Exploitation of Online Social Networks (OSNs) among University Students: A Case Study of the University of Dodoma

Abstract

Online Social Networks (OSNs) pervades all aspects of modern society, particularly with the tremendous developments of mobile technologies. This study surveys the exploitations of Online Social Networks for educational purposes by the students at the University of Dodoma (UDOM). A sample student from each college was taken and a questionnaire survey was administered to get the response from the students. The responses show that many social media applications such as Facebook, Twitter, Google+, Blogs and Wikis are frequently used by the responded students for communication, class activities, online learning and connecting with instructors. In general, the acceptance of OSNs by University students alerts that OSNs has the power to expand the walls of the classroom, expose students to the great thinkers of the world, and give them a voice in both local and global conversations. The findings of this study will help build a baseline for future investigations on exploiting social media for improving education delivery systems in Tanzania.