Lecturers’ Behaviors And Beliefs About The Use Of Social Media In Higher Education: A Study At Mahasarakham University In Thailand

This week I read Lecturers’ Behaviors And Beliefs About The Use Of Social Media In Higher Education: A Study At Mahasarakham University In Thailand by Thapanee Seechaliao. 

To set the scene, the Thai Government had recently adopted the One Tablet per Child project, recognizing that gaps in income enable some students to have more opportunities to learn about technology than others. Mahasarakham University had just adopted the Microsoft Surface for Lecturers, and Education Faculty developed a strategic plan to develop an e-Learning system. Because of that, Lecturers needed to design their courses in a way that they could begin to integrate technology more often. While Social Media is widely used, and most lecturers believed it to be at least moderately effective as a learning tool, many of them may not be familiar with these tools, or may not know how to use them correctly, or effectively. 

Facebook, for example is currently the most popular platform among Thai students for online social networking. A lecturer may not know that It would be a better idea to create a group where all materials related to their class could be published, or that they could use hashtags, instead of posting statuses that everyone can contribute to. 

This article reminds me of situations I may find myself in whether I am in Higher Ed, or in a corporate setting. If a company is redesigning their training program from the ground up to incorporate more technology, those who are used to doing things without technology might find themselves slowed down by the sudden use of it, or may become frustrated and decide not to use it. Others still determined, may not be aware of how to use it to their advantage, or how to really get the most out of it. This article made me think of these situations, and how I might try to ease the transition for lecturers, or colleagues as an Instructional Designer. It also made me think of how I could, and should use such frustrations to create a dialogue and offer more support during these transitional periods... and also how social media is the perfect place to do just that, so that if other people have the same questions, we can make sure that they receive the help they need.