Integrating Social Media Into E-Learning | Business Report

Issues associated with IT management in colleges and universities

With the emergence of globalization and innovation and technological up-gradations it has become very much significant for any of the sector to keep them up-to-date (Laudon & Laudon, 2016). IT (information and technology) is one of the biggest requirements for any of the business organization. The growth of personal computing mechanisms has revolutionized the personal and working life of individuals in the 21^st century. And as human being are unable to cope-up with the rapid changes and velocity of the growth of information technology occurrence of issues and errors keep on repeating. The below presented report is analyzed on the issues associated with the IT management in the colleges and universities.   

With the emergence and growing need of the online learning, the need and requirement of the functionality of course management systems has also increased (Orlando 2010). The management systems are growing and becoming more complex and also they are becoming more fragile day by day, dictating the new organizational purpose of instructional designer to accomplish the systems. Mechanism of distance learning steadily loosened from faculty to administrator as instructional designers began presenting the functionality and appearance of online.

Now faculty is beginning to fight for the authority of the administrators through the utilizing the social media platforms such as blogs, wikis, and Voice-Thread. The mentioned mechanisms or social media platforms are easy to establish ad can be easily set up by faculty and students to adoptive interactivity and content generated by user that is impossible in the systems of course management. Moreover, the best option is that a faculty member can develop a blog in minutes and invest most of the their time interacting with the learners instead of investing time in stocking up the course of a systems of course management.

But there are some colleges that are making use of the social media strategy. The predictions are made that all the data or the information must be housed within the LMS. Blackboard is one of the mechanisms that are benefiting the social networks modules such as wikis and blogs, but shifting them into the locked-down the LMS mechanism diminishes the very openness which offers value to these media. So a better approach that can be adopted for understanding that the LMS is just an equipment among many options and just for offering online learning (Wilson 2016). And just like a carpenter, that is making use of the tool that suits best to the job.

The below mentioned are some of the simplified ways through which social media can be integrated to e-learning:

Employees who need to make a hybrid course should utilize online life frameworks, for example, web journals or wikis instead of a LMS. A LMS is useful for a completely online course, yet requires unnecessary managerial time for a half and half course.

Numerous staff are showing completely online courses through a mix of internet based life and LMS frameworks. For example, Michelle Pacansky-Brock utilizes Moodle to oversee assignments and keep up her review book, and Ning to show her class. Steve Kolowich utilizes Moodle in addition to Skype and Elluminate to add intelligent components to his online courses (Lynch 2018). At Norwich University, I’ve included online journals, wikis and online classes outside of our LMS to give understudies a chance to investigate issues inside the calling that premiums them.

Benefits of using social media in e-learning

Colleges are beginning to connect web-based social networking “shells” to their LMS. GoingOn gives web journals and different types of discourse that exist outside of the classroom to permit coordinated effort between understudies over the organization. For example, all understudies in a business module can bear on discourses identified with business outside of their specific courses. Learning Objects is another framework that furnishes understudies with an “individual learning space” where they can make a blog, share destinations, and team up in an assortment of routes with similarly invested understudies. It additionally enables clubs and divisions to make Facebook-like locales to share data.

Universities are changing to a LMS based via web-based networking media standards, for example, Drupal. An open source stage, Drupal gives workforce the adaptability to make understudy writes the landing page of their course, instead of authoritative capacities, empowering coordinated effort. Even better, any piece of a course can be influenced open so understudies to can participate in discussions with different understudies, staff, or experts in the field.

Living in the era of 21^st century where technology is rigorously taking over the step to enhance the communication between people over the world. Hence, everything from conversation to education, business to transaction is happening online which is a major concern why the colleges have to make it easy for its students to have courses which are online and easy to access anywhere around the globe. In regards to this a case study have been proposed on the basis of which a report on the incorporation of technology and social networks in the educational institute has to be implemented and developed so that there can be better outcomes and results. In other words, there is competition present in market which is using this technical aspect to grow and develop their study and culture (Marchewka, 2014). This has become a major concern for the entire academic institutes to have technological development in there system as well as to make there courses available online for students to have access and to attract more number of people from outside. Hence, the implementation of courses at the website of college for people who have taken an access to it is compulsory for college. It will help in saving paper, making study easy as well as approachable for students who cannot be present physically in the institute.

Hence, there are so many ways in which the college can have better implementation of all its courses online. E-learning is a type of online learning which is compulsory for surviving in today’s scenario for students as well as people (Avgerou & Walsham, 2017). First, the college has to make sure that it have appropriate people for working on it such as content developer, website developer and maintenance team for the work which will happen online. Second, according to the requirements budget has to be ascertaining like who will be paid what and how much the total cost would be and what actual cost the college possess for this project of E-learning. Third, will be searching out the ways in which this procedure would be conducted in a proper manner. Hence, below the report constitutes some important facts through which this can be brought to action.

Ways to integrate social media into e-learning

The proposed budget will help the institute to have a better structuring of its finances into implementation of total E-learning course (Laudon & Laudon, 2015). This will also help in making the appropriate ascertainment of cost which will lead to further development of the plan. The budget plan for every section is listed below for the engagement of developing E-leaning for the academic institute:

There are so many inventions for this particular line wherein in study can be made more helpful and sophisticated for the students. Including social media can be the best for it as people use it more often and utilizing it for a purpose such as study would be the best though one could ever make (Schwalbe, 2015). Hence some ways in which it can be helpful are given below:

There are EBooks and data’s which has to be shared between the students of the college as notes which they can refer to while studying for this the college can make google docs accessible for the students so that they can share thing aiming themselves as well as the college professors can upload important material online for learning.

There is IM app through which discussions and messages can be shared to have a better understanding of what is to be learnt and study (Popescu, 2014). There must be complete structural access to it for the people who subscribe to a particular course which is being provided by the company.

Skype is a video calling app wherein the students can have professors readily available for classes for particular courses if they are not in campus or for distance learning facility. The quality of the study is same just internet has to be fixed properly in the inner system of the institute (Clark & Mayer, 2016).

Gmail is a best source to communicate via mail on some topics or lectures coming up or it can be used to fix meeting and classes with students all over the world through E-learning platform. This can be noted as very useful source and a storage platform too for everyone to have a record of everything they have been sent and sending to other people for a long period of time (Elkaseh, Wong & Fung, 2016). Best source to impart by means of mail on a few points or addresses coming up or it tends to be utilized to settle meeting and classes with understudies everywhere throughout the world through E-learning stage. This can be noted as extremely helpful source and a capacity stage too for everybody to have a record of all that they have been sent and sending to other individuals for a significant lot of time.

There is a website of college where the content developer will develop the courses and study material to be primarily accessed by the course subscribed students and they have access of it anywhere at any point of time. This will help in decreasing to the cases where student misplace there study material and help them to regain it from website instead of reaching to the college management at every point of time (Dron & Anderson, 2014). There are EBooks and information’s which must be shared between the understudies of the school as notes which they can allude to while examining for this the school can make Google docs available for the understudies with the goal that they can share thing pointing themselves and also the school teachers can transfer vital material online for learning.

Importance of adapting to technological advancements

When something is prepared to be accessed all over the world from anywhere at any point of time than there has to be a particular line where students can reach if they face any issues regarding usage of the data and access to the data which is related to their course and particularly related to their study (Olenski 2016). In order to provide a proper customer support the academic institute has to develop a proper stream line for this section. In other words, a department for this particular section of function which can be Customer support department. Hence, this can be done through various ways which are defined as follows:

The institute can have a proper app for this particular section which will help the students to reach out directly to the people who are working in the college who may guide them with the course work and E-learning (Greenhow & Lewin, 2016). The organization can have a legitimate application for this specific segment which will assist the understudies with reaching out straightforwardly to the general population who are working in the school who may control them with the course work and E-learning.

There can be a helpline number and people who are specially appointed to help in customers in guiding them through the path and how they can have an access to this particular section of the website properly in an effective manner (Bailor 2004). There can be a helpline number and individuals who are exceptionally designated to help in clients in directing them through the way and how they can have an entrance to this specific area of the site appropriately in a compelling way.

Students must be able to write emails so that they can have better support from the people who are associated in any type of courses may have better understanding of the material as well as the online material about how to use it (Manca & Ranieri, 2016). This will help them to have maximum utilization of resources in most appropriate manner.

This has turned into a noteworthy worry for the whole scholastic organizations to have innovative advancement in there framework and also to make there courses accessible online for understudies to approach and to draw in more number of individuals from outside (Gruzd, Haythornthwaite, Paulin, Gilbert & Valle, 2018). Thus, the usage of courses at the site of school for individuals who have taken an entrance to it is mandatory for school. It will help in sparing paper, making study simple and receptive for understudies who can’t be available physically in the organization. Understudies must have the capacity to compose messages with the goal that they can have better help from the general population who are related in a courses may have better comprehension of the material and additionally the online material about how to utilize it (McFarland & Ployhart, 2015). This will assist them with having greatest use of assets in most proper way.

Conclusion

After summing up the above presented analysis it has been inferred that information technology is one of the significant aspect for the business corporation in any sector. The presented analysis is focused on the integration of social media and networks with the E-learning systems. Moreover, the further report comprises of the tools and applications that are required for offering customer support services in the given sector.

References

Avgerou, C., & Walsham, G. (Eds.). (2017) Information Technology in Context: Studies from the Perspective of Developing Countries: Studies from the Perspective of Developing Countries. New York: Routledge.

Bailor, C. (2004) 10 technologies that are reinventing the CRM industry, [Online]. Retrieved from: https://www.destinationcrm.com/Articles/ReadArticle.aspx?ArticleID=47288.

Clark, R. C., & Mayer, R. E. (2016) E-learning and the science of instruction: Proven guidelines for consumers and designers of multimedia learning. John Wiley & Sons.

Dron, J., & Anderson, T. (2014) Teaching crowds: Learning and social media. Athabasca University Press.

Elkaseh, A. M., Wong, K. W., & Fung, C. C. (2016) Perceived ease of use and perceived usefulness of social media for e-learning in Libyan higher education: A structural equation modeling analysis. International Journal of Information and Education Technology, 6(3), 192.

Greenhow, C., & Lewin, C. (2016) Social media and education: reconceptualizing the boundaries of formal and informal learning. Learning, media and technology, 41(1), 6-30.

Gruzd, A., Haythornthwaite, C., Paulin, D., Gilbert, S., & del Valle, M. E. (2018) Uses and gratifications factors for social media use in teaching: Instructors’ perspectives. New Media & Society, 20(2), 475-494.

Laudon, K. C., & Laudon, J. P. (2015) Management information systems (Vol. 8). Prentice Hall.

Laudon, K. C., & Laudon, J. P. (2016) Management information system. Pearson Education India.

Lynch, l. (2018) 6 social media platforms and how to use them for e-learning, [Online]. Retrieved from: https://www.learndash.com/6-social-media-platforms-and-how-to-use-them-for-your-e-learning/.

Manca, S., & Ranieri, M. (2016) Facebook and the others. Potentials and obstacles of social media for teaching in higher education. Computers & Education, 95, 216-230.

Marchewka, J. T. (2014) Information technology project management. John Wiley & Sons.

McFarland, L. A., & Ployhart, R. E. (2015) Social media: A contextual framework to guide research and practice. Journal of Applied Psychology, 100(6), 1653.

Olenski, S. (2016) 5 ways brands can improve customer service via technology, [Online]. Retrieved from: https://www.forbes.com/sites/steveolenski/2016/10/18/5-ways-brands-can-improve-customer-service-via-technology/#1bdfc03315c7.

Orlando, J. (2010) Integrating social media into online education, [Online]. Retrieved from: https://www.facultyfocus.com/articles/online-education/integrating-social-media-into-online-education/.

Popescu, E. (2014) Providing collaborative learning support with social media in an integrated environment. World Wide Web, 17(2), 199-212.

Schwalbe, K. (2015) Information technology project management. Cengage Learning.

Wilson, L. (2016) 9 ways to use social networks in e-learning, [Online]. Retrieved from: https://elearningindustry.com/9-ways-social-networks-in-elearning.

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