Tuesday, April 7, 2015

EDU 6215 Article 2: student engagement with media



Reference:
Junco, R., & Heiberger, G., & Loken, E. (2011). The effect of Twitter on college student engagement and grades. Journal of Computer Assisted Learning, 27 (2), 119-132. Retrieved from http://web.b.ebscohost.com/ehost/detail/detail?vid=2&sid=9367a513-cac8-4003-aca0-1fca4b00dfc7%40sessionmgr115&hid=106&bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWhvc3QtbGl2ZSZzY29wZT1zaXRl#db=a9h&AN=59268352

The article I read discussed using social media, specifically Twitter, to increase student engagement in college courses.  Engagement covers areas such as energy put forth in the class, participation, and out of class activity related to the material.  The main idea behind increasing student engagement in college is to assist students in achieving their ultimate goal, which is often a degree in a specified field.  If student engagement increases, logically this would mean students are more successful in terms of grades, and thus more likely to continue to pursue their degree.  The study sought to answer these two questions: 1. What effect does encouraging the use of Twitter for educationally relevant purposes have on student engagement? 2. What effect does encouraging the use of Twitter for educationally relevant purposes have on semester grades?  The study was conducted with seven sections of a one credit introductory seminar specifically taken by pre-health majors.  Thus although the sample was somewhat diverse in terms of ethnicity, it did not have a diversity in regards to varying majors.  This is one of the limitations of the results of the study that will be discussed later.  There were four experimental sections that used Twitter during the semester, and three sections for the control group.  Both groups used Ning, a social networking site that replaces a learning management system that is typical of other colleges.  There were 125 students in the study to begin, and seven dropped out as the semester progressed. The ages of the students were all between 17-20, and this is another important aspect of the sample used.
The method of the study was to introduce Twitter to the experimental groups, which included the basic training for how to use Twitter.  Then throughout the semester, particularly assignments were completed or enhanced using Twitter.  Some other aspects of the semester also transferred to Twitter, such as class updates, arrangement of study groups, academic supports, etc.  The students used Twitter for assignments to post responses to required readings, ask questions about the course, and comment on other student’s opinions.  The average number of tweets sent out by a student in the experimental group during the semester was 48.20.
Several results were seen at the end of the study.  In relation to the two main questions that were asked before the student began, there were positive results to share.  For the first question about student engagement, students in the experimental group had significantly higher scores in favor of positive engagement.  These scores were obtained by a pre and post-test that asked students to answer questions about their engagement for the course.  Also for the second question, students in the experimental group ended the semester with GPAs that were significantly higher than the control group.  Thus it seems that Twitter may have a beneficial impact on the overall learning outcomes of a college course. 
Some reason behind why the results may have been so positive is that Twitter alleviated several issues for students that they typically face in a college course.  Twitter was able to make students feel more connected to their instructor and the course.  Since the course was only one credit, it is difficult to create a community with such a short amount of time.  Twitter allowed students to interact outside the classroom, in a very non-threatening manner.  Thus Twitter significantly deepened the discussion the students were able to have in regards to required readings.  In addition, student relationships developed much faster through Twitter, because were less afraid to share their opinion.  Also Twitter gave students a sense of relief because through the channels of Twitter they were able to voice their anxiety about course material.  Once students started realizing that they were not the only one who was having issues, that bonded together to form study groups.  This is likely the reason for the increase in GPA for the semester, because these students also took other classes together since they were all pre-health majors.  Thus the benefit of Twitter quickly spilled over into other academic areas. 
There are several important implications about this study.  One of the biggest issues in college is student attendance and participation.  Twitter appears to be a tool that would allow students to interact more often, creating an education community that they can rely on to assist them in the completion of their courses.  When students feel engaged, they are more likely to show up for class.  This becomes a snowball effect, as the community and attendance spur on more success.  The second big implication about this study is that instructors can extended their course outside of class time.  In order for students to be successful in many courses, they need to be thinking about the subject more than just the few hours of class time.  Assignments through Twitter create more opportunities for students to be engaging in the material of the class.  The more immersed a student can become, the better the chance that student is successful and continues on in their program of study.

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