Using Social Media to Enhance Learning and Motivate Students in the Higher Education Classroom

Since the advent of the Internet and the web 2.0 technologies, the world has changed profoundly. While academics and professionals call for a deeper integration of social media technologies in the classroom, millennials and generation z students come to university. These students are social, mobile, global, digital and visual in nature, so it is imperative to establish digital mechanisms in the classroom that enhance learning by helping students to co-create, collaborate and participate using technology. This research explores the challenges of facing digital native students in the classroom by conducting a practical experiment using social networks in different universities, courses and subjects. Results show that students enjoy integrating social network practices in the classroom, as they perceived them as a tool to increase collaboration, active student participation and collaborative learning. The findings of the paper can be used to propose effective teaching-learning strategies to improve students’ performance and satisfaction in higher education.