The use of social networks in a Virtual University

Abstract

The aim of this paper is to discover the educational use of social networks in initial training by students of the Bachelor's degree in Teaching and Master's Degree in Secondary Education in a non-classroom-based and exclusively online University. In this study, we have selected the most popular social networks on which the University itself is present: YouTube, Instagram, Facebook, Pinterest and Twitter. The methodology focuses on the design, validation and distribution of an online questionnaire, with a valid sample of 130 participants studying bachelor's Degrees and 132 studying the Master's Degree. The results obtained show that the Bachelor's Degree students are more active on social networks and use them more for educational purposes than the Master's Degree students. It can be noted that Pinterest and YouTube are used the most for educational purposes, while the educational use of Facebook is declining despite being the most promoted social network in this area given its benefits in cooperative learning. Instagram and Twitter are those that are least used for educational purposes. With regards to Instagram, it may be related to the age range of our students, as it is higher than that of the regular users of this network.