Learning in Public: Faculty and Student Opinions About Social Media in the Classroom

Abstract

For communication instructors charged with safely and constructively educating students, incorporating social media in communication coursework presents a variety of problems. Among them are how to grade social media and how to respond to students’ social media mistakes, knowing these mistakes and corrections could follow students into their careers. This project surveyed journalism faculty ( n = 125) and students ( n = 323) to learn how each assess the challenges and opportunities of using social media in journalism coursework. Both groups expressed concerns about privacy, but faculty were also concerned about the legal consequences of students making mistakes publicly online.