Microblogging To Foster Connections And Community in a Weekly Graduate Seminar Course

This study investigated the use of microblogs to enhance content learning and to foster community between participants in a weekly multidisciplinary graduate seminar on teaching and pedagogy. Data included students’ and instructor’s Twitter posts, an initial reaction paper, and an end-of-semester survey to determine if and how students’ attitudes about using Twitter had changed over the course of the semester. A content analysis of the data indicates that students did use Twitter to connect to the content and to each other. Recommendations are given for both instructors and students interested in using social media to extend the college classroom.