This article will give an overview of my Pinterest project, outlining a rationale for using social bookmarking sites and specifically Pinterest. It will then outline the aims of my practice, linking to research and implementation by other educators, before describing the boards I have set up with visuals and finally evaluating its impact and looking forward to future possibilities for research

Whistance, Jayne

English

Solent Electronic Archive

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D I A L O G U E  5  
50 
 
Reflective case study. M\¶3LQWHUHVWLQJ·
project: Using Pinterest to increase student 
engagement, promote inclusivity and 
develop employability skills 
 
Jayne Whistance  
 
Introduction 
 
This article will give an overview of my Pinterest project, outlining a rationale for using social 
bookmarking sites and specifically Pinterest.  It will then outline the aims of my practice, linking to 
research and implementation by other educators, before describing the boards I have set up with 
visuals and finally evaluating its impact and looking forward to future possibilities for research. 
 
Rationale for using social bookmarking sites 
 
1. Computer or internet devices can be used anywhere, which in turn makes social bookmarking sites 
accessible, especially as mobile phones have instant access with apps to enable this.  Hafemann 
(2012) views technology as a common language, advocating: ¶7HFKQRORJ\ LV WKH JUHDW
unifier.  Instead of having to master nearly 7000 languages, you can easily communicate through 
universal icons, terms, functionality and cRPPXQLW\·  
2. Social bookmarking sites are convenient.  Being able to search links saves time, whilst creating 
boards provides useful resources for students to use both inside and outside the classroom.   
3. Social bookmarking sites enable you to develop professionally, as you can share and network with 
colleagues, gaining ideas for your area of expertise.   
 
Background to choosing Pinterest  
 
There are many other social bookmarking sites which I could have used.  For example: 
x 'HOLFLRXVZKLFKXVHVD¶WDJJLQJ·V\VWHPWRVWRUHZHEVLWHVDQG'LLJRZKLFKVWRUHVPRUHWKDQ
just links: for example - podcasts, screenshots and bibliographies.   
x Scoopit and Flipboard which allow you to create and publish your own glossy magazine. 
D I A L O G U E  5  
51 
 
x Symbaloo which XVHVPXOWLSOHWDEVWRRUJDQLVHOLQNVRQDFXVWRP¶GDVKERDUG· 
 
I originally started using Delicious but found it to be too text-focused, especially for more creative 
students, those with dyslexia and generally for those with a preference for a visual style of learning, 
so I investigated Pinterest as an option since I found it to be visually appealing and user-friendly.  In 
The Top 100 Tools for Learning 2012, Pinterest came in as a newcomer in 36th place; by 2013, it had 
moved up to 22nd place, and in 2014, it is reached 14th place, which shows its increasing usefulness in 
educational settings across the globe.   
 
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save links to useful websites, providing direct hyperlinks, and has the capability of storing short 
information about them.  It is also possible to curate pictures and other images such as infographics, 
though obviously copyright issues need to be taken into consideration when doing this.  You can 
FDWHJRULVH\RXUOLQNVXVLQJ¶ERDUGV·$VZHOODVEHLQJDEOHWRVKDUHOLQNVDQGERDUGVZLWKRWKHUVLWLV
possible to search your own links and find OLQNVIURPRWKHU¶SLQQHUV· 
 
 
Figure 1: An overview of some of my Pinterest boards 
D I A L O G U E  5  
52 
 
Aims of my Pinterest practice 
 
The aims of my practice are threefold: to try to increase student engagement, promote inclusivity 
and develop employability skills. 
 
1: Increasing student engagement 
Rockinson-Szapkiw and Szapkiw (2011), based at Liberty University in the United States, argue from a 
theoretical position for educators to use social media to initiate quizzing and polling, discussion and 
creative group work, all of which can be carried out both inside and outside the classroom. Rockinson-
Szapkiw and Szapkiw (2011) believe that ¶LQYROYLQJVWXGHQWVLQDFWLYHFRJQLWLYHSURFHVVLQJ·LVNH\IRU
learning, drawing on .HDUVOH\DQG6FKQHLGHUPDQ·VWKHRU\RIHQJDJHPHQW (in Rockinson-Szapkiw 
and Szapkiw (2011) pp. 361).  Further, they FODLP WKDW FDSWLYDWLQJ VWXGHQWV· LQWHUHVW HQDEOHV WKH
retention of information (as supported by Barkley (2005) and Shulman (2002)) and in addition, it 
maintains motivation (as shown by Wishart and Blease (1999) found in Rockinson-Szapkiw and Szapkiw 
(2011) pp. 361).   
 
Now turning to practical applications of this, Allan (2011), based in the UK, used Twitter with BTEC 
and A-/HYHO,&7VWXGHQWV¶WRH[SORUHWKHLUWKLQNLQJLQDQGRXWVLGHWKHFODVVURRP·+HIRXQGWKDWLW
was a useful way to remind students of deadlines and give feedback, as well as encouraging them to 
share information about projects with each other.  Rutherford (2010) used social media to engage pre-
arrival students at Brock University in the United States, and surveyed students on their experience 
of the institution, correlating this with their social media use.  She found that those who had engaged 
with this technology prior to beginning their courses were more likely to perceive a better relationship 
with their peers and teachers, which added to the overall quality of their educational experience.  
This was reflected positively in the National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE) (Rutherford, 2010, 
p.706). 
 
2: Promoting inclusivity 
Gundara (2000) encourages cultural sharing as, by respecting cultural diversity, this can help to build 
a shared value system and therefore promote inclusivity.  This has become particularly pertinent in 
recent years with The 2010 Equality Act.  Cultural sharing is really important to me in the classroom 
as I mainly teach international students from a wide range of backgrounds.   
 
In a similar vein Thornton (2012) analysed the use of Pinterest by 57 academic libraries in the United 
States, DQGIRXQGWKDWLWFDQ¶GUDZYLVLWRUVWRFROOHFWLRQVUHVRXUFHVDQGGLJLWLsed archival materials, 
D I A L O G U E  5  
53 
 
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use Pinterest to promote the University of ReginD·V library and suggest that its pictorial aspect is 
particularly helpful for visual learners (p.7) and they have received positive feedback from their users 
(p.9). 
 
3: Developing employability skills 
Dudenhoffer (2012) studied the use of Pinterest at the Central Methodist University (CMU) in the 
United States and found that it improved information and digital literacies (p.330) which is really 
important for employability.  An article published in The Guardian (2012) reported that the University 
of Central Lancashire is using platforms such as Twitter to enable students to develop networking and 
job-seeking skills.  By cultivating the application of information technology, students are working 
towards one of the key graduate employability skills identified by the Confederation of British Industry 
(2009, p.8). 
 
Having a positive online presence can help secure work, as I discovered myself when the Deputy 
Director of the Centre for English Language Learning at De Montfort University Leicester contacted 
me via Twitter.  He had seen my Pinterest project and wanted to know if I could deliver some training 
to his team on using social media in language teaching.  Through this contact, I was able to deliver 
the training as requested in May 2014. 
 
Method 
 
I have created various different boards for the units I teach on; for example, there is one called English 
for Academic Purposes (see Figure 2) which concentrates on such skills as academic writing, Harvard 
referencing and presentations, and which can be used with a variety of levels of students.  I also 
promote succeed@solent by linking to it from this board, plus links from a range of sources.  In 
addition, I have several English for Specific Purposes boards, such as Event Management, English for 
Arts and Media, Journalism, Advertising, PR and Comms and so on, which directly relate to units that 
I teach on. There are also lifestyle boards, aimed at signposting students to advice, such as Living in 
the UK and managing Money.   
 
D I A L O G U E  5  
54 
 
 
Figure 2: A screenshot of my English for Academic Purposes (EAP) board 
 
 
Pinterest boards can be directly linked from myCourse to increase engagement and monitor what 
students are clicking on most by generating an activity report on myCourse.  As well as using Pinterest 
independently, you can collaborate on pin boards with colleagues to avoid duplication, which is worth 
considering both within your teams and across faculties and services.   
 
I have also created boards to raise awareness, such as one on Islam in the UK (see Figure 3), since I 
teach a number of Muslim students.  There is also a board about Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and 
Transgender issues (see Figure 4), since the student age group often explore their identity, especially 
if it is their first time away from home.  When something comes up in class that is sensitive and of a 
personal nature, it is not always appropriate to discuss in front of everyone, so these boards are a 
great way to signpost students to, and for them to pursue privately in their own time. 
 
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55 
 
 
Figure 3: A screenshot of my Islam in the UK board 
 
 
Figure 4: A screenshot of my LGBT+ board 
D I A L O G U E  5  
56 
 
In addition, I have set up some special boards focusing on employability - there is a general Career 
Advice board, and one linking to great examples of Creative CVs.  These boards also link to the 
Employability and Enterprise service at Southampton Solent University by signposting students to their 
blog.     
 
 
Figure 5: A screenshot of my creative CV examples board 
 
 
Impact of Pinterest 
 
I have received positive verbal feedback internally from students and colleagues at Southampton 
Solent University about my use of Pinterest as well as from external institutions.  However, data 
collection is needed to evaluate the impact more accurately.  As a starting point, I could further 
analyse myCourse page interaction with the links to my Pinterest pages.  I could then carry out a 
survey of my students to see how much they have engaged with my Pinterest pages and how useful 
they found them and for which specific purposes.  This could then be followed up by a focus group to 
add more qualitative data. 
 
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57 
 
Conclusion 
I have aimed to use Pinterest to engage with my students more and to promote inclusivity and digital 
literacy skills for employability, following theoretical recommendations and practical advice from 
other academics.  I have received positive verbal feedback so far from both students and colleagues 
inside and outside my workplace; however, more rigorous research needs to be carried out to evaluate 
the real impact of my project. 
 
References 
 
ALLAN, C., 2011. Using Twitter to promote independent learning.... [online] [viewed 19 December 
2014]. Available from: http://prezi.com/uk5-4xa57hjl/using-twitter-to-promote-independent-
learning/ 
AVOS SYSTEMS INC, 2014. Delicious. [online] [viewed 19 December 2014]. Available from:  
https://delicious.com/ 
CBI and UNIVERSITIES UK, 2009. Future fit: Preparing graduates for the world of work. [online] 
[viewed 19 December 2014]. Available from: 
 http://www.cbi.org.uk/media/1121435/cbi_uuk_future_fit.pdf  
CENTRE FOR LEARNING and PERFORMANCE TECHNOLOGIES, 2000 ² 2013. Top 100 Tools for Learning: 
The 2013 List. [online] [viewed 19 December 2014]. Available from: http://c4lpt.co.uk/top100tools/ 
CROWN COPYRIGHT, 2010. Equality Act 2010. [online] [viewed 19 December 2014]. Available from:  
http://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2010/15/contents 
DIIGO INC, 2013. Home. [online] [viewed 19 December 2014]. Available from: https://www.diigo.com/ 
DUDENHOFFER, C., 2012. Pin it! Pinterest as a library marketing and information literacy tool. College 
and Research Libraries News, 73 (6), pp. 328-332. 
FLIPBOARD INC, 2013. Home. [online] [viewed 19 December 2014]. Available from: 
https://flipboard.com 
GUARDIAN NEWS and MEDIA LIMITED, 2012. Using social media to boost student employability. [online] 
[viewed 19 December 2014]. Available from: http://www.guardian.co.uk/higher-education-
network/blog/2012/jun/18/social-media-to-boost-student-employability 
GUNDARA, J. S., 2000. Interculturalism, education and inclusion. London: Sage Publications Ltd 
HAFEMANN, J., 2012. Technology: A Universal Language. [online] [viewed 19 December 2014]. 
Available from: http://idstm.com/technology-a-universal-language/ 
HANSEN, K., G. NOWLAN and C. WINTER, 2012. Pinterest as a tool: Applications in academic libraries 
and higher education. Partnership: the Canadian Journal of Library and Information Practice and 
Research, 7 (2) pp 1-11. 
D I A L O G U E  5  
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PINTEREST, 2014. Jayne Whistance. [online] [viewed 19 December 2014]. Available from: 
http://www.pinterest.com/jaynewhistance/ 
ROCKINSON-SZAPKIW, A. and M. SZAPKIW, 2011. Engaging Higher Education Students Through 
Tweeting. Proceedings of Global Learn Asia Pacific, AACE [online] pp. 360²364. [viewed 19 December 
2014]. Available from: http://editlib.org/p/37197/ 
RUTHERFORD, C., 2010. Using online social media to support preservice student engagement. Journal 
of online learning and teaching, 6 (4), pp. 703-711. 
SCOOP.IT! INC, 2014. Home. [online] [viewed 19 December 2014]. Available from:  
http://www.scoop.it/ 
SYMBALOOEDU, 2014. Home. [online] [viewed 19 December 2014]. Available from:  
 http://www.symbalooedu.com/ 
THORNTON, E., 2012. Is your academic library pinning? Academic libraries and Pinterest. Journal of 
Web Librarianship, 6 (3), pp. 164-175. 
 
 
Contact 
 
Jayne Whistance  
Associate Lecturer in English as a Foreign Language and Study Skills 
Faculty of Business Sport and Enterprise and the Faculty of Creative Industries 
Telephone number: 02382 016724 
Email: jayne.whistance@solent.ac.uk 
Twitter handle: @JayneWhistance 
 
 


Available from: http://www.scoop.it/ SYMBALOOEDU,

Available from: https://flipboard.com

Using Twitter to promote independent learning.... [online] [viewed 19

Reflective case study. My ‘Pinteresting’ project: Using Pinterest to increase student engagement, promote inclusivity and develop employability skills

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Reflective case study. My ‘Pinteresting’ project: Using Pinterest to increase student engagement, promote inclusivity and develop employability skills

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