Journal of Marketing Education

Recent research has discussed the opportunities associated with the use of social media tools in the classroom, but has not examined the perceptions students themselves hold about its usefulness in enhancing their educational experience. This research explores students’ perceptions of social media as an effective pedagogical tool. Undergraduate students in a midsized, private university taking a marketing course were surveyed about their social media usage and preferences as well as their perceptions regarding the use of social media in higher education. Additional qualitative data collection with students probed into motivations for social media use in education as well as instructor and university perceptions. Findings reveal openness to using social media in education, uncover interactive and information motives for its use, and offer theoretical and pedagogical implications. Importantly, we offer insights into how educators can strategically incorporate social media tools into the classroom as well as how the use of social media can potentially affect students’ views of the instructor and the university.

This article explores for the first time the moderating effect of students’ readiness for cocreation on the student social media engagement and perceived value relationship. Ping’s and Cadogan et al.’s procedures for assessing the structural model with interaction terms were followed. Results based on a sample of 353 university students demonstrated that students who are ready to participate in value creation tend to perceive more value from social media engagement. In particular, when the students perceive role clarity, have higher ability, and are motivated to take active part in creating value, they report high functional, social, and emotional value. This research is expected to impart key insights for scholars, as well as educators and policy makers in tertiary institutions seeking to further understand the nascent student social media engagement concept, and the nature of the student social media engagement/perceived value nexus. A series of recommendations are offered to assist faculty efforts to enhance students’ willingness to take active part in value creation. The article concludes with an overview of key research limitations and implications.

This study incorporated social media microblogging technology (Twitter) across disciplines to provide 411 first-year undergraduate students studying in large-classroom settings with opportunities to connect in real-time, both within and outside the classroom, with their professor, other students, and members of the professional community. This extension to the traditional teaching and learning environment gave students unique opportunities to enhance their university experience, both from engagement, learning and community-connectedness perspectives. Based on student outcomes and lessons learned, we provide educators with insights into the effective use of social media microblogging technology in a large-classroom format.

Student engagement is an ongoing concern for educators because of its positive association with deep learning and educational outcomes. This article tests the use of a social networking site (Facebook) as a tool to facilitate asynchronous learning opportunities that complement face-to-face interactions and thereby enable a stronger learning ecosystem. This student-centered learning approach offers a way to increase student engagement and can have a positive impact on academic outcomes. Using data from a longitudinal quasi-experiment, the authors show that students who participated in both face-to-face on-campus classes and asynchronous online learning opportunities were more engaged than students who only attended face-to-face classes. In addition, the findings show that participation in the asynchronous setting relates significantly and positively to students’ academic outcomes (final grades). The findings have notable implications for marketing education.

This article provides marketing educators with a blogging activity that allows students to add to their marketing expertise as well as enhance their communication skills. Specifically, we propose an activity that incorporates the necessary steps for experiential learning to be achieved. Furthermore, the effectiveness of this activity is examined by individuals who participated in the blog activity as well as individuals who analyzed the blog contributions. The results suggest that participants perceived that this activity was effective in aiding their learning, but differences in learning effectiveness were detected based on participants’ learning style and gender.

The importance of social media for marketing professionals has grown immensely as consumers turn to it to connect with products, brands, and brand communities. Yet limited research investigates the uses of social media to teach core marketing concepts. This article analyzes coursework in foundational marketing classes, with a specific focus on the effectiveness of social media for teaching core marketing concepts. Through the use of multiple social media platforms, the courses sought to engage students in active learning and provide a medium for the students to apply marketing concepts and market real companies to a public audience. Survey data provide insights into the effectiveness of social media as a tool for teaching core course concepts.