The impact of utilizing Twitter in the e-learning process: The comprehension of taught materials and the communication between college students

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Mrouj M Almuhajri

Saudi Electronic University, KSA

: J Comput Eng Inf Technol

Abstract

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Social media play a significant role among younger generations and students. They use it to communicate with the public, spread news, and share their thoughts using different content forms like text, audio, image, and video. Multimedia makes the transfer of information much easier. This paper details the results of a semester-long experiment that detect the effects of integrating Twitter with e-learning tools on the education process. More specifically, the experiment studies the ability to enhance the students’ understanding of the taught material and improve communication between the students and the instructor. The study was done in participation with sophomore SEU students taking CS141 (computer programming) and IT241 (operating systems) courses for computing and informatics majors. The study was conducted using the Twitter account @seugeeks. A total of 114 subscribers followed the account during the semester of the study. Twitter account was used for many activities, such as announcements, video tutorials, questions, and discussions. To assess the impact of using twitter in the teaching process, an online survey was published at the conclusion of the semester. A total of 39 students participated in the survey. The results reflected that all participants have twitter account, and the majority of them (65%) were using it for more than three years. Statistical analysis of Likert scale data revealed positive results of utilizing Twitter in the learning process. Both students and instructor were able to communicate with each other in an easier way creating a collaborative environment. In fact, 96% of the participants supported utilizing the same methodology with other courses. In conclusion, this study provides evidence that Twitter is a useful tool in the educational process especially when different forms of media are combined. The study demonstrates Twitter’s ability to provide a collaborative platform for both faculty and students.

Biography

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Mrouj M Almuhajri is a Lecturer at Saudi Electronic University, KSA. She completed her Bachelor degree in Computer Science at Umm Al-Qura University, Saudi Arabia and, Master’s degree in Computer Science at Concordia University, Montreal, Canada.

Email: m.almuhajri@seu.edu.sa