Why a course on social media is needed in universities?

How learning about and using social media will help students build new skills.

Social media has allowed sharing, interacting and networking to grow exponentially. This has contributed to knowledge creation and has also paved the way for value addition to the teaching and learning experiences.

Used properly, social media can offer benefits in a university classroom. First, it exposes students to other cultures, people and new courses. It allows them to gather information and share knowledge. As a source of information, it is significant, relevant and engaging for those who get quickly bored with textual work. It also facilitates the creative demonstration of one’s talents and makes students active participants. Thus, it enables better communication and interactive learning. The physical presence of a tutor is not required and the volume of data and information support the student in completing assignments and projects.

With businesses increasingly using social media, students need to know how to leverage the mediums to increase brand visibility and reach new leads. This has given rise to several courses that teach one how to craft a message on social media and reach a target audience. These involve digital marketing, content writing, marketing on Instagram, branding techniques, surveying customer behaviour, launching and optimising marketing campaigns, using hashtags and tagging, creating a brand voice, and social media etiquette.

Quality course design is important to ensure inclusivity. There must be a focused effort in providing the right pedagogy. The faculty also needs to be adequately prepared and trained when teaching social media. The other aspect is to keep in mind concerns regarding the impact on social and mental well-being. Other challenges are the high cost of connectivity, unaffordability of gadgets, disruptive power supply, and the threat of cyberbullying and information theft.

If social media is a university-taught course, it will enable students to learn new skills and pursue their interests in a self-directed manner. It will develop critical thinking and communication skills, encourage collaboration and give them exposure to a globally connected workplace. All this will enable them to find connections and build networks in a marketplace that increasingly relies on digital tools.

The writer is a professor at School of Management, CMR University.