Using social media to enhance student engagement

Abstract

Lack of enthusiasm for learning is a major problem in higher education. We have found in our experience that often students are more interested in passing the course than in engaging deeply with the content. Low student engagement has occupied educators for some time, and a large body of research exists into the possible causes of this problem and how it may be tackled. Here, we report on our own experience with this problem at Pwani University in Kenya. Further, we propose the use of social networking as a means of addressing the problem of student apathy. We postulate that young people’s propensity for social networking can be a distraction on the one hand, but, on the other hand, it can be harnessed to provide strong support for active learning, boost learner participation and improve academic performance. This is a preliminary report, and its intent is to explore possibilities and lay the foundation for future work in enhancing active learning among our students.