Professional development of academic staff in the use of social media for teaching and learning

Social media – broadly defined – has become part of the landscape of teaching and learning in higher education, first entering the sector as an informal learning space then being used more formally, and by student-driven and teacher-directed means. The gamut of social media can include amongst them blogging tools, networking tools, forums, photo sharing tools, business collaborations, service and product reviews, research networks, video sharing tools, and virtual worlds. There are pros and cons of each type of technology. Yet not all staff are confident social media users and therefore need opportunities to understand what is available, and to be able to critically appraise these for teaching and learning. They also need a safe space in which to explore these various technologies and have their own abilities and confidence developed. This paper outlines the development of a professional learning programme on the uses of social media in teaching and learning for academic staff in higher education, integrating opportunities for the use of social media into the learning design in order to build staff confidence and competence in a supported environment.