The Feasibility and Acceptance of Social Media Interventions in Higher Education Classrooms of Developing Nations with Special Reference to India

Abstract

Computers, during its entry into the academic domain, were forecasted to revolutionizethe entire educational system across the globe. At present, similar expectations havebeen encircling the social media technologies. Many researchers claim that social media,when introduced in higher education environments, tend to enhance the students’learning experience by facilitating heightened levels of instructor-student interactions,peer learner support and learners’ collaboration. Though social media is claimed to takethe higher education learning to the next level, it is crucial to identify the readiness andproficiency of the instructors who play the main role in efficiently implementing thesetechnologies in their classrooms. Especially, instructors belonging to the institutionspresent in developing nations are less likely to have proper access to some of the basicfacilities (such as power supply or internet connectivity) required for social mediaintegration. Hence, the present study aims at identifying the feasibility of introducingsocial media aids to the higher education classrooms present in Tamil Nadu – one amongthe eight Indian states having the highest number of colleges in the Nation.