Abstract
Prior to the COVID 19 pandemic, discussions about online learning referred to the use of e-learning platforms and social networks as auxiliary tools in the educational process. Due to the pandemic, universities were forced to adopt an exclusive online teaching process and most universities today use platforms dedicated to online learning such as Moodle platforms. In this context, we were interested in analyzing the attitude of students regarding the way social networks could be integrated into the educational process, and if the positive attitude of students towards social networks and their use for academic purposes, proven in previous studies, remains positive under the conditions generated by the pandemic. In this regard, the present study aimed at identifying the attitude of Romanian students towards the use of Facebook and Instagram as educational tools and the circumstances in which students believe these platforms could be used by them and their teachers. An online survey was conducted on 872 students from public higher education institutions in Romania. Based on the exploratory factor analysis and the parametric test, the empirical results show that students have a slightly positive attitude towards using Facebook in the educational process, but they have a more reticent, less positive attitude towards using Instagram. Thus, the most appropriate contexts in which these platforms could be used are represented by extracurricular activities. A higher preference for the use of Facebook rather than Instagram, was identified among master and PhD students. No major differences were revealed in student subgroups sorted by gender or study domain.
Highlights
In the age of technology, the online environment and its fast evolution has managed to eradicate the barriers of physical distance in the communication process, facilitating the development of new methods of sharing and receiving information
The means (Table 2) indicate that most students tended to have slightly positive attitudes towards Facebook, since the mean scores all greater 4, ranging from 4.81 to 5.53, but students did not provide high scores, or scores close to the maximum score possible-7, to none of the dimensions analyzed. This results may suggest that students believe that the use of Facebook could be beneficial during the educational process, but most likely students consider it a complementary tool that could be used occasionally
In consideration to the use of social media for formalized educational purposes, students believe teachers could use Facebook for providing answers to their questions concerning class projects and tasks, inviting professionals in their respective field for debates on varied subjects, sharing their experience related to professional activity, conducting surveys/polls on certain matters that concern the development of the courses and seminars, and, informing students about any type of changes regarding the courses or the deadlines for their projects.As we previously stated, our research revealed that Instagram is not given a central place in the educational process, but this platform could be used in certain circumstances, occasionally, in order to diversify the activities that are carried out during the courses or the seminars
Summary
In the age of technology, the online environment and its fast evolution has managed to eradicate the barriers of physical distance in the communication process, facilitating the development of new methods of sharing and receiving information.
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Free) 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
