Student engagement and social media in tertiary education: The perception and experience from the Ghanaian public university

Abstract

Abstract The use of social media across the educational setting is on the rise. Subsequently, the body of research on this topic is vivacious and rising. Recent study has discussed the chances associated with the use of social media instruments in the classroom, but has not examined students’ own views on the role of social media in enhancing their educational experience. This study explores students’ perception on social media as an effective teaching instrument. The respondents, undergraduates from the University for Development Studies, took a banking and finance course and were asked about their social media usage, their preferences and their perception concerning the use of social media in tertiary/higher education. Other qualitative data on students were collected to explore the motivations for using social media in education and the views of teachers and universities. The results divulge the openness of using social media in education, uncover the interaction and information motivation of its use, and provide theoretical and pedagogical significance. Notably, we offer understandings into how educators can strategically incorporate social media tools into the classroom as well as how the use of social media can potentially affect students’ views of the instructor and the university.