1

Grades: Smiling Face Emoji

      Introduction

      Earning good grades is often high on the list of goals for students pursuing a post-secondary education. After all, it is only once a student has stacked up the required course credits that they can earn a degree, and walk off the graduation stage toward new possibilities. To help foster academic success, many students and faculty are turning to social media. Thanks to its widespread use among college-aged adults, compatibility with mobile devices, and no-cost model, many consider it to be a logical vehicle to enhance learning.

      Social Media and Student Engagement

      It is likely that most students can recall, at one point in time, sitting in a class and hearing only the voice of the instructor or perhaps the proverbial crickets when a question was posed to those in the room. To combat this, social media is being used to promote engagement in courses. There is a myriad of reasons why platforms are being used to connect students to course content and one another. Public university students who used Facebook for class-related discussions expressed an appreciation of sharing content in a virtual space because it is familiar, visually appealing, and easy to use (Hurt et al. 2012).

Embedding social media in courses can aid in the creation of community. Just as students are exploring new subject matter in their classes, they are meeting new people on campus. For some, it can take time to feel comfortable asking questions and sharing insights with those inside the classroom walls. Studies show that when undergraduates use social media to connect, they begin to relate to their educational peers. Sheeran and Cummings (2018) found that “students with either an official or unofficial Facebook group in at least one of their courses did have an increased sense of belonging.” Undergraduates enrolled in an introductory-level course reported experiencing closer connections with classmates and feeling like a valued addition to the class, as a result of their Facebook discussions (Hurt et al. 2012).

      The frequency of engagement on social media is likely to increase when the professor is involved in the exchanging of posts. In a study examining the required and voluntary use of Twitter in class, in conjunction with the regular and infrequent participation of faculty on the social site, it was found that parameters set for usage affected both engagement and grades; as noted by the researchers, “faculty engagement on the platform is essential in order to impact student outcomes” (Junco et al. 2013). Just as the instructor is essential in the physical classroom to facilitate learning, they are also important in digital learning spaces.

      Many students enjoy social media and the memes, photos, videos, and more that it has to offer. Researchers have found that coupling social sites with higher education can lead to positive feelings. Students in an undergraduate calculus class, who participated in a Facebook group focused only on disseminating instruction, reported feeling not only more engaged in the course, but more satisfied with it as well (Gregory et al. 2014). Using social media to supplement collegiate courses can be a way to increase the joy of learning.

      Sharing Videos, Sharing Knowledge

      Using multimedia in the classroom is a practice that has been in play for decades. Before the existence of the ever-popular video sharing platforms, educators infused multimedia into their lectures through projectors and television screens that rolled into lecture halls on four wheels (Rusk 2000; Berk 2009). Many faculty and students use platforms like Vimeo and YouTube to create and share content; these were introduced in 2004 and 2005, respectively (Grandoni 2013; Vimeo 2020). Although these social media sites are typically used differently by students and instructors, both groups benefit from usage.

Faculty often use video sharing sites to record the dissemination of information. An example of recording lessons can be found by examining Khan Academy, which provides customized educational plans through instructional videos “that empower learners to study at their own pace in and outside of the classroom” (Khan Academy 2020). Through the ease of creating media on video sharing platforms, faculty can independently record and share videos with their students in both on ground and online courses. Unlike a live lecture, students can continually reference videos for a refresher of the original content, if needed.

      In addition, educators can share open-access videos, created by others, with students to aid in the clarity of course concepts. Using videos in the classroom can be beneficial for students (Berk 2009; Malouff and Shearer 2016). One study examined impressions of students regarding the use of videos in the class. “When asked if they find multimedia, such as YouTube, to be helpful for academic purposes, the majority (80%) reported that they did” (Fleck et al. 2014, pp. 29–30). The audiovisual element can provide visual examples, depict instructions, display artifacts, and more. “Textbooks and teaching materials can lack the diversity that is present in the student population and/or the society in which our students will interact” (Fleck et al. 2014). However, instructors can compensate for this limited diversity by supplementing course materials with multimedia that is reflective of the campus and regional population.

      Just as many students use pen and paper or laptops and printers to complete collegiate assignments, they can use mobile devices and video sharing platforms to capture and deliver oral presentations. With the growing trend of using virtual presentations and videoconferences in higher education and the workplace, students are developing critical communication skills (Marlow et al. 2017; Al-Samarraie 2019). Researchers have found there are advantages when students use YouTube as the vehicle to deliver oral presentations, which include convenience for large and online classes, effective use of class time, and the ability of students to examine their individual performance; furthermore, students who utilized YouTube to present their oral assignment acknowledged an increase of skill, confidence, and knowledge after the presentation (Malouff and Emmerton 2014). Video sharing platforms give students control over their content; they can revise and edit their final product just as they would be able to do if they were writing an essay for a composition course – all while simultaneously gaining the experience of fine-tuning their oral communication skills.

      Social Media Groups and Good Grades

Traditionally, many students clock hours engaging in class, reading, completing assignments, and more to achieve high marks in their respective courses. As faculty develop lesson plans and flip classes, “where events that have traditionally taken place inside the classroom now take place outside the classroom and vice versa” (Lage et al. 2000, p. 32), social media continues to gain traction among students and educators. Two popular platforms being used for educational purposes are Facebook and Twitter; use of these sites can lead to better academic performance for those working to obtain degrees. Writing is a part of the college experience. Regardless of major, students will have to express themselves and synthesize the ideas of others many times during their careers as students. As a microblogging site, Twitter lends itself to self-expression in a limited number of characters. One researcher found the platform helped students strengthen writing skills and connect with audiences. “The brevity of the tweets forces students to express their thoughts concisely and is believed to develop reflection and writing skills while expanding the class community” (Kassens 2014). The ability to communicate a focused message is a transferable skill that will benefit students in class and the workplace.

      Although many college and university classrooms may not have literal bells ringing to signal the end of a lecture, the time spent in class is monitored. There are only so many minutes in a day and hours in a week that students can spend in a classroom parsing information, posing questions, and sharing their interpretations. However, Facebook allows students and faculty to expound upon in-class discussions or bring forth new points for class exploration. Gregory et al. (2014) report that participation in Facebook groups for class-related discussions resulted in higher grades when compared to participation levels of students in the same course without the required use of the platform. A study of an introductory mass media course, designed with the option to access