Abstract:

The use of web 2.0 technologies in teaching and interactive learning represent a great potential for engaging and motivating students, thus improving the learning outcome.

The Internet has developed from merely an information source to a rich web of social media and user created content, driven by the development of web applications and web services. The potential in web 2.0-technologies are particularly interesting when it comes to learning and has opened new possibilities both for the teacher and the student.

Using social media and web 2.0 technologies for delivering learning material, and for student activities and student/teacher dialogue, may improve the students’ motivation as well as the learning outcome. This was the reason for developing a new course in social media and their use in business, using web 2.0 - technologies and social media in the course delivery. In this paper we describe the course structure, content and methods of delivery, and the social media activity of the students and the teachers as part of the course.

The course is divided into 5 modules, each module covering different topics in the use of social media, and their use in business. An important feature is the interaction between the different learning methods and the use of social media in the course. Emphasis is placed on using several learning methods in each of the course modules.
The paper describes how the learning material is presented through a mix of videos, commented slide series, reading material, webinars, web sites and several social media.

Students establish their own blogs, and present their answers to exercises there.
The student interaction on social media in the course also enables “collective intelligence” instances as part of the course work. We also investigate how commenting each other’s blogs in a peer evaluative fashion are motivating and important for learning.

This teaching method lets the students obtain knowledge of the different social media and how to use these modern communication channels for various business tasks, while at the same time practicing using social media for business during the course. An interesting result is that the students’ motivation for the course increased during the semester.

Experiences from teaching this course through two semesters are presented in the paper, concluding with some guidelines on how to succeed in adopting Web 2.0 and social media technologies in a course.

Students have been asked to give their comments on the way the course is taught, and on their experience with the use of social media as part of the course. A summary of these student experiences is also presented in the paper.

Keywords:

Education, Web 2.0, Social media, Business administration, Teaching material, Student motivation, Learning outcome.