Alison Hartley – @AlisonSHartley
University of Bradford
The research builds on earlier work by the author presented at the Social Media in Higher Education conference in 2015 on the impact of peer-led, peer-supported informal learning through social media networks which used the concept of social capital as a lens through which to interpret the findings (Hartley & Kassam 2016). The findings suggested that students build bridging social capital to support the transition into higher education, form relationships and learn collaboratively through the evolution of a large cohort-based Facebook group. Over time, this form of social capital and the use of the Facebook group declined due to a lack of perceived reciprocity and an increased perception of competitiveness amongst peers. However, this was accompanied by a subsequent rise in the building of bonding social capital between closer peer relationships facilitated through the use of various WhatsApp groups.
Here, in this paper we present new data and analysis into learners’ perception on how the mobile messaging application WhatsApp is being used to support informal. learning opportunities in higher education adding to the slowly emerging literature in this area (Lauricella et al , 2013, Gallardo et al 2015, Khatoon, 2015, Willemse 2015, Kaliyadan, 2016). Working with students across a number of degree programmes we explore the range of collaborative higher education experiences being facilitated through WhatsApp and the potential for this form of social media to change learning experiences. We present the learners’ views on how common the use of the app in relation to higher education is, is this an emerging opportunity that institutions ought to be paying more attention to?
This paper aims to extend the knowledge and understanding of the learners’ view on whether collaborative learning is being fostered through WhatsApp, and how this interacts with both the formal and informal networked learning communities they are creating. What are the learners’ views on how much learning is taking place outside of the formal curriculum on WhatsApp, and how does this extend the classroom learning, if at all? Focusing on those WhatsApp groups which are student, peer-initiated and maintained we analyse the factors that influence how those groups are formed and how, if at all, this is related to the classroom-based learning. Does the design of our formal curricula have any influence on how students may use WhatsApp together? What has empowered our students to lead bottom up change to the way they learn together? The findings have implications for considering how social networking in general, and WhatsApp particularly, might support the student journey towards more nuanced, more personalised collaborative learning and a move towards more self-directed learning.A series of focus groups will be held between September and November 2016, this paper will be the first presentation of a thematic analysis of the learners’ views.
References:
Gallardo, E., Marqués, L., & Bullen, M. (2015). Students in higher education: Social and academic uses of digital technology. RUSC. Universities and Knowledge Society Journal, 12(1), 25-37. [Online] Last accessed on 3 February 2016 at: http://journals.uoc.edu/index.php/rusc/article/view/v12n1-gallardo-marques-bullen/2391
Hartley, A.S, Kassam A.A. 2015. Social Networking for Learning in Higher Education: Capitalising on Social Capital. Paper presented to 2015 Social Media for learning in Higher Education. Sheffield Hallam. December 2015
Khatoon, B. Hill, K.B. Walmsley, A.D. 2015. Instant Messaging in Dental Education. Journal of Dental Education. 79, 1471-1478
Kaliyadan, F., Ashique, K. T., Jagadeesan, S., & Krishna, B. (2016). What’s up dermatology? A pilot survey of the use of WhatsApp in dermatology practice and case discussion among members of WhatsApp dermatology groups. Indian Journal of Dermatology, Venereology and Leprology, 82(1), 67-69
Khatoon, B. Hill, K.B. Walmsley, A.D. 2015. Instant Messaging in Dental Education. Journal of Dental Education. 79, 1471-1478
Lauricella, S; Kay, Robin. (2013). Exploring the use of text and instant messaging in higher education classrooms. Research in Learning Technology, 1 (21), [Online] Last accessed on 3 February 2016 at: http://www.researchinlearningtechnology.net/index.php/rlt/article/view/19061
Willemse, J. J. (2015). Undergraduate nurses reflections on whatsapp use in improving primary health care education. Curationis, 38(2), 1. [Online] Last accessed on 3 February 2016 at: http://www.curationis.org.za/index.php/curationis/article/view/1512/1694#3