Moving Participation beyond the Classroom: Who Benefits from Online Social Communities?

Abstract

The proliferation of social media, especially among traditional higher education students, leads many advertising educators to Facebook and other social media platforms to engage their students. This study examines student participation in a traditional face-to-face classroom setting and compares it with a concurrent online social media community of the same students. It considers whether social media can enhance student engagement in subject matter discussions. Results indicate that students who were the most active in a traditional classroom setting were also the most active in the accompanying digital community. While personality traits like extraversion may influence participation in both settings similarly, the authors conclude that student interest in subject matter may also play a critical role.