Abstract

Social media is rapidly changing the communication setting of today’s social world. The emergent of social media is significantly influencing the academic life of students. Institutions and academicians are continually trying with social media has been accepted by higher institutions making it a platform where students connect with their instructors, fellow students, and other higher authorities across the board.

This, therefore, called for the study to explore and examine how social media has impacted students’ academic life. The study implored a qualitative approach in accessing these impacts. Ten (10) participants were conveniently sampled and interviewed with a period of one week.

After studying the phenomena that were of interest to the study, and transcribing the various responses of the participants, the results reveal that social media is widely used by students of the higher institutions and that participants are in support of the idea that social media contribute a significant role to the development of their academic life.

CHAPTER ONE

GENERAL INTRODUCTION

1.1 Introduction

1.1. Background of the Study

In recent years, technology has tried to fulfill its role in helping humanity leading to the substantial medium of interaction in the social media world as well as in teaching and learning. Over the years, those in higher education have explored the exciting opportunities new technologies bring to institutions, educators and students.

Technology has changed the way people interact and has brought the emergence of an open social platform, such as social media that allows the inhabitants of this planet earth to connect with each other making the world a global village. Social media such as Facebook, Twitter, Google+, WhatsApp, Skype, Instagram, Telegram… are being used in learning for the purpose of convenience with other students and potentially with others outside the class such as students of the same topic and subject experts.

The advent of social media has impacted significantly how students learn and the mode instructors teach. In today’s higher education settings, social media has influence instructors, students, and others to cooperate with each other on the tasks of knowledge construction in learning and teaching environments. Social media applications can strengthen class material and positively influence discussions collaborative work, and authoring.

Educators and researchers are constantly experimenting with social media technologies hoping to stimulate critical thinking skills, collaboration, and knowledge construction (James 2016). However, the fact that these media are generally open to the world implies a need to carefully consider its benefits, impacts, and risks of openness as well as the need for ongoing communication with students in order to address their concerns and deals with issues in the use of social media as they arise.

1.2. Statement of the Problem

With the explosive growth in the number and use of social media in everyday communication methods for individuals and organizations, there has being a corresponding increase of its in-cooperation in teaching and learning in higher institutions.

In view of this, this study examines and assesses the impact social media has on teaching and learning at the University of Buea, be it positive or negative impacts.

1.3. Purpose of the Study

This study was purported to assess the impact of social media on student academic life to be specific. This study aims at exploring the kind of social media students are familiar with, how much social media is used by students of higher institutions (University of Buea), and the impact it making on their academic life.

1.4. Objectives of the study

The objective of this study is to create awareness of the fact that social media though having some challenges plays an important role in the students’ academic life such as the provision of a direct medium to students by which they publicly evaluate and comment on their campus environments. in addition, most students use social media as a platform for discussions for their assignments and other course work.

They equally get feeds on class schedules, class venues, receive information and send information about their peers, explore issues related to their course work, and a host of others.

1.5. Research Questions

The main research question of the study was “has social media has a distinctive impact on students of the University of Buea academic life?” To answer these questions and analyze how this impact has taken place, the following questions were considered;

1. How do students use social media?
2. To what extent has social media support students’ learning?