Perceptions of Chilean university students about the use of social networks and collaborative work

• Main Authors: Julio Cabero Almenara, Annachiara Del Prete, Maria Luisa Arancibia Muñoz
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Asociación Iberoamericana de Educación Superior y a Distancia (AIESAD) 2019-07-01
• Series: RIED: Revista Iberoamericana de Educación a Distancia
• Subjects: redes sociales; trabajo colaborativo; educación superior.
• Online Access: http://revistas.uned.es/index.php/ried/article/view/22847

In recent years we have witnessed an increasingly widespread use of social digital networks (DSN) for educational purposes. The students declare to make a didactic use of the networks and their tools and, at the same time, they recognize the collaborative work as a methodology that promotes their learning and that is fostered by the use of the DSN. Among the purposes of the following study, we find the question of the perceptions that students have regarding the use of social networks as an educational tool and to know their preferences regarding collaborative work. The research carried out falls within the so-called "ex post facto", not experimental and descriptive. The sample of the research was formed by 460 students who studied different degrees in the engineering area of a Chilean higher education institution, during the 2017-18 academic year. Among the remarkable results, we can affirm that the Internet is presenting itself as one of the technologies that is penetrating more strongly in the Universities, and that the students use it constantly for educational purposes. It is for these reasons that we consider that there are initial conditions for the incorporation of social networks to formal education. In addition, our results show that the interest to work with other students determines the attitude of students towards collaborative work, This leads us to claim the need for the teacher to ensure the perceptions that students have, and apply specific strategies.