Using Social Media Successfully in
Business Courses
Steve Brewer
College of Saint Mary
Omaha
Today
o Business educator
perceptions of social media
o Review seven studies
o Ideas and questions
Business faculty perceptionso Tuten & Marks (2012)
o Use social media personally
o Not widely in courses
o Barriers to adoption
o Limited time
o Quantity of tools
o Perceived functionality
Business faculty perceptions (cont.)
oWhat would motivate to use?
oFinancial incentives
oCareer advancement
oRelieved of other work
Business faculty perceptions (cont.)
Three waves typology
o Wave 1
o Wave 2
o Wave 3
o Still in Wave 1 or 2
Facebook study 1
o Loving & Ochoa (2011)
o Research Methods course
o Used Facebook Groups in lieu of
course management software
Facebook study 1
• Many tradeoffs
• Greatly improved level of
communication
Facebook study 2
Ractham, Kaewkitipong, & Firpo (2012)
o MIS course
o Facebook features used:
o Wall,
o Discussion,
o Photos, and
o Video.
Facebook study 2
o Results• 78% rated as “useful”
• 55% as “educational”
• Discussions & Photos most useful
LinkedIn study 1
McCorkle & McCorkle (2012)
o Marketing course
o LinkedIn & Google Reader
o Groups
o Post articles
o Written reflection
LinkedIn study 1
o Success
o Developing resume
o Building network
o Reflecting upon experience
o Difficulty
o Generating discussions
LinkedIn study 2
Peterson & Dover (2014)
o Principles of Selling course
o Complete profile
o Join groups
o Letters of recommendations
LinkedIn study 2
o Required deliverables met
o Student engagement extended
beyond requirements
o Some job offers
Twitter study 1
Lin, Hoffman & Borengasser (2013)
o Computer Education & Mobile Learning
o Twitter account
o Follow each other & course hashtags
o At least 75 tweets
o Three progress reports
Twitter study 1
oGained Twitter knowledge
oEnjoyed receiving tweets
oRarely re-tweeted or replied
Twitter study 2
Junco, Heibergert & Loken (2010)
o Experimental group used Twitter:
o Continue class discussions
o Ask questions
o Class reminders
o Connect with classmates
Twitter study 2
o Experimental group:
o Significantly greater increase
in engagement
o Significantly higher grades
FarmVille study
Krom (2012)
o Management Accounting course
o Play Farmville
o Discuss in class
FarmVille study
o Improved content understanding
o Higher student satisfaction
o Peer-to-peer relationships
o Non-accounting majors
My Plan
Business Communication course
o LinkedIn profile
o Class & outside connections
o Groups & updates
Summary
o We use personally
o Don’t use in courses
o Level 1 or 2
o Increase learning
o Not just replicate traditional
practices
SourcesJunco, R., Heibergert, G., & Loken, E. (2010). The effect of Twitter on college student
engagement and grades. Journal of Computer Assisted Learning, 1-14. http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2729.2010.00387.x
Krom, C. (2012). Using FarmVille in an introductory managerial accounting course to engage students, enhance comprehension, and develop social networking skills. Journal of Management Education, 36(6), 848-865. http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/1052562912459029
Lin, M.-F. G., Hoffman, E. S., & Borengasser, C. (2013). Is social media too social for class? a case study of Twitter use. TechTrends, 57(2), 39-45.
Loving, M., & Ochoa, M. (2011). Facebook as a classroom management solution. New Library World, 112(3/4), 121-130. http://dx.doi.org/10.1108/03074801111117023
Sources (cont.)McCorkle, D., & McCorkle, Y. L. (2012). Using LinkedIn in the marketing classroom:
exploratory insights and recommendations for teaching social media/networking. Marketing Education Review, 22(2), 157-166. http://dx.doi.org/10.2753/MER1052-8008220205
Peterson, R., & Dover, H. (2014). Building student networks with LinkedIn: the potential for connections, internships, and jobs. Marketing Education Review, 24(1), 15-20. http://dx.doi.org/10.2753/MER1052-8008240102
Ractham, P., Kaewkitipong, L., & Firpo, D. (2012). The use of Facebook in an introductory MIS course: social constructivist learning environment. Decision Sciences Journal of Innovative Education, 10(2), 165-188.
Tuten, T., & Marks, M. (2012). Adoption of social media as educational technology among marketing educators. Marketing Education Review, 22(3), 201-214. http://dx.doi.org/10.2753/MER1052-8008220301
YOUR IDEAS AND
QUESTIONS
