Directives for the application of social media as computer-mediated communication in South African higher education

[摘要] English: This study has been conducted from the disciplinary context of Communication Science (CS) and more specifically, the subfield of Computer-mediated communication (CMC).The field of application of the study is higher education and, specifically, the educational context of higher education (teaching and learning) with its specific users (learners and educators). As a result of the continuous developments in CMC technologies, researchin the possible application of social media in HE has exploded. Unmanageable amounts of information have become available, making it difficult to keep up with primary research evidence about the way social media may be utilised in an educational context.In addition, available studies in this regard do not show any uniform theoretical basis, nor do they consider communication theory, or connections between communication and educational theories. These problems informed the decision to conduct a systematicreview of selected studies on the topic and to summarise existing information about the use of CMC and social media in HE into directives for the utilisation of CMC and social media in South African higher education.The literature review reflects the three angles from which the use of social media in HE had to be considered, referred to as three theoretical lenses in the study. The first lens, the 'communication-centred lens, provides important background and theoreticalperspectives (principles) on effective communication, which includes communication by means of social media. The second lens, the 'social media-centred lens provides focus on the social media landscape and recent and predicted developments in technologyand social media. The third lens, the 'education-centred lens, highlights the educational context through a discussion of applicable educational theory and principles. The many similarities and congruities between educational principles and the theories andprinciples derived from CS and CMC theories, provide a strong binding factor in the study. The literature review aided the compilation of a conceptual framework that guided the study and the ultimate compilation of a set of directives for effective teaching andlearning using social media in higher education.The empirical investigation took on the format of an extensive systematic analysis on 220 relevant research documents. Using inductive category coding, data were categorised according to themes and then organised into data sets which were used forthe analysis. The findings provide perspectives on the effective use of social media in the educational context, and the most effective social media tools to be used in this regard. Key perspectives gained from the analysis and the literature review are presented in an integrated framework from which 12 possible directives for the utilisationof CMC and social media technologies in South African higher education are proposed.The directives focused on: 1) Factors impacting on access to and effective use of social media technologies; 2) The role of the educator in the choice and use of applicable social media technologies; and 3) The effective use of social media technologies to ensure active learning.The significance of the study lies in the contribution the study makes to the theory of CS and CMC, especially in regard to the use of social media in South African higher education. The study furthermore highlights the important link between CommunicationScience and Education as disciplines. The directives and other findings of the study, if appropriately disseminated, may also foster broad interest and contribute to a more extensive and effective application of social media in higher education worldwide.

[发布机构] University of the Free State