Acknowledging the important role of social networks and a new approach to learning could contribute to conceptual understanding through academic discussions, obtaining instant feedback and being cost effective. However, most of the lecturers seemed to distance themselves from this medium. Participant L1 commented:
“… I heard one of the students saying this is how she discusses with other group members, students from her group. That is what she told me, but then I don’t use that. I only use the e- mail….”
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L2 declared he had never thought of using social media for students’ academic progress.
Seemingly, few of the lecturer participants consider social media as a necessary resource for originality in developing conceptual understanding (for a variety of reasons), though they admitted that it could play a valuable role in that regard. This came out clearly from the comment made by respondent (L3):
“I understand that there is a place for that, but I think that sometimes maybe we need to think about it carefully, but if you have it on ‘Blackboard’ and you have a forum that is there, it can help, because it gives them that space to talk. You know. But social media it is something that is relatively new, especially to use in terms of the classroom or even a simple thing like a cell phone, because the most of the students do their assignment on social media and on cell phones”.
The students, on the other hand, consider the use of social media a resource for teaching and learning, as revealed in this comment: “…sometimes we discuss issues and
then we also try to solve problems using chatting devices or media” (S5); S5 further commented:
“We discuss issues and then we also try to solve particular problems using chatting devices”, showing the importance of collaborating with peers using technology such as chat rooms, to secure conceptualisation.
Listening to the students discussing this medium as a valuable aid to conceptualisation revealed how they could incorporate social media in their learning programmes, expressed as follows by one student:
(S4) “…we do that one, in method class mostly ja, we do that one. We find that we are
learning something or you just want to solve a problem, but we did during our high school days, so you will just take your phone, maybe get a classmate on social network for help”. However, they use the medium mainly for social issues, as outlined by the participants:
“Most of as us students actually have opportunity to use the WhatsApp and the Facebook, but we don’t usually use it for academic relating” (S1).
This student engages social networks for social activities which have nothing to do with academic adventures. This could be due to a lack of exposure to ways of using these tools to advance knowledge acquisition. Participant (S6) claimed: “We just
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Facebook, and also, I don’t access those”. This individual subsequently expressed
reservations about the potentially distracting effect of such media:
“Actually one thing that I am afraid in those things is to be like absorbed in them too much, because most of your time will be dedicated to chatting, be always on your cell phone. So that is one thing that I don’t like. Like also to…, because most of time, in my experience, or from my knowledge I think for chatting it makes you at the end not being secretive. You don’t have secrets and even someone tells you just expose it on there”.
This is an indication of fear of social technology through a fear of addiction, looking only at the negative impact and not considering the positive.
Participant (S3) cautioned:
“…with social network skills, sometimes you become addicted, you become more and more addicted. You will find that you are no more concentrating much on your educational issues. You are focussing on social network, chatting and so on. Sometimes you spend a lot of time searching unnecessary information instead of doing something academically
This student admitted the impact of the social network on learning, in that getting addicted could pose a danger to one’s academic development, since they are, in most cases, not used for creative learning undertakings.
Most of the lecturers seemed not to subscribe to the use of social media to advance academic programmes, holding the view that engaging students on the social network is an intrusion in their space. They distinguished between social and pedagogical spaces, and advocated staying away from the former. L3 said:
“I think that it is not an easy place to go, because on the media, the social media platform, the only thing that you are talking about is social issues. You know and in terms of learning, not many of us can embrace that aspect and I think that it is a space and sometimes I don’t know, students find that this space is their space. They have time for own space. You know sometimes you know we cannot become and want to put academic things. I understand that there is a place for that, but I think that sometimes maybe we need to think about it carefully…”
However, with access to smartphones, it could be a platform to explore with a view to enabling students to consult any time they are in academic difficulty, since they already use it to discuss either academic tasks or social issues.
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4.4.4 LMS - ‘Blackboard’ for creative learning and innovative teaching
The institution provided the ‘Blackboard’ system to improve curriculum delivery creatively, through innovative teaching; but the students claim that they are not equipped to benefit from the full educational potential of the technology. As one student participant commented:
“Actually I don’t have a clue of what ‘‘Blackboard’’ is, I have never used it, and I do not know anything about it, although I am very much aware of it because I heard my colleagues talking about it. The ones who are in the other streams they have been trained for that. So I heard them talked about it, but I have never used it and I have never seen them used it” (S2).
Another respondent remarked:
“Yes the ‘Blackboard’ is good; the problem is like not all of the students are covered. It is only a certain group that was somehow equipped with ‘‘Blackboard’’ and some groups were not bothered about. We just heard it before that there was going to be ‘‘Blackboard’’ and after that it came we never heard anything about it anymore. Sometimes, when you go to the computer laboratory and it is closed or you find students logged on the computers busy with it, but they never logged onto ‘Blackboard”. (S6).
Despite the positive side of technology-driven instructional strategies, there is the fear that technology-based tasks may result in reduced interaction and direct contact with lecturers, and could alter the ‘norms’ of the lecture rooms, where students with good technical skills become expert advisors to the lecturers and peers. This might either encourage or discourage colleagues and the learning process.
Student participant (S3) commented:
“….with ‘Blackboard’ it was very helpful, because sometimes she used to say okay you must not attend a class. At least I will just stay in my room. I have my laptop and I will stay in my room and then I access the information while in the room without going outside. The disadvantage will be those who do not have a laptop. Then they will have to go to…, but still it is good”.
The participant acknowledged the role of ‘Blackboard’ as a relaxed learning medium, but could not explain its use creatively and innovatively for constructive learning. He again sounded the double caution regarding inadequate resources to manage
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learning, and the possibility of less physical contact with lecturers and peers: “if there is a problem, sometimes we have our groups. Then we can arrange and then we go and discuss the
exercises”. (S3)
Participant (S6) expressed dissatisfaction about the institution’s inability to instruct all the students on the use of the facility:
“…It is only a certain group that is well equipped with ‘Blackboard’ and some groups they are not even bothering at all. We just heard it before that there is going to be like ‘Blackboard’ and after that it came, then we never heard anything from it anymore. Sometimes when you go to the computer lab the lab is closed and you find students logged on the computers and they are busy with it, but he never logged onto his ‘Blackboard”.
This is an indication of poor communication and failure to make use of the resources available, to the university community.
For ICTs to be used innovatively in teaching to generate creative learning approaches, lecturers and students must have a clear understanding of the potential of the resources and be able to link that to teaching and learning. There has been a poor demonstration of innovative teaching by the lecturers, who do not seem to be assigning tasks that will inspire students to be creative in their learning.
4.5 HOW ARE ICTs USED TO SUPPORT STUDENTS’ CONCEPTUAL