Online teaching and learning environments have been booming worldwide. However, many universities in developing countries cannot afford learning management systems, such as Blackboard or WebCT. Therefore, this qualita...Online teaching and learning environments have been booming worldwide. However, many universities in developing countries cannot afford learning management systems, such as Blackboard or WebCT. Therefore, this qualitative study explores the possibility of using social media sites for online instruction due to the fact that their prominent utilities are similar to those of Blackboard and other learning management systems. Through purposeful sampling, four university professors using social media for online instruction were selected as participants, in order to gain insights from their perspectives regarding its usage as an alternative instructional medium. Using the constant comparison method and open coding, data was gathered and triangulated from participant interviews, observations of participants＇ online courses on social media sites; documents collected from their online courses; and the researcher＇s reflexive journal. Thematic findings revealed that social media sites increased （1） interaction and communication between the instructor and students, （2） interaction, communication, and collaboration among students, （3） and interaction between students with materials. It is believed that the significance of the research findings can be transferred to the similar online teaching contexts where learning management systems cannot be afforded.展开更多
文摘Online teaching and learning environments have been booming worldwide. However, many universities in developing countries cannot afford learning management systems, such as Blackboard or WebCT. Therefore, this qualitative study explores the possibility of using social media sites for online instruction due to the fact that their prominent utilities are similar to those of Blackboard and other learning management systems. Through purposeful sampling, four university professors using social media for online instruction were selected as participants, in order to gain insights from their perspectives regarding its usage as an alternative instructional medium. Using the constant comparison method and open coding, data was gathered and triangulated from participant interviews, observations of participants＇ online courses on social media sites; documents collected from their online courses; and the researcher＇s reflexive journal. Thematic findings revealed that social media sites increased （1） interaction and communication between the instructor and students, （2） interaction, communication, and collaboration among students, （3） and interaction between students with materials. It is believed that the significance of the research findings can be transferred to the similar online teaching contexts where learning management systems cannot be afforded.
