2012 International Conference on Education and Management Innovation IPEDR vol.30 (2012) © (2012) IACSIT Press, Singapore
Academic Use of Social Media: Practices and Problems of University Students
Irshad Hussain1∗, Naushaba Gulrez 2 and Shaheen Ashraf Tahirkheli3
2 1
The Islamia University of Bahawalur, Pakistan Government College for Women Gulberg Lahore, Pakistan 3 Allama Iqbal Open University Islamabad, Pakistan
Abstract. The researchers conducted present study with the objectives to a). examine the academic use of
social media by university students, b). evaluate the opinion of university students about social media in promoting educational opportunities, and c). identify the problems of university students in using social media. This study was delimited to the Faculty of Education of the Islamia University of Bahawalpur, Pakistan. The population of the study consisted on all students of the faculty of education. The sample size comprised of 600 students taken through convenient sampling technique. A questionnaire was developed for data collection. The research tool was finalized after its pilot testing. The researchers administered finalized research tool and collected data. The study revealed that majority (90%) of the social media users used facebook. They used social media for developing academic relationships with their contemporaries. They used such media for sharing their learning experiences with their colleagues and international community. It was obvious from the study that social media plays a crucial role in promoting collaboration and linkage to develop Virtual Community across the world. The respondents also faced some problems in using social media. They faced problems of bandwidth and speed of internet and electricity break down/ load shedding. The researchers recommended that proper training may be organized for appropriate use social media
Keywords: Social Media, Internet, Academic Collaboration, Face Book, Virtual Community...