Elijon King
10/18/2021
Kylee Pastore
English 11000
Does Social Media Negatively or Positively help college students’ ability to learn?
Every classroom has its own unique operating environment and set of rules to function efficiently. As such, the implementation of effective learning techniques is subject to numerous variables, which may have a negative or positive impact on the students’ ability to learn. Due to quality concerns about distance learning, colleges and universities have decided to reopen partially. As a result of this, some students have hybrid courses which provide in-person and online classes. In some cases, universities have split classrooms in which fifty percent of the class is present in person, and the other fifty percent is present online. This may seem great at first, but a large percentage of students are still online. In pursuit of an education, these students have adapted to a new way of learning, in only one year at that. Distance learning should provide a healthy learning environment on par with in-person learning. It’s intriguing to be able to see whether my peers are benefiting from hybrid/ virtual learning. This research project will provide an overview and answer of how social media affects the learning ability of college students.
My essay will be modeled similarly to an essay named “Virtual Classrooms: How Online College Courses Affect Student Success.” This journal was posted online by the American Economic Association. As stated before my question is “Does Social Media Negatively or Positively help college students’ ability to learn?” I am using this essay to answer one side of my question because it explains a lot about how online classes negatively affect how college students learn. The author starts off with a very neutral opinion. This eventually evolves into the author using an instrumental variable approach and explaining his opinion on the matter, while also providing statistical facts. After he was finished conveying his point, he finally concluded the essay. My audience will be made up of people interested in how social media affects college students, as well as people trying to find out whether social media is beneficial or destructive for learning. Even though my research paper will be geared towards college students, everyone interested in how social media affects the way people learn can benefit from it. This leads to the question “Why is knowing the answer to my research question important?” I believe knowing the answer to my question is important because virtual learning is extremely convenient, and being able to maximize its benefits could change society as a whole. In addition, I believe that learning online promotes a sense of independence and discipline. In a physical classroom teachers are viewed as the person that has authority over you. Contrarily, teachers are viewed as the person who provides the material you should be learning. Then later you will be expected to teach that material to yourself. In simplified terms, teachers cannot “force” you to study/ complete your work while you are online. By October 20, 2021, I will have one academic source as well as three popular media sources, which I will use to back up and find the answer to my research question.
Bettinger, Eric P., et al. “Virtual Classrooms: How Online College Courses Affect Student Success.” The American Economic Review, vol. 107, no. 9, American Economic Association, 2017, pp. 2855–75, https://www.jstor.org/stable/26527929.
Clark-Ibáñez, Marisol, and Linda Scott. “Learning to Teach Online.” Teaching Sociology, vol. 36, no. 1, [Sage Publications, Inc., American Sociological Association], 2008, pp. 34–41, http://www.jstor.org/stable/20058625.
Jayaratne, K. S. U., and Gary Moore. “Perceptions of College Students toward Online Classes: Implications for Teaching Online.” NACTA Journal, vol. 61, no. 4, North American Colleges and Teachers of Agriculture (NACTA), 2017, pp. 304–09, https://www.jstor.org/stable/90021479.
Cellini, Stephanie. “How Does Virtual Learning Impact Students In Higher Education?”. Brookings, 2021, https://www.brookings.edu/blog/brown-center-chalkboard/2021/08/13/how-does-virtual-learning-impact-students-in-higher-education/.
