The document discusses the use of Twitter for educational purposes through a tweetchat called #SHUeventschat. It was started by David Strafford to encourage active learning outside the classroom. A survey of 116 students found that while most were aware of the tweetchat, only 5% actively engaged with it. However, over 25% enjoyed reading the posts later. Positive feedback included that it facilitated learning in an informal way and helped with assignments. Negative feedback included that some students were worried about lecturers following their private Twitter accounts or did not want university staff to see non-academic posts.

1. David Strafford, Lecturer
Events Management, Service Sector Management
Sheffield Business School
d.strafford@shu.ac.uk
@davidstrafford

2. #SHUeventschat – the story

3. 1. Why I started

4. 1. Why I started

5. 2. Why Twitter...

6. 3. Benefits of using Twitter
Encourages active and participatory learning
Critical thinking through questioning and dialogue
Recapping topics outside of the classroom
Experiential learning through doing
Increase professionalism and employability
Participants from industry / ‘real’ world
Answers are viewed by all
Condensing information and summarising your
thoughts into 140 characters is quite challenging!

7. 3. Benefits of using Twitter
Encourages active and participatory learning
Critical thinking through questioning and dialogue
Recapping topics outside of the classroom
Experiential learning through doing
Increase professionalism and employability
Participants from industry / ‘real’ world
Answers are viewed by all
Condensing information and summarising your
thoughts into 140 characters is quite challenging!

8. 3. Benefits of using Twitter
Encourages active and participatory learning
Critical thinking through questioning and dialogue
Recapping topics outside of the classroom
Experiential learning through doing
Increase professionalism and employability
Participants from industry / ‘real’ world
Answers are viewed by all
Condensing information and summarising your
thoughts into 140 characters is quite challenging!

9. 3. Benefits of using Twitter
Encourages active and participatory learning
Critical thinking through questioning and dialogue
Recapping topics outside of the classroom
Experiential learning through doing
Increase professionalism and employability
Participants from industry / ‘real’ world
Answers are viewed by all
Condensing information and summarising your
thoughts into 140 characters is quite challenging!

10. 4. Academic Context
DHIR A., BURAGGA, K and BOREQQAH, A. (2013). Tweeters on Campus: Twitter a
learning Tool in the Classroom? Journal of Universal Computer Science. 19 (5) 672-691
EVANS, C. (2014). Twitter for teaching: Can social media be used to enhanced the process
of learning? British Journal of Educational Technology. 45 (5) 902-15
GROSSECK, G and HOLOTESCU, C. (2008). Can we use Twitter for Educational Activities?
Conference Paper for the 4th
International Scientific Conference eLSE
KASSENS-NOOR, E (2012). Twitter as a teaching practice to enhance active and informal
learning in higher education: The case of sustainable tweets. Active Learning in Higher
Education 13 (1) 9-21
KUZNEKOFF, J.H., MUNZ, S. and TITSWORTH, S. (2015): Mobile Phones in the Classroom:
Examining the Effects of Texting, Twitter, and Message Content on Student Learning,
Communication Education, DOI: 10.1080/03634523.2015.1038727
LOWE, B and LAFFEY, D. (2011) Is Twitter for the birds? Using Twitter to enhance student
learning in a marketing course? Journal of Marketing Education 33 (2) 611-637
RINALDO, S.B., TAPP, S. and LAVERIE, D.A. (2011). Learning by Tweeting: Using Twitter as
a Pedagogical Tool. Journal of Marketing Education 20 (5) 1-11

11. 5. And lots of other articles…

12. 6. Using the Tweetchat

13. 6. Using the Tweetchat

15. 6. Using the Tweetchat

16. 7. Was it successful?

17. 8. The research
77 Level 4 students at the end of
Semester 1
39 Level 5 students at the end of
Semester 2
Total of 116 survey
respondents
40% approx. response rate
Triangulated with 4
qualitative student
interviews in April 2015.

18. 9. Positive feedback
76% of respondents use Twitter at
least once or twice a week

19. 9. Positive feedback
Over 52% of respondents
said they used social
media to look for
placements and
volunteering
opportunities
Over 22% said to look
for Events Management
related stories.

20. 9. Positive Feedback
Overall they agreed! (just)
Mean of 3.11

21. 9. Positive feedback
87% were aware of the #SHUeventschat tweetchat

22. 9. Positive feedback
Only 5% of respondents said they
actively engaged with it…
…but over 28% said they enjoyed
reading the posts afterwards
33% of students had
positive interactions
with the tweetchat

23. 10. Positive Student comments
Once it was for the Events Foundation e-portfolio, I was
researching cultural events and [the questions and information]
you were putting on about Halloween and St Patrick's Day were
good for me to get information in my portfolio, so it was really
helpful (4a)
I thought Twitter was better because you can look at it any time
of day and then because the chat was done in the evening, it’s
like outside of study time. It’s not mandatory as well, so you
can engage with it when it suits you (4b)
As well as links to other articles it was more like through
questioning I managed to see things in other ways, like kind of
helped. Like things I wouldn’t have usually thought of, were
kind of discussed through the application (4b)

24. 10. Positive Student comments
Once it was for the Events Foundation e-portfolio, I was
researching cultural events and [the questions and information]
you were putting on about Halloween and St Patrick's Day were
good for me to get information in my portfolio, so it was
really helpful (4a)
I thought Twitter was better because you can look at it any time
of day and then because the chat was done in the evening, it’s
like outside of study time. It’s not mandatory as well, so you
can engage with it when it suits you (4b)
As well as links to other articles it was more like through
questioning I managed to see things in other ways, like kind of
helped. Like things I wouldn’t have usually thought of, were
kind of discussed through the application (4b)

25. 10. Positive Student comments
Once it was for the Events Foundation e-portfolio, I was
researching cultural events and [the questions and information]
you were putting on about Halloween and St Patrick's Day were
good for me to get information in my portfolio, so it was really
helpful (4a)
I thought Twitter was better because you can look at it any
time of day and then because the chat was done in the
evening, it’s like outside of study time. It’s not mandatory as
well, so you can engage with it when it suits you (4b)
As well as links to other articles it was more like through
questioning I managed to see things in other ways, like kind of
helped. Like things I wouldn’t have usually thought of, were
kind of discussed through the application (4b)

26. 10. Positive Student comments
Once it was for the Events Foundation e-portfolio, I was
researching cultural events and [the questions and information]
you were putting on about Halloween and St Patrick's Day were
good for me to get information in my portfolio, so it was really
helpful (4a)
I thought Twitter was better because you can look at it any time
of day and then because the chat was done in the evening, it’s
like outside of study time. It’s not mandatory as well, so you
can engage with it when it suits you (4b)
As well as links to other articles it was more like through
questioning I managed to see things in other ways, like
kind of helped. Like things I wouldn’t have usually thought of,
were kind of discussed through the application (4b)

27. 10. Positive Student comments
Twitter is much easier to access rather than going through
week on week on Blackboard. It’s just more organised and
much quicker as you can use your phone (4b)
Twitter is good because it’s instant and it doesn’t have to
be the tutor replying, other students can too (5a)
I can see why you would want to use it as it's a good way
of getting university and work and learning into
something that we use a lot, rather than being sat in a
classroom (5b)

28. 10. Positive Student comments
Twitter is much easier to access rather than going through
week on week on Blackboard. It’s just more organised and
much quicker as you can use your phone (4b)
Twitter is good because it’s instant and it doesn’t have
to be the tutor replying, other students can too (5a)
I can see why you would want to use it as it's a good way
of getting university and work and learning into
something that we use a lot, rather than being sat in a
classroom (5b)

29. 10. Positive Student comments
Twitter is much easier to access rather than going through
week on week on Blackboard. It’s just more organised and
much quicker as you can use your phone (4b)
Twitter is good because it’s instant and it doesn’t have to
be the tutor replying, other students can too (5a)
I can see why you would want to use it as it's a good way
of getting university and work and learning into
something that we use a lot, rather than being sat in a
classroom (5b)

30. 11. Positive feedback summary
1. The ones who engaged, really engaged
2. For some students it really helped them learn
3. The less formal learning platform was of benefit for
some
4. Accessing information through mobile phones was
much easier & quicker
5. It was seen as fun – not really ‘learning’
6. Tweets which helped with assignments were the
most popular

31. 12. Negative feedback
24% of respondents don’t even use
Twitter once or twice a week

32. 12. Negative feedback

33. 12. Negative feedback

34. 12. Negative Feedback

35. 12. Negative Feedback

36. 13. Negative Student comments
I think others were worried if they started interacting
with the Tweetchat then their lecturers might start
following them on Twitter. Also, they didn’t want to
be seen to be a right geek! (4a)
Maybe some people were scared of actually tweeting
into it (4b)
I know a lot of people that put a lot more explicit
things about themselves on Twitter that they don’t
want tutors or university to know about (5a)

37. 13. Negative Student comments
I think others were worried if they started interacting
with the Tweetchat then their lecturers might start
following them on Twitter. Also, they didn’t want
to be seen to be a right geek! (4a)
Maybe some people were scared of actually tweeting
into it (4b)
I know a lot of people that put a lot more explicit
things about themselves on Twitter that they don’t
want tutors or university to know about (5a)

38. 13. Negative Student comments
I think others were worried if they started interacting
with the Tweetchat then their lecturers might start
following them on Twitter. Also, they didn’t want to
be seen to be a right geek! (4a)
Maybe some people were scared of actually
tweeting into it (4b)
I know a lot of people that put a lot more explicit
things about themselves on Twitter that they don’t
want tutors or university to know about (5a)

39. 13. Negative Student comments
I think others were worried if they started interacting
with the Tweetchat then their lecturers might start
following them on Twitter. Also, they didn’t want to
be seen to be a right geek! (4a)
Maybe some people were scared of actually tweeting
into it (4b)
I know a lot of people that put a lot more explicit
things about themselves on Twitter that they
don’t want tutors or university to know about (5a)

40. 13. Negative Student comments
I don’t want to associate Uni with my Twitter. My Twitter
is very private and it’s set to private and I only have my
friends on it, it’s really just to keep in contact with my
friends and put pictures up (5a)
I think cos Twitter is more for personal use rather than
university, it's more for escapism. When I want to get
away from University and work, I go on Twitter and see
what my friends are up to (5b)
If someone follows a lot of people then it might get lost
amongst all their news feeds (5b)

41. 13. Negative Student comments
I don’t want to associate Uni with my Twitter. My
Twitter is very private and it’s set to private and I only
have my friends on it, it’s really just to keep in contact
with my friends and put pictures up (5a)
I think cos Twitter is more for personal use rather than
university, it's more for escapism. When I want to get
away from University and work, I go on Twitter and see
what my friends are up to (5b)
If someone follows a lot of people then it might get lost
amongst all their news feeds (5b)

42. 13. Negative Student comments
I don’t want to associate Uni with my Twitter. My Twitter
is very private and it’s set to private and I only have my
friends on it, it’s really just to keep in contact with my
friends and put pictures up (5a)
I think cos Twitter is more for personal use rather than
university, it's more for escapism. When I want to get
away from University and work, I go on Twitter and
see what my friends are up to (5b)
If someone follows a lot of people then it might get lost
amongst all their news feeds (5b)

43. 13. Negative Student comments
I don’t want to associate Uni with my Twitter. My Twitter
is very private and it’s set to private and I only have my
friends on it, it’s really just to keep in contact with my
friends and put pictures up (5a)
I think cos Twitter is more for personal use rather than
university, it's more for escapism. When I want to get
away from University and work, I go on Twitter and see
what my friends are up to (5b)
If someone follows a lot of people then it might get lost
amongst all their news feeds (5b)

44. 14. Negative feedback summary
1. Time and date were wrong, having a focussed hour
wasn’t popular
2. Twitter still seen by some as personal not
professional
3. Students don’t want lecturers to follow them &
interact with them on Twitter
4. Not all students use Twitter in the first place!
5. Students don’t want to ask ‘stupid’ questions online
or been seen to be the class ‘swot’

45. 15. How could it be improved?
If more people had tweeted it would have encouraged
more people to tweet!
Keep it as a general course or module account which
generally tweets and retweets – hub of activity
Get the students to tweet using hashtags during
lectures & seminars first to build confidence
Focus more on Linkedin for Level 4 students, push
them onto this
Use Twitter more actively with Level 6 students who
are (potentially) more confident

46. 16. Top tips
1. Accept that you won’t reach everyone
2. Recruit as many colleagues & keen students as possible
to tweet alongside you
3. If you use the ‘tweethour’ functionality, base it around
assignment help / revision
4. Start off with older, more confident students
5. Make sure you view it purely as an additional tool which
underpins learning rather than delivering anything
central.
6. Post interesting content!
7. Be mindful of how much time it will take…

47. A final thought
Do we ban mobile phones or embrace them?

48. A final thought
Do we ban mobile phones or embrace them?

49. Any questions?

50. References
DHIR A., BURAGGA, K and BOREQQAH, A. (2013). Tweeters on Campus: Twitter a
learning Tool in the Classroom? Journal of Universal Computer Science. 19 (5) 672-691
EVANS, C. (2014). Twitter for teaching: Can social media be used to enhanced the process
of learning? British Journal of Educational Technology. 45 (5) 902-15
GROSSECK, G and HOLOTESCU, C. (2008). Can we use Twitter for Educational Activities?
Conference Paper for the 4th
International Scientific Conference eLSE
KASSENS-NOOR, E (2012). Twitter as a teaching practice to enhance active and informal
learning in higher education: The case of sustainable tweets. Active Learning in Higher
Education 13 (1) 9-21
KUZNEKOFF, J.H., MUNZ, S. and TITSWORTH, S. (2015): Mobile Phones in the Classroom:
Examining the Effects of Texting, Twitter, and Message Content on Student Learning,
Communication Education, DOI: 10.1080/03634523.2015.1038727
LOWE, B and LAFFEY, D. (2011) Is Twitter for the birds? Using Twitter to enhance student
learning in a marketing course? Journal of Marketing Education 33 (2) 611-637
RINALDO, S.B., TAPP, S. and LAVERIE, D.A. (2011). Learning by Tweeting: Using Twitter as
a Pedagogical Tool. Journal of Marketing Education 20 (5) 1-11