The use of social network sites in a global engineering design project

The global design project challenges students from three European universities to work in engineering design teams on the development of a product. To execute the design process, students have chosen to utilise social network sites as a platform for communication and collaboration. The aim of the study was to investigate how students were utilising social network sites as part of their collaborative work during the global design project and their views on the level of support given. A survey and semi-formal interviews were used to collect data on views and the use of social network sites. The study reveals: (1) the popularity of different social network sites for social and academic tasks, (2) the expectation of support students' and academics' think is required, and (3) a need for greater guidance in the use of social network sites. The use of social network sites by students' is discussed with a focus on how they can be better supported in future projects. This paper proposes that students' and academic staff require guidance on the best practices for using social network sites in global design projects to support students' education

Workshop session : How can social network sites support collaboration within product design education?

In line with the conference theme of collaboration and cross-disciplinary, this workshop will discuss the role of social network sites in design education. Social network sites are an everyday tool to communicate with friends and family. Students have adopted the technology not only in their social lives but also to facilitate their academic work. Studies have indicated that social network sites make it easier for students to share formal and informal information within group project work, and achieve more timely communication. From a pedagogical perspective, this raises interesting questions regarding how a team’s social dynamics could change when it comes to participating in group projects, how we can support and encourage students to use social network sites, as well as how appropriate our involvement is. Since these sites reflect a record of the communication, interaction and collaboration within the group, is it possible to use a student’s involvement in a social network environment as an evaluation of their performance? If you interested in learning more about using social network sites to support collaboration, this workshop will act as an introduction to current and future use of the communication methods and can help you to understand how students today are utilising platforms such as Facebook and Twitter for effective design communication

An evaluation of initiatives implemented to support undergraduate students’ transition into Higher Education at one post-1992 university

Supporting students in the transition to Higher Education is crucial to improving retention. Set in a post-1992 university, admitting a high proportion of students from a widening participation background, this paper analyses first year undergraduate students’ experience of their transition and, in particular, the initiatives implemented to support them. Through questionnaires and focus groups with students and interviews with course leaders, the study identifies the importance of pre-entry and first year engagement in helping students make proactive decisions, develop realistic expectations and integrate both socially and academically. A number of initiatives were evaluated and these were largely positive with the majority successfully managing the transition. However, student transition and retention is multi-faceted and this paper demonstrates the challenges post-1992 universities face in supporting a diverse student body. Nevertheless, areas of good practice were identified, including opportunities for social integration during induction and the use of course social network sites

Social Communication Networks the Most Powerful Present at the Service of Education

This study aimed at building up a knowledge matrix in which the features of the pictures of social communication networks, their concept, most famous ones and their role in serving teaching are revealed. They are web sites and different and various software's which allow people to interact around an idea , a piece of information , a topic or a certain aim .Any educational institution , for example , can initiate blogs or electronic sites specific for them . They allow their students to have access to communication and writing in them about their affairs, interests and educational activities. Social networks have been designed as a new communication language for internet users in society in order to overcome the factors of both place and time cope with current novelties, strengthen social relationships between users to break the barrier of some individuals social isolation, create opportunities for knowledge interactivity and communication and keep up with the huge amount of information, in a way that has increased the desire for learning. Social communication networks are important information media which have recently spread and played political, economic, social and educational roles in the world as are the case in the USA and china. The role of social communication networks (new media) is no longer confined to communication with friends, exchange of social and political debates and spread of beliefs, but their role exceed them .Many companies started to use these sites for marketing their products for communicating with the target crowd. Governments used them for spreading data, information, news and receiving views and comments from people. However, some people disagree with the idea of using and incorporating some sites of social networks in education as this does not allow equal learning opportunities and makes the learns thinking mechanic and addict to the computer some government like Germany and china expressed their concern about the use of face book, twitter and you tube sites because it violates the private and public rights of students personal files. The study concluded the emphasis on the importance of informational revolution and benefit from their various sites and networks and their current and future effects, especially in educational and teaching fields by encouraging governments to pass legislations on those sites to protect their citizens from the risks and disadvantages of those social networks. People of businesses and companies also should think of solutions such as the use of-Search drives- more specialized Arabic social and scientific network to enrich users scientifically and socially. Keywords: Network, Social communication, Electronic sites, Blogs, Electronic learning

Higher Education Institutions in Bosnia and Herzegovina use Social Network Sites?

The paper presents the research of the current state of the presence and activities of higher education institutions in Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) on social network sites (SNS). Although higher education institutions in BiH have recognized the necessity of using social networks for communications with their stakeholders, especially students, they still struggle with the content posted on SNS and its frequency. The authors use content analysis to examine SNS posts from BiH higher education institutions and engagement from their constituents on these posts. Results show that there are significant differences in engagement received on posts across institution type and according to content and type of posts. The aim of the paper is to analyze if HEIs in BiH use SNS and to what degree, as well as if there is any difference between public and private institutions related to the usage of SNS. This work is licensed under a&nbsp;Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.</p

Blended-Learning: the Responses From Non-English Students in the Indonesian Tertiary Context

The process of language teaching and learning has undergone major changes due to the developments of technology. The use of technology in education field has paved the way for higher education institution to innovatively shape their modern media in a language teaching and learning. Subsequently, the implementation of blended-learning has aroused at the Universitas Teknokrat Indonesia for approximately one and a half year ago to maximize the use of technology. Most lecturers in all study programs have increasingly utilized the social network sites such as Instagram, Facebook, WhatsApp, etc. for the successfulness of blended-learning. This present study aims at exploring the students' responses on how blended-learning might be used to develop their language learning and discovering their attitudes towards the implementation of blended-learning as an interactional teaching and learning tool in English for Business course. Employing a qualitative in form of a case study, eighty-two undergraduate students from study program of Informatics Engineering were observed, interviewed, and distributed questionnaires. The data were performed to collect the students' responses and students' attitudes toward the implementation of blended-learning in the process of their language learning. The findings were found out that most students from Informatics Engineering major showed their positive responses and positive attitudes using blended learning for the language teaching and learning. They also gained some educational benefits for their English language development. Thus, this blended learning brings us to the new trend for language teaching and learning media in order to motivate the students in enhancing their language acquisition

Students’ engagement in social media in Cambodia

Social media sites are considered one of the most used tools on the Internet nowadays, particularly among the younger generations. The impact of such sites in different areas of society is clearly observed in some more than others, and education is one of these. The purpose of this study is to explore the present reality of Cambodian students and their connection with social media. A survey was carried out with 300 undergraduate students from two universities in Phnom Penh, Cambodia. It was found that students have a strong interaction with social media and the intensity of usage of social network platforms can be associated with different factors. However, regardless of the intensity of use, there is no evidence that it promotes an active participation online. It is suggested to explore further implications in the academic environment

To take or not to take the laptop or tablet to classes, that is the question

In recent decades, so-called mobile learning or m-learning has become a new paradigm in education as a consequence of technological advances and the widespread use of mobile devices to access information and for communication. In this context, this paper analyzes different profiles depending on students’ preferences for taking mobile devices (specifically tablets and/or laptops) to economics classes at the University of Seville (Spain). A survey-based field study of a sample of 412 students and the application of bivariate probit models show a low level of mobile device integration in teaching (devices taken to class by only 29.8% of respondents) with a slight predominance of laptops. The results also show differences between users of the two types of devices. Students who take their laptops to class usually live at home with their family, have already used them in pre-university levels, and are concerned about recharging their devices in class. However, although users who take their tablets to class also live with their parents, they are much more active on social network sites and more concerned about the quality of the internet connection. These findings enable the design of strategies to encourage students to attend class with their own mobile devices

The Students' Attitude on Using Social Network Site (SNS) in their Academic Life in University

In recent years, the usage of social network websites has become popular because of the extreme development of technology and massive use by users. Consequently, the public has transformed into an enormous user of social network websites. At present, the Internet, precisely Social Network Site (SNS), has a prodigious effect on the university academic life and education system. The crucial point behind implementing this research was to realize and explain the students' educational outcomes that engage in social networking sites for the majority of their time as well as to learn about students' perspectives regarding the usage of technology in their academic lives at the university level then students' opinions were examined. The quantitative research methods were managed in this study, and questionnaires were administered to accumulate quantitative data with students. The research participants comprised 105 students in the computer science department – university of Sulaimani in the north of Iraq. This research has exposed that most students positively think about social network sites that spend most of their time on it daily. They use it for academic purposes to share and generate new ideas related to their studies. On the other hand, they use it for having fun and entertainment with their friends