Transcript Evaluating the Quality of Social Media in an Educational Context

Evaluating the Quality of Social
Media in an Educational Context
Kirsi Silius, Meri Kailanto & Anne-Maritta Tervakari
Hypermedia Laboratory
ITK’12 19.4.2012
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Introduction
• Social media in higher education
– With social media users can contribute content, change opinions
and create communities for different needs
– Students are getting interested in the possibilities of social media
(also in an educational context)
– Informal way of communication and co-operation for studying
purposes and freetime
• Research questions
– What makes the social media in an educational context of high
quality? What are the most critical features?
– What students want when it comes to social media enhanced
learning systems?
IEEE Educon 2011, Amman, Jordan
4.-6.4.2011
Evaluating the Quality of Social Media in an
Educational Context
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Background of the research
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Hypermedia students, early adopters
TUT Circle, social networking site at TUT
Three phases
1. WeSQu evaluation tool and quality criteria for
social media (Kailanto, 2009)
2. Pleasant charasteristics of social enhanced
learning systems & Students’ motivations for using
Social Enhanced learning systems, Case: TUT Circle
(Silius et al. 2010, Annala et al. 2011)
3. Most and least important features in social media
in an educational context
IEEE Educon 2011, Amman, Jordan
4.-6.4.2011
Evaluating the Quality of Social Media in an
Educational Context
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1. phase: WeSQu evaluation tool and
quality criteria for social media
• WeSQu evaluation tool (in
finnish)
– Based on a former ARVOtool, content updated and
social media features
updated through literature
survey, over 400 questions
in total
– evaluation process
– example image on the
usage of the tool
• Quality criteria in social
media, categories :
– Security and privacy
– Motivating the user
– Reliability of information
and users
– Classification and
management of information
– Accessibility
(Kailanto 2009)
IEEE Educon 2011, Amman, Jordan
4.-6.4.2011
Evaluating the Quality of Social Media in an
Educational Context
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IEEE Educon 2011, Amman, Jordan
4.-6.4.2011
Evaluating the Quality of Social Media in an
Educational Context
2. phase: What motivates students
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Pleasant characteristics of social
enhanced learning systems (students,
spring 2009)
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Added value should be clear
Quality depends on the community with
in the system
Focus on
– networking and social interaction
– university related information
sharing
– Study support
– Connecting users with similar
interests (user profile)
Free and voluntary
Good usability, accessibility and
technical sustainability
Visually pleasant and trendy
•
What motivates student to use social
media enhanced learning systems in
higher education (Case: TUT Circle)
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New features should be added bit by bit
(simple system for new users)
Suitable for promoting events for
students
Possibility to choose what information to
put to the profile
Follow friends’ events, content and
profile
Email about new features and content
and content feeds in a user dashboard
Like/dislike content –feature, listings of
most popular content, users and actions
RSS feeds
Possibility for anonymity
(Silius et al. 2010, Annala et al. 2011)
IEEE Educon 2011, Amman, Jordan
4.-6.4.2011
Evaluating the Quality of Social Media in an
Educational Context
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3. phase: Most and least important features
(1/2)
• Research frame:
– Students were given a list of 89 features
gathered from previous phases
– they chose ten most and least important
features (40 answerers)
– Open ended questions about scope and
additional features needed
IEEE Educon 2011, Amman, Jordan
4.-6.4.2011
Evaluating the Quality of Social Media in an
Educational Context
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3. phase: Most and least important features
(2/2)
Least important
Most important
• Trendy to use
• Easy to use
• Reliability of
• Possibility to
users/content
communicate and
collaborate with
• Additional features
– Rewarding active users
other users
publicly
• Privacy and
– Email feeds
security issues
– Geographical information
IEEE Educon 2011, Amman, Jordan
4.-6.4.2011
Evaluating the Quality of Social Media in an
Educational Context
3. phase: additional features succested
• Comparing state of learning compared to general
learning goals
• Connecting to other users with same interests or
doing same excersizes
• Creating students groups for study purposes
• Interaction with other social media services
• Easy to follow user’s own history (comments,
excersizes)
IEEE Educon 2011, Amman, Jordan
4.-6.4.2011
Evaluating the Quality of Social Media in an
Educational Context
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Conclusion & Discussion
• Students attitudes towards social media has changed during these
projects
– Students wish to use social media more in the studying context not just
connecting with their friends
– They are increasingly requiring web based tools for studying as well as
freely accessible course materials
• Ease of use, added value, supporting communication, collaboration and
networking
– connect students with similar interest
– creating content together
• Privacy and security is important for technical students
– Control over information, secure connections, allowing anonymity if
possible
– Increased knowledge because of the study field and recent news
IEEE Educon 2011, Amman, Jordan
4.-6.4.2011
Evaluating the Quality of Social Media in an
Educational Context
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Future challenges and research interests
• How to support students in their learning
processes through social media
• How to evaluate the pedagogical aspects
• What about students in non-technical fields, what
are their interests and attitudes towards social
media enhanced learning systems?
• Are there more special educational features that
should be taken into account in WeSQu evaluation
tool
IEEE Educon 2011, Amman, Jordan
4.-6.4.2011
Evaluating the Quality of Social Media in an
Educational Context
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Thank you!
Contact information
Kirsi Silius, [email protected]
Meri Kailanto, [email protected]
Anne-Maritta Tervakari, [email protected]
Hypermedia Laboratory
http://www.tut.fi/hypermedia/en/
IEEE Educon 2011, Amman, Jordan
4.-6.4.2011
Evaluating the Quality of Social Media in an
Educational Context
List of references
• J. Annala, M. Mäkinen, P. Svärd, K. Silius and T. Miilumäki, “Social online
environment in promoting engagement in higher education,” SLS journal Studies for the Learning Society. 2011.
Available online:www.versita.com/sls
• M. Kailanto, ”Yhteisöllisten verkkopalveluiden laadukkuuskriteerit (Quality
Criteria in Social Media),” Master’s Thesis. Tampere University of
Technology, 2009.
• K. Silius, T. Miilumäki, J. Huhtamäki, T. Tebest, J. Meriläinen and S.
Pohjolainen, ”Students’ Motivations for Social Media Enhanced Studying and
Learning,” in Knowledge Management & E-Learning: An International
Journal (KM&EL), the Special Issue on ”Technology Enhanced Learning”, vol.
2, no. 1, Mar. 2010.
• K. Silius, M. Kailanto & A.-M.Tervakari “Evaluating the Quality of Social
Media in an Educational Context.” International Journal of Emerging
technologies in Learning, vol. 6, issue 3, 21-27.2011.
Available online: http://online-journals.org/i-jet/article/view/1732
IEEE Educon 2011, Amman, Jordan
4.-6.4.2011
Evaluating the Quality of Social Media in an
Educational Context