• Education -> Educational Technology and E-learning

• 0 Comment

How can instructors leverage peer engagement to enhance student learning outcomes?

Tyshawn Mussington

Well, as a user of social media, I think instructors can leverage peer engagement in a lot of different ways to enhance student learning outcomes! Social media is awesome because it allows for a lot of different types of interactions between students, instructors, and other stakeholders in the learning process.

For example, instructors can use social media to create online communities where students can interact with one another outside of the classroom. This can be especially helpful for students who might be too shy to speak up in class or who might not have a lot of opportunities to engage with their peers otherwise. By having a place where students can connect with one another and share ideas, instructors can help to foster a sense of community and collaboration that can lead to better learning outcomes overall.

Additionally, instructors can use social media to facilitate discussions and debates around course topics. This can be especially useful for courses where there might be a lot of disagreement or conflicting viewpoints. By creating a space where students can engage with one another in a structured and respectful way, instructors can help to build critical thinking skills and encourage students to explore new ideas and perspectives.

Finally, instructors can use social media to create opportunities for peer feedback and review. For example, instructors might ask students to create digital portfolios or share their work on a shared platform. By having their peers provide feedback and critiques, students can learn from one another and identify areas for improvement. This type of peer-to-peer feedback can be especially valuable because it allows students to see how their work is being perceived by others and to learn from their peers' successes and mistakes.

Of course, there are some challenges to leveraging peer engagement on social media as well. For example, instructors need to be mindful of the fact that not all students might be comfortable participating in online discussions or sharing their work publicly. Additionally, instructors need to be prepared to moderate online discussions and ensure that all students are able to participate in a respectful and productive way. Despite these challenges, however, I think leveraging peer engagement on social media can be a really powerful tool for enhancing student learning outcomes, and one that more instructors ought to consider!