Use of social media in higher education: Course design, student profile, perceptions, and attitudes in undergraduate science courses

The majority of high school and college classrooms today are composed of students who carry the tag of Millennial Generation: the variety of devices present and the ubiquitous access to technology made them avid users of technology and transformed them to visually literate group of learners. At the same time there is an increasing connection between the emergence of the use of the new technologies and social media in education with new and old learning theories. Connectivism and constructivism are two theories which provide strong support for the use of social media in education. This paper will examine the course design and the methods of instruction employed in an undergraduate science course based on the two theories above. In addition, it will present the results of the profile, the perceptions and attitudes of of students who are enrolled in science courses in a regional American liberal arts college. How the structure of the course is modified to incorporate the use of social media? What are the assessment procedures? Are the students digital natives? What is the effect of the incorporation of social media on student interactivity, collaboration, reflection, and learning? Are there any differences between males and females in student satisfaction, quality of discussion and perceived learning? What are the methodological problems encountered by instructors and possible solutions?