Twitter usage outside of the classroom

Abstract

This exploratory case study involved the utilization of social media technologies in order to engage student interaction and learning outside of face to face class time. Specifically, Twitter was used as a conduit outside of the classroom in an attempt to maintain student engagement with the course material via pedagogical objectives such as generating interest in the class topic, providing a platform for instructor/student (and student/student) communication in addition to empowering informal learning through the sharing of content via the chosen social media tool. Qualitative and quantitative data was collected from the students before and after usage of Twitter. The data collected ascertained how students felt about the exercise and whether or not it was viewed as a positive influence on the overall course experience. Lessons learned from this exercise are also reported in addition to future research opportunities that the author intends to explore further.