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Pedagogical Applications of Social Media in Business Education

Article  in  Journal of Educational Technology Systems · March 2015

DOI: 10.1177/0047239515570575

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Article
Journal of Educational Technology

Pedagogical Systems
2015, Vol. 43(3) 257–265
! The Author(s) 2015
Applications of Social Reprints and permissions:
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Media in Business DOI: 10.1177/0047239515570575
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Education: Student and
Faculty Perspectives

Chris Piotrowski1

Abstract
There has been wide academic and research interest in the application of social
media modalities, as pedagogical tools, in higher education. Recent research indicates
that business-related topics are a major focus of study on this emerging educational
issue. Yet a systematic review of outcome studies regarding instructional Web 2.0
adaptations in business education has not appeared. To chart, the contemporary
landscape of scholarly research in this area, the current study (a) identified, based
on a keyword search in the ProQuest database, the key empirically based studies on
the business education-social media nexus and (b) summarized the major findings of a
subset of these studies (n ¼ 11) with a focus on views of business students and
faculty. The main social media tools used in instruction were Facebook, blogs,
Twitter, and YouTube. Although a majority of studies reported positive attitudes
by students regarding academic applications of Web 2.0 technologies, faculty views
were more tepid and reserved. Transgression of “socializing” during academic inter-
activity, privacy issues, and data overload were the major drawbacks noted by stu-
dents. Faculty were most concerned about the vast breadth of social media
modalities and the lack of training support in emerging interactive-mobile technology.
Future research needs to address the views of business school administrators on
educational adaptation of Web 2.0 tools.

Keywords
Attitudes, business education, social media, web 2.0

1
College of Business, University of West Florida, Pensacola, FL, USA
Corresponding Author:
Chris Piotrowski, College of Business, University of West Florida, Pensacola, FL 32514, USA.
Email: cpiotrowski@uwf.edu
258 Journal of Educational Technology Systems 43(3)

Introduction
There has been an exponential rise in the level of research attention on the
educational aspect of advances in interactive digital and mobile technologies
over the past 5 years (Abel, Brown, & Suess, 2013; Okoro, 2012; Piotrowski,
2015). Emergent research indicates that the pedagogical embrace of Web 2.0
technology has impacted many academic disciplines and professional fields,
including business education (Barnes & Jacobsen, 2012; Bennett, Bishop,
Dalgarno, Waycott, & Kennedy, 2012; Henderson & Chapman, 2012; Moran
& Tinti-Kane, 2012; Seo, Pellegrino, & Engelhard, 2012). Within higher educa-
tion, the mantra is that colleges and universities cannot ignore the modernity
and unprecedented influence of social networking modalities on students
(Kennedy, 2011). However, based on the extant literature, the integration of
Web 2.0 communicative technologies in education has been predominantly
robust and without criticism.
Interactive and mobile technologies, under the domain of Web 2.0 commu-
nications, span a wide variety of mediums such as blogs, wikis, social network-
ing, video, YouTube, and virtual worlds (Revoir, 2014; Zinger & Sinclair, 2013).
Many of today’s business students access these emerging technologies via smart-
phone or tablet applications (Bulloch, 2013). From an educational perspective,
such interactive tools can promote more egalitarian and participatory discursive
practices, which are at the heart of the instructional-learning praxis (Selwyn,
2010). For the business student with the potential to interact with fellow class-
mates beyond national borders, the educational experience of adapting social
networking to learning should promote cross-cultural diversity (Arnett, 2012).
Yet despite the perennial enthusiasm for academic use of social media, little is
known about the efficacy of Web 2.0 interactive technologies in the business
school curriculum. Moreover, there remains a dearth of research on any differ-
ences between business students’ and faculty’s views on social media as instruc-
tional tools.

Social Media Applications in Business Education

The use of emerging instructional technologies in the business school curricu-
lum has been a central pedagogic issue for nearly 30 years (Peluchette & Rust,
2005). Advances in interactive mobile technology over the past decade have
spurned lively academic debate on the appropriateness and efficacy of aca-
demic use of modern communication tools by both business students and
faculty (Barczyk & Duncan, 2011; Howard & Cornuel, 2012; Lane &
Coleman, 2012; Rajasingham, 2011; Thomas & Howard, 2012). Recent
research findings demonstrate that social networking platforms and other
social media modalities have been embraced by business school faculty
as instructional tools (Albrecht, 2011; Carmichael, 2011; Wankel, 2009).
Piotrowski 259

A cursory review of the business literature finds modern technologies such as

smart phones, iPads, and tablets as acceptable facilitators of both teaching and
learning in higher education (Hettche & Clayton, 2012), including at the top
U.S. business schools (Arat, 2014). Research studies support the contention
that Web 2.0 technologies foster communication, engagement, collaboration,
and creativity in coursework and enhance the pedagogic role of faculty in
teaching (e.g., Okoro, 2012). Moreover, social media have been recognized
as a key component in the collaborative and connectedness nature of the
international business curriculum (Barczyk & Duncan, 2012; Menkhoff &
Bengtsson, 2012).
While many educators tout the integration of Web 2.0 interactive tools
into the business school curriculum (e.g., Davis & Yin, 2013; Gaytan, 2013),
others acknowledge that social media technology can act as a “distraction” in
the teaching environment (Okoro, Hausman, & Washington, 2012). In fact,
empirically based evidence has been presented that notes a host of concerns
regarding academic applications of Web 2.0 tools. Based on survey data,
Tuten and Marks (2012) found that marketing educators have not embraced
social media for educational purposes; reported barriers to adoption include
limited class time, diversity in types of modalities, and lack of functional
expertise on the part of many faculty. From a student career development
perspective (Benson, Morgan, & Filippaios, 2014), business school faculty
recognize that today’s employers not only expect proficiency in the use of
Web 2.0 technology but also cherish the application of emergent communi-
cation technologies to everyday business activities (Comstock, 2010; Hagler,
2013; Razmerita, Kirchner, & Nabeth, 2014; Wamba & Carter, 2014; Wiid,
Cant, & Nell, 2014).

The Current Study

Despite the fact that pedagogic applications of social media have received wide
scholarly attention in recent years, few studies on business school education have
summarized empirically based outcome research in this emerging area. The pur-
pose of the current analysis is to (a) identify data-based studies that appear in
business-related academic journals regarding educational applications of social
media modalities and (b) summarize key findings pertaining to business stu-
dents and faculty samples. To that end, a keyword search of the database
ProQuest that limited reference output to the identifier Social Media and
Business School in the title or abstract was conducted on September 15, 2014.
This search produced 69 scholarly articles which served as the dataset for the
analysis. The author then screened these studies, following a content analysis
methodology (see Piotrowski, 2014), in order to identify only those that reported
outcome data on the educational use of social media by either students or
faculty (n ¼ 11).
260 Journal of Educational Technology Systems 43(3)
Table 1. Eleven Outcome Studies With a Focus on Educational Use of Social Media in
Business School Education.
Study Method
Alon and Herath 155 college students in group
(2014) projects, in an international
marketing course, were
assigned to develop a YouTube
video as a marketing tool;
students’ perceptions were
evaluated.
Evans (2014) 252 undergraduates, in a busi-
ness and management course,
were encouraged to use
Twitter in interaction with
instructor and fellow stu-
dents; amount of Twitter use
and students’ attitudes were
assessed.
Revoir (2014) In a qualitative research design, Three themes emerged: (a) group
instructional efficacy of using
YouTube in a course simula-
tion was examined; college
student learning was assessed.
Barczyk and In a posttest design, 106 business This sample of students was favor-
Duncan (2013) students expressed their
views on the use of Facebook
in coursework.
Hazari, Brown, and In an experimental design, the
Rutledge (2013) authors studied the efficacy of
academic use of blogs in sev-
eral college business courses;
students’ perceptions of blogs
were investigated.
Wiid, Cant, and Based on the Technology
Nell (2013) Acceptance Model, business stu-
dents’ perceptions of SM use
in coursework regarding ease
of use, information retrieval,
and knowledge acquisition
were the focus of the study.
Key findings
These students expressed positive
attitudes toward the instructional
use of this experiential technique;
evaluations indicated beneficial
effects of YouTube application in
teaching country branding.
The results showed mixed findings:
(a) Twitter use did not impact
class attendance, and (b) course-
related tweeting was not related
to student–teacher interaction.
cohesion, (b) engagement in
videos, and (c) decreased appre-
hension; author concluded that
the process of self-viewing on
video tends to promote ethical
thinking.
ably disposed to academic
incorporation of Facebook; con-
nectedness was enhanced, par-
ticularly for older students.
Both positive and cautionary con-
clusions were noted by authors;
challenges regarding the instruc-
tional applications of blogs were
offered.
Survey data indicated that the most
important pedagogical factor,
from the students’ perspective,
was “perceived ease of use” of
SM in coursework.
(continued)
Piotrowski
Table 1. Continued.
Study Method
Tuten and Marks Evaluated SM use by business
(2012) school educators for educa-
tional purposes; barriers to
the academic implementation
of SM were investigated.
Henderson and In a quantitative design, 195
Chapman (2012) business school educators
shared views on the academic
use of mobile technology;
limitations to interactive
mobile modalities in the
classroom were examined.
Taylor, Mulligan, In an exploratory design, authors
and Ishida (2012) examined undergraduate
business students’ views with
regard to Facebook as an
academic interactive tool.
Aviles and Eastman Based on exploratory survey
(2012) data, business college stu-
dents’ views on effectiveness
of Web 2.0 tools in academic
coursework were
investigated.
Kelm (2011) MBA student use of blogs and
video contributions to
YouTube channels was
assessed as part of academic
coursework assignments.
Note. SM ¼ social media.
261
Key findings
This sample of educators in the
marketing department reported
tepid use of SM tools for
instructional purposes; draw-
backs to SM adoption include
time limitations and divergent
types of available interactive
mobile technologies.
46% of faculty respondents have
used mobile devices for educa-
tional purposes; engagement in
virtual teams and online confer-
ences was encouraged. Some
instructors expressed concerns
that mobile technology in the
classroom can foster
distractibility.
This sample of college students
expressed negative attitudes
toward the use of Facebook in
academic instruction; authors
contend that despite negative
evaluation of Facebook, social
networking has potential as a
pedagogical interactive tool in
education.
This sample of business students
have positive attitudes about
most interactive technologies;
authors contend that Web 2.0
tools meet students’ need for
affiliation, prompt feedback, and a
personalized learning experience.
The educational work-product
output for this sample showed
that SM modalities have positive
potential as instructional tools.
262 Journal of Educational Technology Systems 43(3)

Findings
Outcome Studies and Findings
The review of the major findings of the 11 studies involving business student and
business faculty samples concludes that 55% reported positive attitudes and
outcomes on the implementation of social media for instructional purposes
(see Table 1); 30% indicated either mixed results or potential limitations to
social media adaptation to coursework; and two studies found contrary findings,
that is, negative views toward educational use of Web 2.0 technology. Moreover,
business faculty, while maintaining a favorable stance toward social media mod-
alities in coursework, appear to be somewhat more cautious than students (see
Tuten & Marks, 2012). Thomas and Howard (2012) note an air of resistance to
the adoption of interactive and mobile technologies both by business school
instructors and academic deans. Such inertia to emerging technology trends
embraced by the millennial generation largely reflects older faculty’s comfort
level with traditional pedagogies. Perhaps, the lack of training support for fac-
ulty development in advancing instructional technology contributes to this reluc-
tance (see Vodanovich & Piotrowski, 2005).
It is noteworthy that in addition to Facebook, business school faculty have
reported success in the adaptation of blogs and YouTube in class assignments
(see Churchill, 2009; Kim, 2008). Recently, researchers have argued that Twitter,
as a pedagogical tool, has a myriad of benefits for business school instructors
who engage their students in experiential learning (Rinaldo, Tapp, & Laverie,
2011). The current analysis, in reviewing empirical studies on adoption of social
media in higher education, found very sparse attention directed on Web 2.0 use
in doctoral level, MBA, or professional business school instruction. Recent
research is beginning to address this void in the business literature (see
Brightman & Nargundkar, 2013; Kelm, 2011; Meyer, 2010).

Conclusion
The integration of emerging Web 2.0 technology, as an efficacious instructional
tool, in business school settings appears inevitable. The advantages are quite
apparent, that is, low financial expenditure, flexibility, immediacy, integration,
collaboration, exchangeability, compatibility with educational contextual
dynamics, didactic innovation, and creativity. The disadvantages seem few,
such as security issues, authenticity, blurring of functions, and data overload
(Selwyn, 2010; Tess, 2013). Although the current analysis affirms predominantly
positive findings on the use of social media in business education as viewed by
students and faculty, future research needs to focus on (a) optimizing the aca-
demic potential of modern interactive technology, (b) addressing solutions
regarding drawbacks and limitations of interactive learning, and (c) engaging
business school administrators to address these emerging educational challenges.
Piotrowski 263

Declaration of Conflicting Interests

The author declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, author-
ship, and/or publication of this article.

Funding
The author received no financial support for the research, authorship, and/or publication
of this article.

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