An Introductory
Instructional Module on Twitter
as a Communication Tool for University Students
Matt Spencer
University of Hawaii at Mānoa
mks@hawaii.edu
@Yoda808
Introduction to Twitter ::
•
•
•
•
Microblogging web application
Using 140 characters or less
Follow people
Updates or “tweets” include information such as:
– Images
– Video
– Webpages
• All via hyperlinks
mks@hawaii.edu
@Yoda808
Background Information ::
• Interesting communication & social media tool
• News and information filter
• “Ah Ha” Moment ::
Island Wide Blackout Dec 2008
• Takes time and understanding to become
proficient
mks@hawaii.edu
@Yoda808
Project Formation ::
• Do other users have similar barriers to entry?
• “60% of new users who sign up do not come
back the following month” (Farhi, 2009)
• Why are people not returning?
• Would more understanding help?
mks@hawaii.edu
@Yoda808
Project Formation ::
• Purpose :: Educate university students on the value and
usefulness of Twitter by providing them with a better
understanding of microblogging and its use as a
communication tool
• Primary Goal :: Create a viable instructional module on
Twitter to educate the target audience
• Secondary Goal :: Find out if having a better
understanding would make adoption more likely
mks@hawaii.edu
@Yoda808
Methodology ::
• Format of the module - Interactive PDF
• Information from literature review
–
–
–
–
What is Twitter
How Does Twitter Work?
How Do I Use Twitter?
What Should I Know?
Module ::
mks@hawaii.edu
@Yoda808
Evaluation ::
• Post module survey asking participants to gauge:
–
–
–
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Effectiveness
Difficulty
Areas that worked well
Problem areas
• Likert scale & open ended questions
mks@hawaii.edu
@Yoda808
Participants ::
• 15 students participated
• Various mix male/female and age range 20-50
yrs
• Computer & internet use rated very good
• Self described Twitter use:
mks@hawaii.edu
@Yoda808
Findings & Results ::
• Provided the basics
(60% strongly agreed, 40% agreed)
• Majority felt they had a better understanding
(60% strongly agreed, 33% agreed)
• Questions were meaningful
(53% strongly agreed, 47% agreed)
• Majority felt the length of the guide was adequate
(40% strongly agreed, 53% agreed)
• Module could be use to educate new users
(73% strongly agreed, 27% agreed)
mks@hawaii.edu
@Yoda808
Future Improvements ::
• Areas For Improvement
– Navigation (4)
“…navigate directly to a certain section or chapter.”
“I was unclear on navigation. Clicked on the answer rather the letter.”
– Wording/Grammer (4)
“Make grammatical corrections . . .”
“Some of the questions were awkwardly worded.”
– Design Elements (3)
“Some pages seemed crowded…”
– Web/Flash Based (3)
– Video (3)
mks@hawaii.edu
@Yoda808
Conclusions ::
• At face value, primary goal seems to have been met
– Module provided understanding*
– Module provided useful information
• Additional evaluation procedures need to be
included for better assessment
– Pre test & Post test
– Revised survey questions
• Better understanding = better chance for adoption
mks@hawaii.edu
@Yoda808
Conclusions ::
• At face value, primary goal seems to have been met
– Module provided understanding*
– Module provided useful information
• Additional evaluation procedures need to be
included for better assessment
– Pre test & Post test
– Revised survey questions
mks@hawaii.edu
@Yoda808
Thank You
Any questions?
mks@hawaii.edu
@Yoda808