The Use of Social Media as a Tool for Learning: Perspectives of Masters in Educational Technologies students at Bisha University, Saudi Arabia

Abstract

The current research examines the attitudes towards the use of social media sites to support the learning process among Master's in Educational Technologies students at the University of Bisha in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, including perceptions of educational benefits as well as disadvantages and barriers. Forty two students participated in this study and completed a web-based survey. The findings revealed a largely positive attitude toward the usage of social media sites in the classroom, attributing to it many advantages, such as increasing the quality and efficiency of communication between students and teachers, greater access to information, as well as stronger social connections and ease of collaboration among classmates. However, the participants also mentioned cyberbullying, privacy issues and distractions as some difficulties associated with using these tools.