- Title
- University students' perceptions of social networking sites (SNSs) in their educational experiences at a regional Australian university
- Creator
- Sadowski, Christina; Pediaditis, Mika; Townsend, Robert
- Date
- 2017
- Type
- Text; Journal article
- Identifier
- http://researchonline.federation.edu.au/vital/access/HandleResolver/1959.17/165159
- Identifier
- vital:13256
- Identifier
-
https://doi.org/10.14742/ajet.2927
- Identifier
- ISBN:1449-5554
- Abstract
- Higher education institutions, and the way education is delivered and supported, are being transformed by digital technologies. Internationally, institutions are increasingly incorporating online technologies into delivery frameworks and administration – both through internal learning management systems (LMS) and external social networking sites (SNSs). This study aims to explore how higher education students in a regional Australian dual-sector institute use and manage SNSs for personal and study-related activities and their perceptions of how this impacts their educational experiences. This mixed-methods study involved a quantitative and qualitative survey of 355 vocational training and higher education students and in-depth focus groups with ten higher education students. Four key themes were identified through thematic analysis: SNSs as a tool for fostering peer connectedness with fellow students; deliberate and distinct variation between personal and educational use of SNSs; resistance to external SNSs within education settings; and, need for a balance between digital and face-to-face learning and connectedness. Implications for curriculum design and delivery, and development of support for students in diverse learning contexts, are considered.
- Publisher
- Australasian Society for Computers in Learning in Tertiary Education (ASCILITE)
- Relation
- Australasian Journal of Educational Technology Vol. 33, no. 5 (2017), p. 77-90
- Rights
- Copyright Australasian Journal of Educational Technology © 2017.
- Rights
- Open Access
- Rights
- This metadata is freely available under a CCO license
- Subject
- 0906 Electrical and Electronic Engineering; 1302 Curriculum and Pedagogy; 1303 Specialist Studies In Education; Social media; Higher education; Social networking sites in education
- Full Text
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