A recent study used social networking website Twitter as part of college courses to show that technology and social media increase the amount of student engagement in a class and improve grades.
The November study, which will be printed in the Journal of Computer Assisted Learning, says it was done to prove that Twitter can be used well as an educational tool.
The study, done at an undisclosed school, researched the effect the use of Twitter for educationally relevant purposes has on student engagement and grades.
Students in four sections of a one-credit, first-year seminar course for pre-health professional majors were asked to create Twitter accounts and follow one another on the site. They were also asked to follow an account set up specifically for the study.
Three other sections followed the course curriculum as previously outlined without using a social networking site.
Because the class only met for one hour each week, students used Twitter pages to continue class discussions and receive reminders for due dates and dates of exams.
The authors of the study also found that students were more likely to ask questions on Twitter than in class.
The students were required to post and reply to tweets from their classmates, read online articles and participate in discussions to do well in the class.
The study’s authors found that students participating in the Twitter class earned significantly higher GPAs than those in the normal class.
This is the first study done to prove that social media, when used as an educational tool, can improve students’ grades and increase involvement in classes, according to the Journal of Computer Assisted Learning.
Kristin Alonso, nursing junior, said she doesn’t use Twitter but would be interested in participating in such a program if the University adopted it.
Alonso said she tends to learn more in classes that discuss topics instead of ones that only consist of lectures.
“The best classes are always discussion classes,” she said.
Alonso also said she thinks participating in the class would be easy because the Internet is so accessible.
Adrien Amyx, biology junior, said she agrees with Alonso.
“That would be pretty neat,” she said. “Everyone’s on Facebook anyway.”
James Yarborough, marketing junior, said he thought he would find the class too time-consuming.
“I usually get all my information from Moodle and my e-mail,” Yarborough said. “I don’t want to have to check Twitter, too.”
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Contact Rachel Warren at [email protected]