Role of the educator in social software initiatives in Further and Higher Education: a conceptualisation and research agenda

Shailey Minocha, Andreas Schroeder, Christoph Schneider

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

Abstract

Higher and further education institutions are increasingly using social software tools to support teaching and learning. A growing body of research investigates the diversity of tools and their range of contributions. However, little research has focused on investigating the role of the educator in the context of a social software initiative, even though the educator is critical for the introduction and successful use of social software in a course environment. Hence, we argue that research on social software should place greater emphasis on the educators, as their roles and activities (such as selecting the tools, developing the tasks and facilitating the student interactions on these tools) are instrumental to most aspects of a social software initiative. To this end, we have developed an agenda for future research on the role of the educator. Drawing on role theory, both as the basis for a systematic conceptualization of the educator role and as a guiding framework, we have developed a series of concrete research questions that address core issues associated with the educator roles in a social software context and provide recommendations for further investigations. By developing a research agenda we hope to stimulate research that creates a better understanding of the educator’s situation and develops guidelines to help educators carry out their social software initiatives. Considering the significant role an educator plays in the initiation and conduct of a social software initiative, our research agenda ultimately seeks to contribute to the adoption and efficient use of social software in the educational domain.
Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)889-903
Number of pages15
JournalBritish Journal of Educational Technology
Volume42
Issue number6
Early online date21 Sept 2010
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - Nov 2011

Bibliographical note

This is the peer reviewed version of the following article: Minocha, S., Schroeder, A., & Schneider, C. (2011). Role of the educator in social software initiatives in Further and Higher Education: a conceptualisation and research agenda. British journal of educational technology, 42(6), 889-903, which has been published in final form at http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-8535.2010.01131.x. This article may be used for non-commercial purposes in accordance with Wiley Terms and Conditions for Self-Archiving.

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