Examining academic members' interaction and information-sharing patterns in higher education

Abstract

How data is shared among employees at one or two schools and colleges in Urdaneta City, Pangasinan was investigated by the researchers. Various analytical methods such as chi-square, thematic analysis, weighted average mean, frequency and percentage analysis, and average weighted mean were employed to analyze the data. It was found that the majority of responses were from individuals aged between 18 and 38, predominantly male, working in the college of education at open Access to Higher Education Institutions (HEI), and accessing or checking their Facebook accounts once to three or more times per day. Participants showed a strong interest in retrieving information related to teaching and learning, current events and news, entertainment, fitness, love, and family through social media platforms. The research findings suggest that factors such as age, level of education, course group, and time spent on social media can influence the way individuals share information. Among various social networking sites (SNS), Facebook emerged as the most popular tool for education and training purposes. The respondents identified the chat function, information exchange feature, and page feature as their preferred means for facilitating collaboration among instructors. However, ethical concerns regarding the use of social networking sites were also raised.