Teaching with Social Media

Overview

Social media can be a powerful instructional tool when it is used intentionally—tied to course learning goals, supported by clear expectations, and designed with student privacy, accessibility, and equity in mind. Research in higher education suggests that these platforms can support engagement, interaction, and collaborative learning when integrated into structured learning activities rather than used as informal “add-ons” (Alalwan, 2022; Liu et al., 2022; Purvis & Beckingham, 2024; Sivakumar et al., 2023).

At the same time, requiring students to register for, post, upload, or otherwise participate on third-party social media platforms that are not licensed by the University (such as Instagram, X, TikTok, and others) raises important concerns related to privacy, accessibility, and equity. UC Berkeley’s Committee on Courses of Instruction (COCI) has issued guidance to help instructors weigh these considerations carefully before incorporating social media into required coursework (COCI, 2017)

Design for Pedagogical Value 

Before choosing a platform, begin with the learning outcome. Social media should serve a specific instructional purpose, not become the purpose itself. Research suggests that instructors see stronger results when social media use is structured and intentionally designed rather than purely voluntary or unscaffolded (Tess, 2013).

A practical way to approach course design is to treat social media as an instructional environment that requires the same intentional planning as any other learning activity: 

1) Start with a Purpose That Is Difficult to Replicate in the LMS

Social media tends to add the most value when it enables learning experiences that are difficult to reproduce in a traditional LMS discussion board, such as:

• Authentic audience and public communication (students translating disciplinary ideas for non-specialists)
• Rapid peer interaction and visible iteration
• Participation in disciplinary or professional communities
• Low-barrier sharing of multimedia, examples, and “in the wild” applications

This perspective aligns with broader higher education scholarship, which emphasizes the importance of learning design over tool adoption and encourages instructors to weigh pedagogical benefits alongside concerns such as data control and privacy (Anderson, 2019).

2) Scaffold Participation with Prompts, Response Norms, and Instructor Presence

Social platforms naturally encourage informal posting. Without instructional structure, participation can drift toward casual interaction rather than academic engagement. Research on X (formerly Twitter) use in college courses found that when the platform was used for academic and co-curricular discussions, students demonstrated greater gains in engagement (measured using an NSSE-based scale) and higher semester GPA compared to a control group (Junco et al., 2011).

The study suggests that the conversational, reply-based structure of X supported more sustained academic interaction than more static discussion formats (Junco et al., 2011).

In practice, structured participation might include:

• Providing weekly prompts tied directly to course concepts (e.g., “Post one real-world example of this week’s theory, explain how it fits, and respond to two peers by extending or challenging their reasoning.”)
• Establishing response norms (e.g., replies must reference a course concept, add a new example or counterexample, and pose one substantive question)
• Maintaining visible instructor presence through periodic summaries that highlight strong contributions, clarify misconceptions, and connect online dialogue to in-class learning

The goal is not constant instructor intervention, but purposeful facilitation that reinforces academic expectations.

3) Design for Collaborative Knowledge-Building (Not Just Interaction)

Research suggests that social media is more likely to support learning when it facilitates active collaboration rather than passive participation.

A study examining social-media-based collaborative learning among university students identified relationships between collaborative learning experiences and factors such as perceived benefits, active learning, and peer interaction (Liu et al., 2022). While the study does not prescribe a single instructional model, it supports the idea that learning outcomes are more plausible when social media use involves structured interaction and knowledge construction rather than simple content consumption.

Similarly, research on social media and learning highlights how students use social networking tools to share academic materials, including lecture notes, assignments, and instructional videos, across platforms such as Dropbox, WhatsApp, and YouTube (Sivakumar et al., 2023). This suggests that when students exchange resources with clear academic intent, social media can support collaborative learning processes.

In course design terms, this may include:

• Resource curation with justification: students post an article, dataset, or example and explicitly connect it to a course concept, explaining its relevance.
• Collaborative study guides: small groups build shared banks of examples and explanations, with each entry labeled by concept and accompanied by application.
• Structured peer feedback cycles: students share drafts or short outputs and provide feedback using a defined protocol (e.g., one strength, one question, one suggestion aligned with the rubric).

4) Make Quality Visible Through Clear Criteria

Even when activities are low-stakes, students benefit from clarity about what constitutes meaningful academic participation. Without clear criteria, instructors risk assessing tone or frequency of posting rather than evidence of learning.

One study examining social media use through engagement mechanisms found positive relationships among social media use, engagement, satisfaction, and learning outcomes in higher education contexts (Alalwan, 2022). If engagement functions as part of the learning pathway, then expectations for engaged academic participation should be explicitly defined.

This may include:

• A short contribution guide outlining 3–5 criteria, such as:
  • Explicit connection to course concepts or methods
  • Use of evidence or examples
  • Contribution that advances discussion (adds, applies, challenges, or synthesizes ideas)
  • Respectful and constructive engagement with peers
• A simple rubric for posts and replies (even a Pass/Revise framework) that clarifies expectations without overcomplicating grading

Student Privacy and FERPA: What Instructors Should Keep in Mind

While pedagogical design determines whether social media contributes meaningfully to learning, institutional responsibility determines whether its use is appropriate.

When instructors use third-party platforms, it is easy for students to inadvertently reveal information that should remain private (e.g., course enrollment, schedules, feedback tied to performance). In general, grades, class lists, and schedules are considered protected student record information and should not be shared publicly. (UC Berkeley Registrar, FERPA Privacy Disclosure)

In addition, instructors should consider what information a vendor collects and how it may be used, stored, or shared. Federal student privacy guidance notes that institutions remain responsible for protecting education record information when working with third-party service providers. (U.S. Department of Education, Vendor FAQ)

For Berkeley-specific guidance on third-party instructional tools, see the GSI Teaching & Resource Center’s guidance on using non-campus tools. (GSI Teaching Guide: Using Third-Party Technology)

Accessibility and Inclusion

Social media platforms vary widely in accessibility—and their features change frequently. If an activity is required, instructors should assume students may be using screen readers, captions, keyboard navigation, or other assistive technologies and plan accordingly. Accessibility standards commonly used in higher education reference WCAG 2.1. (W3C, WCAG 2.1)

If students are creating or sharing social media content as part of coursework, build in basic accessibility expectations such as:

• Alt text/image descriptions for images
• Captions for video (and transcripts when appropriate)
• Avoiding image-only text and ensuring readable contrast

See examples of higher education accessibility guidance for social media content. (Harvard University: Social Media Accessibility Best Practices; USC: Social Media Accessibility)

Equity and Student Agency

Even if many students use social media frequently, participation requirements can create inequities:

• Not all students are comfortable creating public content tied to their identity.
• Some students may not have reliable access across devices or may limit data sharing.
• Platform policies (e.g., real-name expectations) can conflict with students’ safety or privacy needs.

To reduce these barriers, consider:

• Allowing pseudonyms where feasible
• Offering private/limited-audience options
• Providing equivalent alternatives that meet the same learning outcomes
  These considerations align with COCI’s guidance to weigh equity, privacy, and access before making third-party tools a requirement. (COCI, 2017)

Consider Campus-Supported Alternatives 

If a campus-supported tool provides comparable functionality (discussion, peer interaction, media sharing, annotation), it may be a better default choice because it is typically vetted for privacy, accessibility, and support. UC Berkeley maintains a list of campus-supported learning tools. (RTL Supported Learning Tools)