Social Media as a Teaching and Learning Tool in Higher Education: A Case of Daystar University School of Communication
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Date
2019-11
Authors
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Daystar University, School of Communication
Abstract
The purpose of this study was to examine the extent to which the School of Communication faculty and students used social media for teaching and learning and how this affected the students’ learning process. Its objectives were to; determine the extent to which social media as a tool for teaching and learning was adopted, evaluate the specific social media platforms used as tools for teaching and learning and examine the role integration of social media into traditional teaching on the students’ learning process. Exploratory sequential research design was adopted which involved both quantitative and qualitative approaches. The study purposively targeted Daystar University School of Communication undergraduate students, heads of departments and faculty members. Purposive sampling technique was used to select a sample size of 272 respondents. Further, questionnaires and interviews were used in data collection which was analyzed using thematic analysis approach and the statistical package for social sciences (SPSS) version 23. It was established that there was extensive use of social media by students mainly for informal collaborative learning (60.3%), where students gained from fellow students without depending on the lecturer (79.8%), students participated in course discussion with colleagues (20.7%) and shared course content with fellow students (97%). It was also found that a variety of social media platforms were used for academic work, including Google Plus (24.1%), YouTube (20.1%) and WhatsApp (15.5%). Integration of social media into traditional teaching approaches helped in communication, learning ability, collaboration, problem solving, access to information and productivity. The researcher concludes that there was a significant relationship between social media use and effective learning and teaching processes since it improved communication, collaboration, problem solving and teacher productivity. The study recommends that lecturers need to realize students' learning preferences, integrate technological tools, utilize suitable instructional methods, and institute the most appropriate techniques.
Description
Master of Arts
in Communication
Keywords
Social Media, Teaching and Learning Tool, Higher Education, Daystar University School of Communication
Citation
Kamau, H. (2020). Social Media as a Teaching and Learning Tool in Higher Education: A Case of Daystar University School of Communication. Daystar University, School of Communication: Nairobi