Using Social Media to Deliver Feedback and Revision eSurguries in Undergraduate

Bioscience Teaching

– the facts

• 1.19 billion active Facebook users• 728m daily log ons• 874 m mobile users• Every 60 s - 510 comments, 293,000 status

updates, 136,000 photos uploaded. • 4.75 billion pieces of content shared daily as

of May 2013 – 94% increase from August 2012.

Facebook Functionality

• Profiles• Groups• Pages• Events• Group Email• Instant messaging

What can it be used for?

• Posting links, articles photos• Group identity• Group activities

– Mail/chat– Discussion– Feedback– Revision

• Setting up events and meetings• Mobile accessibility

“eSurgeries”

How students use social media

• Survey of 612 year 1 students

• 115-118 respondents

Face

book

Twitt

er

Goog

le+

Oth

er

0%

20%

40%

60%

80%

100%

Social media site use

Frequency of access for social/leisure use

Once or more per day

Once or more per week

Once or more per month

Never 0.00%

10.00%

20.00%

30.00%

40.00%

50.00%

60.00%

70.00%

80.00%

90.00%

FacebookBlackboardTwitterGoogle+

Once or more per day

Once or more per week

Once or more per month

Never 0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

90%

FacebookBlackboardTwitterGoogle+

Frequency of access for study/work use

Molecular Biology Degree page• Course updates• News from and of

students and ex-students

• Keeping in touch• Employability

and retention!

https://www.facebook.com/Molbiol.at.Manchester

Year 1 Molecular Genetics (BIOL10221)

• 600-650 students• Posts of links and

videos relevant to the unit

• News and announcements

• Revision “esurgery”

“Growth” of the Page

• Peaked at 346 “likes”

• Course commenced 23/9/2013

• Page started 12/11/2013

• Plateau by 29/11/12

13/11/1

2

17/11/1

2

21/11/1

2

25/11/1

2

29/11/1

2

3/12/1

2

7/12/1

2

11/12/1

2

15/12/1

2

19/12/1

2

23/12/1

2

27/12/1

2

31/12/1

2

4/1/1

3

8/1/1

3

12/1/1

3

16/1/1

3

20/1/1

3

24/1/1

3

28/1/1

30

50

100

150

200

250

300

350

400

Lifetime Total likes

tota

l "lik

es"

“eSurgery”

Interaction with facebook

• More active types of interaction get more attention

Question Status Update Photo Video Share Link0

20

40

60

80

100

120

Lifetime traffic by type

13/11/1

2

16/11/1

2

19/11/1

2

22/11/1

2

25/11/1

2

28/11/1

2

1/12/1

2

4/12/1

2

7/12/1

2

10/12/1

2

13/12/1

2

16/12/1

2

19/12/1

2

22/12/1

2

25/12/1

2

28/12/1

2

31/12/1

2

3/1/1

3

6/1/1

3

9/1/1

3

12/1/1

3

15/1/1

3

18/1/1

3

21/1/1

3

24/1/1

3

27/1/1

3

30/1/1

30

100

200

300

400

500

600

700

Page interaction BIOL10221

• Peaks coincided with eSurgery or several posts over one day

“eSurgery”

1 video, 2 announcements

Dai

ly p

age

cons

umpt

ion

(clic

ks)

Day of the exam

Biochemical Basis of Disease (BIOL31332)

• Final level course• There were 107

students enrolled • Commenced

28/1/2013• A revision eSurgery

was run on 10/5/13

....5 days after eSurgery, exam t minus 5 days

Page growth BIOL31332

08/02/13 22/02/13 08/03/13 22/03/13 05/04/13 19/04/13 03/05/13 17/05/13 31/05/130

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

Lifetime Total likes “eSurgery”

tota

l “lik

es”

“eSurgery”announcement

Page traffic BIOL31332• eSurgery

participation – 7 student posts by 4 students

08/02/1

3

13/02/1

3

18/02/1

3

23/02/1

3

28/02/1

3

05/03/1

3

10/03/1

3

15/03/1

3

20/03/1

3

25/03/1

3

30/03/1

3

04/04/1

3

09/04/1

3

14/04/1

3

19/04/1

3

24/04/1

3

29/04/1

3

04/05/1

3

09/05/1

3

14/05/1

3

19/05/1

3

24/05/1

3

29/05/1

30

50

100

150

200

250

300

Daily Page consumptions

Dai

ly p

age

cons

ump

tion

(clic

ks)

“eSurgery”

Day before exam

Student attitudes

8%1%

56%3%

33%

participated and received useful feedback

participated but not helpful

did not participate but useful

did not participate but not helpful

not used

79%

4%

17%

used it and found valuable used it but not helpfulI did not use it

eSurgery Facebook

What students think

“Everyone uses facebook all the time, so it trumps the discussion boards. I only ever go to blackboard if there's work that needs doing simply because it takes forever to sign in and get to the module etc. So facebook is a much better idea.”

After preparing for the exam, I found looking at the questions people have asked and the responses valuable. Although, I did not use it myself, wide participation with people asking each other and answering each other's questions would make it more useful!i thought it was a great idea, it was only a

shame that more people didn't engage with it! I found it very helpful in clarifying certain topics (and picking up on other topics that i didn't realise we needed to do...!)

i pretty much only use Blackboard to download lectures. I think it is a very poorly laid out system and the more we can do on non-blackboard sites, the better. Facebook is probably the most commonly used networking site

Putting prompts related to the unit in a social media feed helps incorporate it into your 'normal life' online..........

Suggested improvements

• All lecturers should use it• Scheduled chat times – post lecture?• More posts• Posts more relevant to exams

Facebook issues

• Is it ethical compelling students/staff to sign up? – Not all students sign up– Very limited use by academics

• Privacy and security– Of the individual– Of the group

• Ownership and copyright

Conclusions

• Students are mostly “visitors” when interacting with FB for study

• Specific events can increase interaction• Interface is simple and quick• Immediate connection to users• Pages can reach beyond immediate user base