Media studies lecturers throughout the country are urging their students to live-tweet during lectures. Students are being encouraged to discuss their subjects and hone their social networking skills.
Universities including Central Lancashire, Greenwich and Leeds have provided special hashtags to be used during classes. In addition, the #socialstudent hashtag brings together student updates from around the country. Some serious debate – and occasional harsh criticism of the speaker – has taken place on the microblogging website.
However, Leeds student Rosanna Pound-Woods says that the innovation has also “reinvigorated childhood games: I-Spy is a favourite way to pass the time.”
The idea is not unique to the UK. Since 2010, history lecturers at the University of Texas at Dallas have actively responded to a live display of their students’ online comments, believing that more active student participation, especially in large lecture theatres, leads to increased academic results.
