| | 8 May 2017HIGHERReviewIN MY VIEWR esearch has indicated that in recent years social me-dia has penetrated almost all types of organizations. Higher education institutions have not been left be-hind too and have been adopters of this global phe-nomenon. Social media takes many forms such as social network-ing sites, blogs, vlogs, instant messaging and virtual communities. Having said that, the social networking site Facebook appears to clearly emerge as a winner predominantly because of its large number of members. Facebook allows its members to create and share content, build relationships and enable collaboration and connectivity irrespective of geographical location. The rapid rise of social media provides numerous possibilities for higher educa-tion institutions to adopt it to further their learning and teaching endeavors. The ubiquity and unusually high uptake of social me-dia makes it suitable for administrators, managers, learners and teachers in higher education institutions too.For learning and teaching, social media is used in a variety of different contexts - language learning, writing development, after-class discussion, synchronous and asynchronous communi-cation, community building and curricular tool. The use of social media in higher education is changing the nature of the relation-ships of learners and teachers. Social media provides a unique stage for interaction amongst students and teachers and amongst students themselves. Through social media, students find it easy as well as convenient to communicate, access information, and to provide information. Studies have shown that in the recent years academics have been expanding their social media usage to offer after-hours support for students, deliver and host lectures, dis-seminate information and engage in discussion. The use of social media has also demonstrated increased teacher-student and stu-dent-student interaction. With social media, students also become adept at the use of online technologies in learning environments. Studies have indicated that the use of social media in higher educa-tion has enhanced learning, increased participation and engage-Dr. Ritesh is a senior lecturer in the School of Engineering & Technology at the Melbourne campus of Central Queensland University, Australia. He teaches to both undergraduate and graduate students in the fields of Information Systems (IS) Management, Process Analysis and Design, and IS Project Management. Ritesh is an enthusiastic and committed educationalist who has been awarded several academic and teaching awards to recognize his teaching excellence, commitment to improved student outcomes and engagement in reflective learning and teaching activities. His research interests include social media, knowledge management and information systems management. Dr. Ritesh ChughThe Role and Use of Social Media in Higher EducationBy Dr. Ritesh Chugh, Senior Lecturer, Central Queensland University ­ Australia
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