod.georgiasouthern.edu:8080/jspui/bitstream/10518/4221/1/_Glisczinski.pdf

http://dspaceprod.georgiasouthern.edu:8080/jspui/bitstream/10518/4221/1/_Glisczinski.pdf

http://iacis.org/iis/2010/30-36_LV2010_1398.pdf

http://www.senecac.on.ca/quarterly/2010-vol13-num03-summer/mcguckin-ladhani.html

http://www.senecac.on.ca/quarterly/2010-vol13-num03-summer/mcguckin-ladhani.html

Moran, M., Seaman, J., & Tinti-Kane, H. (2011) Teaching, learning, and sharing: How today’s higher education faculty use social media. Retrieved from http://www.pearsonlearningsolutions.com/educators/pearson-social-media-survey-2011-bw.pdf Reuben, R. (2008). The use of social media in higher education for marketing and communications: A guide for professionals in higher education. Retrieved from http://doteduguru.com/id423-social-media-uses-higher-education-marketing-communication.html Rutherford, C. (2010). Using online social media to support preservice student engagement. MERLOT Journal of Online Learning and Teaching, 6(4), 703-711. Retrieved from http://jolt.merlot.org/vol6no4/rutherford_1210.htm Salazar, J. (2010). Staying connected: Online education engagement and retention using educational technology tools. Clinical Laboratory Science, 23(3 Suppl), 53-58. Spellman, N. (2007). Enrollment and retention barriers adult students encounter. Community College Enterprise, 13(21), 63-79. Retrieved from http://www.schoolcraft.edu/pdfs/cce/13.1.63-79.pdf

http://doteduguru.com/id423-social-media-uses-higher-education-marketing-communication.html

http://doteduguru.com/id423-social-media-uses-higher-education-marketing-communication.html

http://jolt.merlot.org/vol6no4/rutherford_1210.htm

Wyatt, L. G. (2011). Nontraditional student engagement: Increasing adult student success and retention. Journal of Continuing Higher Education, 59(1), 10-20. doi: 10.1080/07377363.2011.544977 Youmei, L. (2010). Social media tools as a learning resource. Journal of Educational Technology Development & Exchange, 3(1), 101-114.


Contact Information

Vinata Kulkarni, Ph.D [email protected]

Michelle Hill, Ed.D [email protected]

Documents

Researchers: Amy Adolph, Katheleen Andrews, Michelle Hill, Vinata Kulkarni, Constance Raaz, and Steve Wyre Social Media in Online University Courses Copyright