Teaching is inherently a process of social influence; educators shape the knowledge, behaviours and academic development of learners by sharing information, resources and research. Teachers who are seen as knowledgeable, engaging and confident are perceived as more persuasive. Social media influencers operate in a similar way. By developing content and stories (not just the Instagram kind), and encouraging a range of interactions, influencers also shape the thoughts, feelings, self-expression and actions of their followers.
So, educators can also be thought of as influencers – particularly when they leverage digital technologies to create engaging and interactive learning communities where they act as a trusted, credible source of knowledge and support. Just as a social media influencer engages their audience, educators can leverage the same techniques to connect, engage and build a sense of social presence in teaching.
- To combat ‘zombie scrolling’, integrate social media into your teaching
- Transform digital pedagogy with social media
- The scroll, the soundbite and the seminar: where media habits meet teaching
But why would teachers want or need to learn from influencers?
The rapid growth of online learning platforms and the demand for digital integration across education systems have left many higher education institutions struggling to keep up. In this digitally interconnected context, educators tend to rate their own levels of digital competency as relatively low. The gap between the need to use technology and the skills to do so effectively fuels the potential for student attrition as well as disengagement and dissatisfaction among those engaging with universities online or in blended-learning modes.
To address this disconnect, we propose a fresh perspective: looking to social media not only as a tool but as an example, learning from its digital engagement strategies to create impactful learning experiences.
Finding and promoting connection beyond the login
Social media influencers monitor the information about their audience and use it to better understand their wants and needs and to respond accordingly. Data supports the production of content that maintains engagement.
In the same way, digital technologies give educators access to more information than ever before about their learners and how they interact with learning content. However, this is often not used strategically, meaning educators lose opportunities to be responsive, to understand what is (or is not) engaging, and to communicate most effectively.
Beyond using information about learners with the greatest impact, educators also need to understand that connection requires more than just tracking the number of times a student logs in to a course (or shows up to class). Digital technologies enable the collection of novel metrics that can support proactive engagement strategies. Deep engagement, however, is best reflected in meaningful interactions such as discussion contributions, collaboration in group projects and responsiveness in educator-student interactions. The most effective connection in higher education contexts includes emotional and cognitive involvement, where students are invested in their learning and actively apply their knowledge.
As such, educators should focus on enhancing meaningful and enriching social connection through technological affordances in the classroom. One strategy may be reimagining discussion forums from a static element outside the course content to being embedded, interactive places that allow for reflection and engagement with other contributors (think online forums, bulletin boards and more).
However, even with the best intentions, these sorts of “interactivities” can come across as tokenistic, shallow and overused, and receive little in the way of student engagement. So, instead of simply presenting new digital learning tools for the sake of novelty, we must ensure learners see their value for connection and enhancing their course experience.
What social media can teach educators about social presence in digital environments
Young adults often describe their face-to-face interactions as more meaningful, comfortable and enjoyable than interactions that take place through screens. So, how do we improve communication and promote a sense of “togetherness” when using digital technologies?
Social media influencers rely on a sense of social presence so followers feel close to them regardless of their location or relationship to the poster. Social presence develops when we consistently share content that is valuable to our audience, engage authentically and create opportunities for collaboration and connection. Richer, synchronous media (such as video chat) also allow us to feel more deeply engaged in online interactions.
Like social media platforms and tools, education contexts also offer opportunities to develop social presence. Notably, each mode of education (virtual, hybrid or offline) requires different tools to promote connection. Fully online contexts need strategies to foster engagement including use of synchronous and asynchronous resources, while hybrid modes allow both in-person and online connection, which need to be fostered separately due to different engagement patterns and needs of students. In-person learning naturally enhances social presence, but digital tools can still complement and extend engagement beyond the classroom to support learning communities.
Social presence has been found to be integral for learning satisfaction and persistence among online or blended-mode students; in a systematic review of higher education institutions, feeling connected to peers, staff and the institution was found to be critical in students’ academic achievement, engagement, motivation and persistence. Educators should design spaces that allow for more authentic opportunities for deep connection. Integrating technology into learning is a choice that ultimately supports alignment between learning outcomes, pedagogy and technology.
Similar to the ways in which we navigate social media, we suggest educators learn to present content in a way that requires active consumption, reflection, engagement, and application and consolidation of knowledge. Beyond setting clear expectations and learning outcomes for contribution as part of a community of learners, we should explain the rationale behind tools and techniques used in courses, support their progress and understanding with regular updates and feedback opportunities, and include a mix of content styles in our courses. Finally, centring agency and accountability within online courses offers ways to transform passive consumption of content (a known pitfall of social media) into active participation.
Education should not mirror all aspects of social media
Educators can learn from and integrate practices inspired by social media engagement tactics to both design digital learning spaces and communities and to monitor engagement and promote connection. This can be achieved in many more ways than what could be covered here.
However, we must also recognise that teaching and learning in higher education with and through digital technologies cannot, and should not, mirror all facets of social media. Social media is a core part of the lives of students and teachers alike, offering opportunities for distraction or procrastination as well as connection. Platforms designed to capture and keep attention, and that encourage near-constant interaction pose a critical challenge for educators striving to maintain student focus.
Accustomed to fast, engaging and highly personalised content, the so-called TikTok generation is raising the bar for what feels relevant and stimulating in a learning environment. To compete, educators must design learning that capitalises on the positive affordances and “hooks” of social media in a way that is not only informative but also interactive, socially engaging and grounded in real-world application.
Riley A. Scott is a lecturer in the School of Psychology and Wellbeing at the University of Southern Queensland, Australia. Jaimee Stuart is a senior researcher and team lead in the United Nations University Institute in Macau, China.
If you’d like advice and insight from academics and university staff delivered direct to your inbox each week, sign up for the Campus newsletter.
comment