This document summarizes research into the use of Twitter to engage students in two criminology modules. It finds that Twitter provided both surface level and deep level engagement. Surface level engagement included students using Twitter to ask rhetorical or humorous questions, share news stories related to course content, and provide a live discussion feed. Deep level engagement included students reflecting on course content, sharing thoughts and questions, getting feedback that helped them feel like active participants, seeing how other students thought about issues, and using tweets to recap and expand on points in a way that would help seminar discussions. The research thus found value in Twitter for promoting student engagement and interaction with course material.

1. Dawn Alderson
Stuart MacDonald, Chris Hall & Paul Latreille
Swansea University & University of Sheffield
Twitter and student engagement: What is
the value added?

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7. Twitter and student engagement: What is
the value added?
• Two final-year criminology modules that
focused on UK Law/Policy & Antisocial
Behaviour Orders (n=117)
• Case study methodology

8. Method Qualitative data
type
Approach for analysis
1.Observation Student Tweets *Constructivist Grounded
Theory (CGT) Micro-Event
Analysis
2. Journals Student Interim
Reflective Diary
Entries
Deductive Corroboratory
Analysis
3. Survey Student End of
Module Survey
Deductive Corroboratory
Analysis
4. *Field-Notes Lecturer’s field notes after each session were
analysed as part of the memo activity during
the main analysis (CGT)

9. Analysis: Constructivist Grounded Theory
(Alderson, Hall & Latreille, 2014)

10. What did we find?
O/codes Categories Axial coding Themes
248 1.Rhetoric
2.Humour
3.Fun/Enjoyment
4.Peer-peer
5.Applied academic skills
6.Progression
7.Continuity
8.Context
9.Ownership
10.Reflection
11.Opinion
12.Emotional
13.Self-directed activity
14.Sharing
15.Questioning
a)Questioning
b)Thinking skills
c)Spontaneous
Activity
A) Surface Level
Engagement
B) Deep Level
Engagement

12. Surface Level Engagement
Questioning: rhetorical question forms: humour, to provoke and
to lead
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Survey: Many questions were tweeted and provided laughs and
entertainment, it brought a bit of fun into lectures
Lecturer: The lack of student-student engagement is something
that puzzles me too. I thought there would be more interaction
but it seems that – whilst they read each other’s tweets – they
don’t respond to them
Survey: I think using Twitter has helped a lot, any questions that
pop into my head during the lecture i can tweet....sometimes
questions can be forgotten otherwise by the time the seminar
for the lecture has come around

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14. Survey: It did make the lecture more interesting because you
felt like you had the freedom to choose to tweet and
allowed you to engage more within the lecture making it
more enjoyable
Journal: For the first time in ages I felt excited about going to
a 9am lecture
Lecturer: And nice to see some emotion! It isn’t just about
scoring good marks in the exam!
Survey: I found it was a good way to post stories or news
related to ASB, It’s also a great way to post different
articles.
Lecturer: nice to see students making the connection between
their experiences and their studies.

15. Survey: Brilliant way of summing up statements and having a
live feed to look back to
Journal: An innovative way of sharing thoughts, links and
questions... It’s great to get feedback it makes you feel that
you are contributing to the course
Survey: You can see how other students are thinking...I will
use tweets to recap and expand points
Lecturer: It’s good that students have reached this point in
their thinking by the end of the lecture – sets the seminar
discussion up well

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18. Lecturer: Good to see this wider thought and
evaluation
Survey: I will definitely look back at them as many of
the tweets posted at the time I agreed with so they
will trigger the thought process...and perhaps offer
a critical approach

19. Fin
Thank you for listening
Your questions?
dawnalderson@outlook.com