Factors Affecting Usefulness of Social Networking in...

Factors Affecting the Usefulness of Social Networking in E-learning at German University of Technology in Oman Revinson G. Martin â€Å"what are the factors affecting the usefulness of social networking in e-learning at GUtech†? This will help the university administrator, students, and educators to know the value of social networking in e-learning and will help and guide those who develop, implement, and deliver e-learning systems. There are many social networking sites available that the researcher perceived to be useful in the academe. However, the researcher have used Facebook group for this study because of its popularity to the students and educators of GUtech. II. BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY The TAM developed by Davis is one of the most†¦show more content†¦However in Oman, some in the academe have not caught up with the social networking trends. Sometimes the use of the technology in the classroom is not allowed. Few traditional educators use the technology when they are communicating with their own colleagues. Everyday many students are spending countless hours immersed in popular technolog ies—such as Facebook or Twitter—which at first glance may seem like a waste of time, and brain cells. But the social networking technology deserves a second, deeper look at what is actually going on [2]. GUtech is currently using a moodle-based e-learning management system to help educators create online courses and support to students. The university would not allow the educators and students to use social networking like Facebook for some safety and cultural reasons. Social networking if properly used would bring endless possibilities of online collaboration resulting good effects to the students. To effectively implement social networking in e-learning, the students and educators of GUtech need to use it and integrate testing and assessment tools throughout the learning process. This study extended the TAM and answered the question PEU Fig.1. Technology Acceptance Model III. REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE There were researchers that have continuously reported that the TAM was very useful in predicting and explaining technology use in various