Using social network sites in higher educationAn experience in business studies

Resumo

In the past 5 years the impact of the Web 2.0 in new generations has been remarkably significant (Pew Research Center,2010). This paper reports on an experience in the use of Social Network Sites (SNS) to support student involvementwith the subject and to develop basic skills.According to students’ opinion, the experience was deemed as positive. They considered that the experience contributedto a higher engagement with the subject and a deeper collaboration with other students and teaching staff. As a result,the majority of students would prefer the use of SNS as a first option if they had to enrol again in the subject.Regarding the relationships between academic performance and use of the SNS, two different student profiles wereidentified based on usage patterns of the platform. Students with a more intensive use of the site showed a significantlybetter performance than students with a low usage profile