Presentation at the HEA-funded workshop 'Using technology-based media to engage and support students in the disciplines of Finance, Accounting and Economics' The workshop presented a variety of innovative approaches, which use technology, to engage and support learning in business disciplines that students find particularly challenging. Delegates had the opportunity to share and evaluate good practice in implementing and developing online teaching resources and to reflect on how to develop their own teaching practice, using technologies available in most institutions. This presentation is part of a related blog post that provides an overview of the event: http://bit.ly/1o1WfHU For further details of the HEA's work on active and experiential learning in the Social Sciences, please see: http://bit.ly/17NwgKX

1. Undergraduate accounting students’
perceptions of using Twitter as a
practical learning support tool: An
exploratory case study
Julia Osgerby & Dr David Rush
University of Winchester, England

2. What does Twitter look like

3. What does Twitter look like

4. Twitter
• Twitter was chosen as the social medium
to investigate as it is widely used, free and
open social networking site.
• Twitter is more amenable to an on-going,
public dialogue rather than Facebook
because Twitter is primarily a micro
blogging platform (Junco et al., 2010).
• Use of Twitter for academic purposes
offers potential benefits to students by
way of conciseness, robustness,
convenience and non intrusiveness Lowe
and Laffey, 2011).

5. What is the need for this research
Research at the University of Winchester (Osgerby, 2012)
• Identified that during group work there was significant use of
social networking sites for inter-student communication and
collaboration bypassing the University’s VLE arrangements.
• The students interviewed in the case study appeared to believe
that social networking sites better reflected their wider
interpersonal relationships.

6. Literature on Social Networking
Social Networking & Pedagogic Theory:
• Students are digital natives (Buckingham, 2007; Selwyn, 2009).
• List of learning theories supported by social networking- a
review: social learning theory, constructivism, learning
available on demand, authentic learning, student centred
learning, student engagement, digital literacy and media
richness and sensory complexity (Buzzetto-More, 2012).
How you can use it: collaborations, project management,
assessing opinion, asking questions, class room community,
administration, reference research, writing concisely, instant
feedback and connecting with a professional community (Dunlap
and Lowenthal, 2009; Junco et al., 2010; Conole and Alevizou, 2010; Kassens-Noor, 2012; Zananmwe et
al., 2013).

7. Literature on Social Networking
Evaluations: On Social Networking, very few on Twitter.
• In general positive findings: students achieved higher grades, enhanced
community building, improved engagement and communication (Buzzetto-More, 2012;
Lowe and Laffey, 2011; Arguero and Romero-Frias, 2013).
• Positive perceptions, added value to curriculum content (Lowe and Laffey, 2011).
• New form of communication that can support informal learning beyond the class
room (Ebner et al., 2009; Kassens-Noor, 2012).
• Draw backs: addictive, encourage poor grammar, call charges/ data consumption,
distracting, time consuming, can be rude, privacy, real friendship and
miscommunication (Grosseck and Holotescu, 2008; Zaidieh 2012).
Specific areas:
• ‘Twitteracy’ (Greenhow and Gleason, 2012).
• Effects of Twitter posts on students; perceptions of instructor creditability (Johnson, 2011).
Most of these authors point out that there is a lack of research in this area.

8. Functions Educator – Student Student – Student(s) Student – World
Communication
& Co-ordination
Broadcasting/instant messaging.
Timely addressing of student matters.
Administrative Messaging Information exchange about course.
Mobilisation of others & arranging meetings
Instant messaging.
Community highlighting.
Learning &
Skill
Development
Asking/receiving questions.
Providing feedback - learning status.
Interventions to individuals & groups.
Maximising teachable moments.
Concise Writing.
Provoking discussion.
Informal learning.
Asking peer questions.
Concise writing & Literacy practice.
Changing ideas, rich discussion of themes & sharing
opinions.
Social media literacy & careful listening enhancing
social skills.
Multitasking & maximising use of time.
Resource remixing/sharing practices.
Informal learning.
Networking & introductions.
Gathering information & word tracking.
Getting a sense of the world.
Autonomous work, developing serendipity &
researching the ‘edublogosphere.
Improve technical proficiency. Concise writing for
an audience.
Self-control of expression in social networking.
Monitoring Trend following.
Assessment of students.
Monitoring learning climate.
Polling, popularity & voting.
Monitoring class chatter/murmuring.
Trend following.
Comparison own work/progress with other
students.
Monitoring class chatter/murmuring.
Trend following.
Conference tracking, backchannels/undercurrent
dialogues.
Following professionals, organisations, issues and
other educational sources.
Relationship
Building and
Interpersonal
development
Developing teacher presence & credibility.
Facilitating Groups/Teams.
Question/answer dialogues.
Virtual conversations.
Maintaining relationships.
Developing classroom dynamics.
Inter-student relationships & virtual conversations.
Community building maintaining inter-student
relationships (life sharing), trust development.
Developing students’ personal projection/status
(social presence).
Respecting diversity.
Making connections with others & networking.
Collaboration
[Independent of
time and space]
Develop credibility of academic staff & institution.
Forming student/tutor communities.
Cohort development.
Group/team work & virtual classroom thematic
discussions.
Co-operation development, brainstorming &
collaborative writing.
Collaboration in blogosphere & networking.
Personal learning network development.
Sharing Sharing Information ‘nuggets’ information & retweeting. Link promotion.
Student
Engagement
Facilitating in-class engagement.
Provide encouragement.
Contributing to out of class discussions.
Engage with practising communities.
Contributing to microblogs.
Feedback Communicating educational/institutional expectations.
Communicating results/suggestions.
Gathering opinions & backchannel monitoring.
Immediate feedback.
Generating student reflection.
Assessment Assignment setting/submission & Question/answer dialogues. Researching information

9. Research Aim
Undergraduate accounting students’ perceptions of
using Twitter as a practical learning support tool
What – Research Aim and Research Question.
General
perceptions
of Twitter
Perceptions
of using
Twitter in an
academic
environment
Perceptions
of using
Twitter in
specific
learning
situations

10. How - Research Method
• Methodologies from extant literature: questionnaire based
case studies (Zanamwe et al., 2013), questionnaires supported with
interviews (Lowe and Laffey, 2011), content analysis ( Ebner et al., 2009)
and experimental studies (Junco et al., 2010).
• 45 First Year Accounting Students – Module (AN1903)
Management Accounting and Information Technology over 2
semesters in the Academic Year 2012-13.
• Student perceptions explored. Obtained as part of the
evaluation (questionnaire/focus group).
• Personal evaluation and reflection.

11. Research Method
Questionnaire:
• 32 questions examined by Likert scale.
1 box for students to add qualitative comments.
Personal data, general assessment, proficiency and perception of the use
of Twitter on collaboration, assessment and learning (Lowe and Laffey, 2011;
Arquero and Romero-Frias ,2013).
• 37 out of 45 (82%) students answered the questionnaire .
Focus Groups:
• 2 focus groups
• 15 (33%) students participated in total

12. How Twitter was Used
Com
m
unication
Co-ordination
SkillDevelopm
ent
M
onitoring
Collaboration
SharingEngagem
ent
Reflection
Use of IT for Learning
Use of Twitter: Setting up Twitter accounts, first
posts and following accounting ‘tweeters’& other
students (trend following)
● ● ●
Twitter & Concise
Writing/Posting
Writing concise lists
Posting concide Tweets
Commenting on Tweets
Using Tweets in discussions
● ● ● ●
Polling (Popularity Voting)
Debating and selecting choices
Popularity Polling. ● ● ● ●
Posting online academic links Posting useful links to other student(s). ● ●
Polling (Opinion Voting) Polling class members about preferences. ● ●
Trend Following
Presentation of technical anwers in the Twitter
and starting a microblog for other students to see
and comment on.
● ● ● ● ● ● ●
Assessment Submission
Formal Twitter based assessment experiment. ●

13. Some Emerging Issues
Students’ perceptions of:
–Twitter use in general
–Twitter in an academic environment
–Specific use of Twitter

14. Issues: Twitter in General use.
For the student population used:
•Twitter not used generally used (only 32% did).
•Twitter not used socially (70%).
•75% students do not use it to comment on the accounting
course.
•80%+ thought Twitter was at least sometimes just a
novelty.
•General preference for Facebook.

15. Issues: Twitter in General use.
‘Twitter is like Marmite you either like it or
you don’t’
Some Issues
Fast communication
Uncertainty how to use Twitter
Motivation to use Twitter
Use of Facebook
Privacy

16. Issues: Twitter in the academic environment.
For the student population used:
•Very mixed views.
•Learning Network preferred (70%)
•Enhanced learning (60%+ no opinion to – No)
•Used to communicate thoughts about module
(80%+ said No!)
•Happy with confidentiality (as used) (85%)

17. Issues: Twitter in the academic environment.
‘I like the use of Twitter in the classroom
because I believe Technology plays a big part in
our lives in this modern day and the use of
social sites are increasing’
Some Issues
Social vs academic use
Relationship with the Leaning Network
Employability and professional community

18. Issues: Twitter specific uses.
For the student population used:
•Most students seem content to use it (60%).
•Competency – mixed views but do not want more
tuition.
•Do not mind other students seeing their work
(50%+).
•87% would not use Twitter to swap ideas in group
work given a choice.
•30% do not always trust the work of others using
Twitter.

19. Issues: Twitter specific uses.
‘If the majority of people say the same thing I
assume the information is accurate’
Some Issues
Collaboration
Value of Tweets & Trust
Warping & Novelty

20. What Next?