Social Networking Sites as Communication, Interaction, and Learning Environments: Perceptions and Preferences of Distance Education Students

View/ Open
PDF (841.4Kb)
Date
2017-11Abstract
The advent of Web 2.0 technologies transformed online networks into interactive spaces in which user-generated content has become the core material. With the possibilities that emerged from Web 2.0, social networking sites became very popular. The capability of social networking sites promises opportunities for communication and interaction, especially for distance education students who are separated from their teachers, learning resources and other students in terms of time and/or space. Within this perspective, the aim of the study is to investigate distance education students’ perceptions and preferences regarding use of social networking sites for communication and interaction purposes. In this context, the study employed a quantitative cross-sectional methodology. Research findings were derived from a sample of 2065 distance education students and the data were gathered through an online questionnaire. The research findings indicate that social networking sites (SNSs) can be used to support social learning processes.
Subject
Collections
Metadata
Show full item recordRelated Items
Showing items related by title, author, creator and subject.
-
Postgraduate Students’ Perception of the Use of E-portfolios as a Teaching Tool to Support their Learning in an Open and Distance Education Institution
Modise, Mphoentle Puleng (Commonwealth of Learning (COL), 2021-07-20)E-portfolios have been used for decades in education; however, it is still a new trend in some developing countries as they continue to adopt e-learning practices. The study investigated postgraduate students’ experiences ... -
Student Perceptions of the Creation and Reuse of Digital Educational Resources in a Community Development-Oriented Organisation
Paskevicius, Michael; Hodgkinson-Williams, Cheryl (Commonwealth of Learning (COL), 2018-04)This case study explores students’ perceptions of the creation and reuse of digital teaching and learning resources in their work as tutors as part of a volunteer community development organisation at a large South African ... -
Is Blended Learning Better than Online Learning for B.Ed Students?
Ranjan, Prabhas (Commonwealth of Learning (COL), 2020-11-20)Blended learning is a newly emerging area of research and practice in educational institutions. It is defined as a useful and reasonable combination of online and face-to-face learning and is acclaimed as a successful mode ... -
Using Mobile-based Social Media to Facilitate Interaction and Build Communities through the lens of Ubuntu in Distance Education
Makoe, Mpine; Shandu, Thulile P (Commonwealth of Learning (COL), 2019-07)This paper examines how WhatsApp can be used to build learning communities and facilitate interaction, through the lens of Ubuntu – an African concept of humanness, which means that an individual person owes his or her ... -
Promoting student support in Open and Distance learning using Information and Communication Technologies
Mayanja, Jamiah (Commonwealth of Learning (COL), 2019-07)The study investigated the use of ICTs in students support in Open and Distance learning (ODL) at Makerere University. The study adopted a survey design with 327 ODL students, and the data from participants were collected ...