Faculty Perceptions of Social Media as a Teaching and Learning Tool

Abstract

Social media has become pervasive. Some see it as a new media for enhancing the teaching and learning environment. It is rich in tools which can help enhance interaction, discussion and sharing of learning resources. This study investigates King Abdulziz University (KAU) instructors' perceptions of social media as a teaching and learning tool. Data were collected using a specially designed survey during the academic year 2013/2014. The sample size was 507 instructors of different ages and genders representing various KAU colleges. The results indicate that a subset of KAU instructors are using social media tools in their teaching and have the desire to integrate social media as a tool in their teaching at university. Survey outcome signifies prevailing interest and positive potential in adoption of social media into the teaching and learning environment. The paper also reports gender significant differences on preferred social media tools and purposes of social media usage. The findings support the advantages of social media in teaching and learning and do not indicate any obvious disadvantages. They include identification of dominant perceptions pertaining to advantages and disadvantages of social media in teaching and learning. These can help discern possible issues relating to using social media as a teaching and learning tool. Index Terms - Social media, teaching and learning, instructor perception, perception difference, gender difference and entertainment (3). This has generated speculation on their use and possible positive and negative implications, in both the short and the long terms. As several studies demonstrate, social media interaction could have positive and negative effects on students. They can provide flexibility in learning, stimulate innovative ideas, and increase interpersonal relationships among students and instructors. These tools, however, can have negative impacts on students as they might distract their attention from the learning process, reduce their physical social interaction and be potentially addictive. Although some studies have investigated the impact of social media on instructors, few have focused on Saudi Arabia. Hence, this study should contribute valuable findings. Its purpose is to explore the impact of social media on instructors at King Abdulaziz University (KAU). This quantitative study focuses on the common factors affecting KAU instructors' preferences and perceptions of the impact of social media on teaching and learning. A research questionnaire was designed to determine the factors that may affect instructors. Through analysis of the data, the study attempts to detect the positive and negative impacts on preferences and perceptions; and to