LOYOLA UNIVERSITY CHICAGO
Social Media as a Pedagogical Tool
Presented by Stacy Neier and Linda Tuncay Zayer • August 16, 2012
Social Media?
• What is social media?
– “a variety of new sources of online information that
are created, circulated, and used by consumers intent
on educating each other about products, brands,
services, personalities, and issues.” (Mangold and
Faulds 2009)
– “a group of Internet based applications that build on
the ideological and technological foundations of Web
2.0 and that allow the creation and exchange of User
Generated Content.” (Kaplan and Haenlein 2010)
Social Media in Education?
• Students are “digital natives” (Tapscott 2009)
• Past scholars have advocated the use of social
software in education (Trinder et al. 2008;
Leslie and Landon 2007) or defined best
practices (Dunlap and Lowenthal 20090
• Other researchers have warned of risks
(Franklin and van Harmelen (2007) such as
privacy, copyright, data ownership, literacy
Research Question
• What are students’ experiences with the use of
social media?
– (Are they really digital natives in all aspects? See
the work of Eszter Hargittai)
• What are their perceptions on the use of social
media to enhance their education?
Literature: Experience with Social
Software
Males and younger students in a distance
learning course had more positive attitudes
towards technology and greater experience with
social software
Source: Poelhuber and Anderson (2011), “Distance Students’ Readiness for
Social Media and Collaboration,” International Review of Research in Open and
Distance Learning, 12 (6), 102-125.
Literature: Career Exploration &
Social Networking
Younger students (18-20 yrs) spent less time on
career exploration/research than older students
(21-24 yrs) in a business school.
Source: Zula, Yarrish, and Pawelzik (2011), “An Analysis of the Differences
Between Students Age and Social Networking Utilization Within a Business
School,” American Journal of Business Education, 4 (9), 37-42.
Literature: YouTube Experiential
Learning Project
Inclusion of YouTube project was associated with
student motivation, engagement, team
management, and communication skills, as well
knowledge of viral marketing
Source: Payne, Campbell, Bal and Piercy (2011), “Placing a hand in the Fire:
Assessing the Impact of a YouTube Experiential Learning Project on Viral
Marketing Knowledge,” Journal of Marketing Education, 33 (2), 204.
Literature: Use of Twitter
Students engaged in Twitter use with the
professor, they felt better prepared for future
careers and that it facilitated achieving
educational goals.
Source: Rinaldo, Tapp and Laverie (2011), Learning by Tweeting: Using Twitter
as a Pedagogical Tool, Journal of Marketing Education, 33 (2),193-203.
Literature: Using Twitter
Students had a significantly greater increase
in engagement AND higher semester grade
point averages.
Source: Junco, Heiberger and Loken (2011), The effect of Twitter on college
student engagement and grades, Journal of Computer Assisted Learning, 27
(2), 119-132.
Literature: Use of Clickers
Positive student attitudes and learning
experiences related with the use of personal
response clickers in marketing courses
Source: Sprague and Dahl (2010), “Learning to Click: An Evaluation of the
Personal Response System Clicker Technology in Introductory Marketing
Courses,” Journal of Marketing Education, 32 (1), 93.
Using iPads
• Students using iPads in the Chronicle of Higher
Education (1/10/12)
– Traditional streak
– Smartphone still easier
– Give-back factor
– Excelled in reading and viewing
Source: http://chronicle.com/blogs/profhacker/what-ive-learned-from-teaching-with-ipads/37877
Our journey
• Faculty Innovators Pilot Program: Use of iPad
Whiteboards
• Phase I: Exploration (Spring 2011-Fall 2011)
– Utilized Social Media & Technology in Class
• Linda: igNation videos and Twitter (and others)
• Stacy: in-class engagement during presentations,
MARK311 Qualtrics survey projects
• Phase II: Survey of Student Perceptions
– Intro to Marketing Students (N=138)
SPRING 2011 MARK 201
Do you have a Twitter (www.twitter.com) account?
#
Answer
Response
%
1
Yes
24
39%
2
No
38
61%
Total
62
100%
Statistic
Value
Min Value
1
Max Value
2
Mean
1.61
Variance
0.24
Standard Deviation
0.49
Total Responses
62
SPRING 2011 MARK 201 Do you consider your Twitter
usage as...
#
Answer
Response
%
1
professional
1
4%
2
recreational
14
58%
3
both professional and
recreational
9
38%
Total
24
100%
Statistic
Value
Min Value
1
Max Value
3
Mean
2.33
Variance
0.32
Standard Deviation
0.56
Total Responses
24
SPRING 2011 MARK 201 Would you consider signing up
for a Twitter account?
#
Answer
Response
%
1
Yes
46
74%
2
No
16
26%
Total
62
100%
Statistic
Value
Min Value
1
Max Value
2
Mean
1.26
Variance
0.19
Standard Deviation
0.44
Total Responses
62
SPRING 2011 MARK 201 Do you use a social
bookmarking site like http://www.delicious.com/ ?
#
Answer
Response
%
1
Yes
3
5%
2
No
59
95%
Total
62
100%
Statistic
Value
Min Value
1
Max Value
2
Mean
1.95
Variance
0.05
Standard Deviation
0.22
Total Responses
62
SPRING 2011 MARK 201 Would you consider using a
social bookmarking site?
#
Answer
Response
%
1
Yes
11
18%
2
Maybe, if given the
appropriate information
to decide.
44
71%
3
No
7
11%
Total
62
100%
Statistic
Value
Min Value
1
Max Value
3
Mean
1.94
Variance
0.29
Standard Deviation
0.54
Total Responses
62
SPRING 2011 MARK 201 Twitter added value to the
original Microtrends objectives.
#
Answer
Response
%
1
True
14
93%
2
False
1
7%
Total
15
100%
Statistic
Value
Min Value
1
Max Value
2
Mean
1.07
Variance
0.07
Standard Deviation
0.26
Total Responses
15
SPRING 2011 MARK 311
Do you consider your Twitter usage as...
#
Answer
Response
%
1
professional
1
3%
2
recreational
11
37%
3
both professional and
recreational
18
60%
Total
30
100%
Statistic
Value
Min Value
1
Max Value
3
Mean
2.57
Variance
0.32
Standard Deviation
0.57
Total Responses
30
SPRING 2011 MARK 311 Would you consider signing up
for a Twitter account?
#
Answer
Response
%
1
Yes
33
55%
2
Maybe, if provided with
the right information
about its use.
13
22%
3
No
14
23%
Total
60
100%
Statistic
Value
Min Value
1
Max Value
3
Mean
1.68
Variance
0.69
Standard Deviation
0.83
Total Responses
60
SPRING 2011 MARK 311 Do you use a social
bookmarking site such as
http://www.delicious.com/ ?
#
Answer
Response
%
1
Yes
2
3%
2
No
58
97%
Total
60
100%
Statistic
Value
Min Value
1
Max Value
2
Mean
1.97
Variance
0.03
Standard Deviation
0.18
Total Responses
60
SPRING 2011 MARK 311 Would you consider using a
social bookmarking site?
#
Answer
Response
%
1
Yes
8
13%
2
Maybe, if provided with
the right information
about its use.
42
70%
3
No
10
17%
Total
60
100%
Statistic
Value
Min Value
1
Max Value
3
Mean
2.03
Variance
0.30
Standard Deviation
0.55
Total Responses
60
SPRING 2011 MARK 311 Do you have a Twitter
(www.twitter.com) account?
#
Answer
Response
%
1
Yes
30
50%
2
No
30
50%
Total
60
100%
Statistic
Value
Min Value
1
Max Value
2
Mean
1.50
Variance
0.25
Standard Deviation
0.50
Total Responses
60
Student comments: Two Mark 310
sections, Fall 2011 (Linda’s courses)
• End of the term feedback form, approx. 80
students
Technology in general
• “We used technology in every class, which was helpful
because it keeps us in the loop with technology, trend
and society today.”
• “It was very helpful in understanding the material
especially the Youtube videos.”
• “I enjoyed every use of technology as it made the class
more relevant to this digital age. Everything tied in
perfectly and really added to the class experience.”
• “Using those technologies were very helpful and
interesting. It made learning more fun and added an
element of professionalism. “
Ipad Whiteboard App
• “Whiteboard though was a cool interactive
tool!”
• “The iPad was a fun way to involve the class in
discussion.”
• “I thought the iPad stuff was cool, but don’t
see it as necessary (could have used white
board)…”
• “Whiteboard was forgettable.”
igNation
• Group projects on a topic related to consumer
ethics
– Written paper
– Presentation
– Video
igNation
• “Videos- loved that! Got to be creative
ourselves. “
• “…the videos on ignation were a good
addition to the project.”
• “I think it should be an option to either do a
video or longer presentation. Both are a lot of
work but equally effective.”
• “The videos were fun to watch, but not fun to
make.”
Twitter in and out of the classroom
• Students asked questions
real time during final project
presentations
• Students formed small 5
person groups, had 30
minutes to capture examples
of sensory marketing on
Michigan Avenue
– Photos and twitter
– Groups make informal
presentations
Technology & Twitter
in MARK311 Consumer Survey
Twitter: Pervasive but with limits
200 million
90%
Active registered
users
Percentage of tweets
driven by power users
18%
19%
14%
9%
Penetration
rate among
18-24 year
olds in the
U.S. who are
Internet users
Penetration
rate among
25-34 year
olds in the
U.S. who are
Internet users
Penetration
rate among
35-44 year
olds in the
U.S. who are
Internet users
Penetration
rate among
45-54 year
olds in the
U.S. who are
Internet users
Source: comScore and Pew, May 2011
Twitter 
• “I thought it was great! More professors should implement
the initiative in their classrooms. It engages students on a
more social level and helps the material be more relatable.”
• “Twitter was a unique way to interact with the class and
fellow classmates presenting.”
• “I enjoyed using twitter during class, thought it was a great
way to differentiate between people who had intelligent
thoughts versus people who just wanted participation.”
• “Twitter was a great way to earn participation of a shy
student.”
• I enjoyed using Twitter for the Microtrends project. Made it
very up-to-date and realistic in this tech age we are in. {SN}
Twitter 
• “I don’t think twitter was any easier than actually raising our hands
normally, but it wasn’t a bad idea. It was nice to be able to follow
@dr_tea to get a little more insight into your own work/interests.”
• “Using twitter to ask questions wasn’t very ideal-if you don’t bring
your computer or have internet on your phone there wasn’t a way
for you to ask questions via twitter.”
• I hate Twitter. I understand why you made us get one, but I just
needed to say that I hate Twitter.
• I found myself keeping up with the tweets instead of paying
attention to the guest speakers or the groups that were presenting.
Although it looks as though a lot of people were enjoying the
tweets, it’s just a lot of questions that are posted that go
unanswered for the most part. I think students feel pressured to
tweet and lose track of what is being said during the presentations.
10 Lessons Learned
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
Provide short Twitter briefing
Use app to sort tweets
Tweet 3-5 times per week to stimulate interest
Use hash tag rather than follow
Reinforce tweets in class
Tweets should stimulate thought and generate awareness
of issues
Use URL shorteners to track clicks
Tweets should follow week by week class content
Rationale for using it needs to be clearly communicated
Make tweets voluntary
Source: Lowe and Laffey (2011), “Is Twitter for the Birds? Using Twitter to
Enhance Student Learning in a Marketing Course,” Journal of Marketing
Education, 33 (2), 183-192