Abstract
In this paper, we explore the benefits of using social media in an online educational setting, with a particular focus on the use of Facebook and Twitter by participants in a Massive Open Online Course (MOOC) developed to enable educators to learn about the Carpe Diem learning design process. We define social media as digital social tools and environments located outside of the provision of a formal university-provided Learning Management System. We use data collected via interviews and surveys with the MOOC participants as well as social media postings made by the participants throughout the MOOC to offer insights into how participants’ usage and perception of social media in their online learning experiences differed and why. We identified that, although some participants benefitted from social media by crediting it, for example, with networking and knowledge-sharing opportunities, others objected or refused to engage with social media, perceiving it as a waste of their time. We make recommendations for the usage of social media for educational purposes within MOOCs and formal digital learning environments.Keywords: MOOCs; social media; learning design; online identity; Facebook; Twitter(Published: 15 December 2015)Citation: Research in Learning Technology 2015, 23: 28507 - http://dx.doi.org/10.3402/rlt.v23.28507
Highlights
Non-institutionally provided digital environments bring both opportunities and challenges to digital learning
Those who reported being uncomfortable using social media cited three main reasons for not wanting to engage in social media for their formal learning. They did not believe that there was any learning value in using social media sites, and that it was a waste of their time
They found the social media landscape too confusing and intimidating. They did not want to blur what they perceived as the socialprofessional divide
Summary
Non-institutionally provided digital environments bring both opportunities and challenges to digital learning. Amongst the opportunities is the ability for online students to learn anywhere, on an array of devices, on multiple online platforms, and in their own time, allowing for personal flexibility and choice. The challenges of online learning include becoming skillful in and comfortable with new technology, developing ways to relate to and communicate with other learners online, and becoming comfortable about having an online presence and digital identity
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