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TEAM-BUILDING SKILLS, SOCIAL MEDIA AND ONLINE COURSE DELIVERY
Article · January 2019
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Jennifer D. E. Thomas
Pace University
34 PUBLICATIONS 121 CITATIONS
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Danielle Morin
Concordia University Montreal
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Dennis Kira
Concordia University Montreal
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TEAM-BUILDING SKILLS, SOCIAL MEDIA AND ONLINE COURSE DELIVERY
Article · January 2019
CITATIONS
0
READS
45
3 authors:
Some of the authors of this publication are also working on these related projects:
Hybrid Learning View project
Statistical Anxiety View project
Jennifer D. E. Thomas
Pace University
34 PUBLICATIONS 121 CITATIONS
SEE PROFILE
Danielle Morin
Concordia University Montreal
23 PUBLICATIONS 94 CITATIONS
SEE PROFILE
Dennis Kira
Concordia University Montreal
62 PUBLICATIONS 593 CITATIONS
SEE PROFILE
All content following this page was uploaded by Dennis Kira on 11 January 2019.
The user has requested enhancement of the downloaded file.
TEAM-BUILDING SKILLS, SOCIAL MEDIA AND
ONLINE COURSE DELIVERY
Jennifer D.E. Thomas, Pace University
Danielle Morin, Concordia University
Dennis Kira, Concordia University
ABSTRACT
With the increasing use of social media in society,as well as in the classroom, this study
sought to examine the contribution that various resources and activities, as well as social media
tools used by students,in an online undergraduate Business Technology Management course,
may make to the development of various components of team-building skills. Online courses do
not generally foster team-building, however, from our past research, there is indication that
students seek to overcome this, as well as the missing human factor, by engaging social media.
The results found indicate that certain social media tools are used extensively by a large
number of students, namely, email messaging,GLearningCampus, Texting, and Facebook, in
addition to face-to-face communication. Interestingly, texting and face-to-face communications
were almost tied, and phone calls were less used than most other media. These results suggest
that even in a completely virtual environment, students seem to seek community, though
seemingly not by traditional phone communication.
Keywords: team-building skills, social media, online delivery
INTRODUCTION
Mention the words social media and most everyone has an immediate conception of what
that means. In academia attempts are made for more precision resulting in multiple definitions of
the meaning of social media and social media tools (Tess, 2013). These attempts were distilled
by Dabbagh and Kitsantas 2011, p. 1,to suggest the term is used to, “define a variety of
networked tools or technologies that emphasize the social aspects of the Internet as a channel for
communication, collaboration, and creative expression, and is often interchangeable with the
terms Web 2.0 and social software.”, with examples of tools such as, Delicious, WordPress, and
Twitter, PBworks, Flick, YouTube, Facebook, Linkedin, Google Apps. To this list of tools,
Kaplan & Kaenlein, 2010, p. 61, add Wikipedia, Second Life, Blogs, World of Warcraft, and
define it as, “a group of Internet based applications that build on the ideological and
technological foundations of Web 2.0, and that allow the creation and exchange of user
generated content”. Social media use is suggested by Correa, et al., 2010, p. 247, as “the
particular consumption of digital media or Internet that has little to do with traditional
informational use.”
Bass 2012, p.1, proposed applying “disruptive innovation” to the problem of learning in
higher education. Based on the definitions in the paragraph above, it is simple to see how social
media could be considered one such disruptive innovation in education,if one accepts the
definition Bass provides from Clayton Christensen, “a product or service takesroot initially by
simple applications at the bottom of a market and then relentlessly moves ‘up market’,
eventually displacing established competitors.” It’s not hard to see this playing out with the
increased use of social media inthe educational context. Research byEducause Center forGlobal Journal of Business PedagogyVolume 1, Number 1, 201789
ONLINE COURSE DELIVERY
Jennifer D.E. Thomas, Pace University
Danielle Morin, Concordia University
Dennis Kira, Concordia University
ABSTRACT
With the increasing use of social media in society,as well as in the classroom, this study
sought to examine the contribution that various resources and activities, as well as social media
tools used by students,in an online undergraduate Business Technology Management course,
may make to the development of various components of team-building skills. Online courses do
not generally foster team-building, however, from our past research, there is indication that
students seek to overcome this, as well as the missing human factor, by engaging social media.
The results found indicate that certain social media tools are used extensively by a large
number of students, namely, email messaging,GLearningCampus, Texting, and Facebook, in
addition to face-to-face communication. Interestingly, texting and face-to-face communications
were almost tied, and phone calls were less used than most other media. These results suggest
that even in a completely virtual environment, students seem to seek community, though
seemingly not by traditional phone communication.
Keywords: team-building skills, social media, online delivery
INTRODUCTION
Mention the words social media and most everyone has an immediate conception of what
that means. In academia attempts are made for more precision resulting in multiple definitions of
the meaning of social media and social media tools (Tess, 2013). These attempts were distilled
by Dabbagh and Kitsantas 2011, p. 1,to suggest the term is used to, “define a variety of
networked tools or technologies that emphasize the social aspects of the Internet as a channel for
communication, collaboration, and creative expression, and is often interchangeable with the
terms Web 2.0 and social software.”, with examples of tools such as, Delicious, WordPress, and
Twitter, PBworks, Flick, YouTube, Facebook, Linkedin, Google Apps. To this list of tools,
Kaplan & Kaenlein, 2010, p. 61, add Wikipedia, Second Life, Blogs, World of Warcraft, and
define it as, “a group of Internet based applications that build on the ideological and
technological foundations of Web 2.0, and that allow the creation and exchange of user
generated content”. Social media use is suggested by Correa, et al., 2010, p. 247, as “the
particular consumption of digital media or Internet that has little to do with traditional
informational use.”
Bass 2012, p.1, proposed applying “disruptive innovation” to the problem of learning in
higher education. Based on the definitions in the paragraph above, it is simple to see how social
media could be considered one such disruptive innovation in education,if one accepts the
definition Bass provides from Clayton Christensen, “a product or service takesroot initially by
simple applications at the bottom of a market and then relentlessly moves ‘up market’,
eventually displacing established competitors.” It’s not hard to see this playing out with the
increased use of social media inthe educational context. Research byEducause Center forGlobal Journal of Business PedagogyVolume 1, Number 1, 201789
Applied Research (ECAR), 2012, as reported inGikas and Grant, 2013, found 67% of students
report that mobile devices (which facilitate social media use) is important for their learning and
one study found social media use has increased from 2007 to 2010 and that the age gap between
users is shrinking. In their own study, Gikas and Grant, 2013, p. 21, found that students
described the use of social media to assist learning as, “(a) accessing information quickly, (b)
communication and content collaboration, (c) variety of ways to learn, (d) situational learning”.
It seems a natural progression to link social media with team-building. The term team-
building itself also has many definitions or components. As used by the authors of this paper in
previous research, team-building skills are defined as, “Coordinating Work– bringing together
work from multiple sources and team members; Team Cooperation/Collaboration – interpersonal
skills, resolution of differences; Communication skills – conveying ideas effectively, both orally
and written” (Thomas, 2001, Thomas and Morin, 2007), constructs supported by McKendall,
2000, Fapohunda, 2013, Ben-Zvi, 2007 and Roseth et al., 2008.The collaborative aspect of
team-building is defined by Hermsen, et al., 2010, as translated by Voorn and Koomers, 2011, as
“active listening, receiving and giving feedback, honouring one’s commitments, contributing to
fair division of tasks, being assertive, the co-creation of a good collaborative atmosphere and
taking responsibility”. The acquisition of these skills would seem to be naturally supported by
the use of social media. While a still new area for research, some studies already suggestthat
social media can have an impact on learningeven on the development of team-building skills.
(Tess, 2013;Voorn & Kommers, 2011; Cochran & Bateman, 2010; Liaw, Hatala & Huang,
2010).
In an online course, the impression is one of isolation in which students most likely work
independently, without reference to their fellow students, apart from some possible discussion
board exchanges. Developing team-building skills seems a distant possibility. (Benson &
Samarawickrema, 2009; Mandernach, 2006; MacKnight, 2000).While students appreciate the
convenience of online course delivery, the need for the human component is still vital and they
tend to seek it out. This expectation has been observed in our own past research. (Thomas, et al.,
2016; Morin, et al., 2015). The popularity of social media interaction suggests that students are
likely to employ these means of communication to enhance their online learning experience, with
or without instructor intervention.
The above assertions are the focus of this current research, expanding on previous work
which examined solely communication skills (Thomas, et al. 2016a). In this paperwork
coordination and team cooperationwere additionally examined. These three components were
investigated in a previous study and were found to be the main three legs of team-building skills
(Thomas, et al. 2016b). In particular, the current study examined students’ perceptions of the
development of the three identified components of team-building skills from the resources and
activities used in an online, undergraduate Business Technology Management course. Secondly,
it also examined whether, for the purposes of the course, students seek alternatemeans of
communication amongst themselves, to compensate for the lack of the face-to-face component of
the course.
THE STUDY
In this paper, students’ perceptions of their acquisition ofthe three components of Team-
Building from the various activities andresources used ina virtual Business Technology
Management course, and the social media tools they employ for the purposes of the course, were
explored. The research questions were:Global Journal of Business PedagogyVolume 1, Number 1, 201790
report that mobile devices (which facilitate social media use) is important for their learning and
one study found social media use has increased from 2007 to 2010 and that the age gap between
users is shrinking. In their own study, Gikas and Grant, 2013, p. 21, found that students
described the use of social media to assist learning as, “(a) accessing information quickly, (b)
communication and content collaboration, (c) variety of ways to learn, (d) situational learning”.
It seems a natural progression to link social media with team-building. The term team-
building itself also has many definitions or components. As used by the authors of this paper in
previous research, team-building skills are defined as, “Coordinating Work– bringing together
work from multiple sources and team members; Team Cooperation/Collaboration – interpersonal
skills, resolution of differences; Communication skills – conveying ideas effectively, both orally
and written” (Thomas, 2001, Thomas and Morin, 2007), constructs supported by McKendall,
2000, Fapohunda, 2013, Ben-Zvi, 2007 and Roseth et al., 2008.The collaborative aspect of
team-building is defined by Hermsen, et al., 2010, as translated by Voorn and Koomers, 2011, as
“active listening, receiving and giving feedback, honouring one’s commitments, contributing to
fair division of tasks, being assertive, the co-creation of a good collaborative atmosphere and
taking responsibility”. The acquisition of these skills would seem to be naturally supported by
the use of social media. While a still new area for research, some studies already suggestthat
social media can have an impact on learningeven on the development of team-building skills.
(Tess, 2013;Voorn & Kommers, 2011; Cochran & Bateman, 2010; Liaw, Hatala & Huang,
2010).
In an online course, the impression is one of isolation in which students most likely work
independently, without reference to their fellow students, apart from some possible discussion
board exchanges. Developing team-building skills seems a distant possibility. (Benson &
Samarawickrema, 2009; Mandernach, 2006; MacKnight, 2000).While students appreciate the
convenience of online course delivery, the need for the human component is still vital and they
tend to seek it out. This expectation has been observed in our own past research. (Thomas, et al.,
2016; Morin, et al., 2015). The popularity of social media interaction suggests that students are
likely to employ these means of communication to enhance their online learning experience, with
or without instructor intervention.
The above assertions are the focus of this current research, expanding on previous work
which examined solely communication skills (Thomas, et al. 2016a). In this paperwork
coordination and team cooperationwere additionally examined. These three components were
investigated in a previous study and were found to be the main three legs of team-building skills
(Thomas, et al. 2016b). In particular, the current study examined students’ perceptions of the
development of the three identified components of team-building skills from the resources and
activities used in an online, undergraduate Business Technology Management course. Secondly,
it also examined whether, for the purposes of the course, students seek alternatemeans of
communication amongst themselves, to compensate for the lack of the face-to-face component of
the course.
THE STUDY
In this paper, students’ perceptions of their acquisition ofthe three components of Team-
Building from the various activities andresources used ina virtual Business Technology
Management course, and the social media tools they employ for the purposes of the course, were
explored. The research questions were:Global Journal of Business PedagogyVolume 1, Number 1, 201790
1. What is the relative contribution of the activities and resources of the course to the
perceived acquisition of the three components of Team-Building skills?
2. Did students enlist social media tools to assist in the course? What were they?
3. Did the choice of social media have an impact on the perceived contribution of activities
and resources to the development of the three components of Team-Building skills?
Based on Thomas, 2001, and building on prior research (Thomas, et al., 2016b); Thomas
and Morin, 2012, 2010, 2006), the three components of Team-Building skills are identified as
Communication, Work Coordination and Team Cooperation and are defined as follows:
Communication: conveying ideas effectively, both orally and written
Work Coordination: bringing together work from multiple sources and team members
Team Cooperation: interpersonal skills, resolution of differences
Several activities and resources were offered in the course to assist in the development of
these skills. Students were also given a list of social media tools and asked about their use. These
are:
Table 1
ACTIVITIES, RESOURCES AND REPORTED SOCIAL MEDIA USED
IN THE COURSE
Activities Resources Social Media Tools
Assignments
Discussion Board
Discussion Cases
Practice Quizzes
Website Project
Textbook
PowerPoint Notes
Overall Platform
Email, Facebook, Phone Calls,
Text Messaging, Blogging,
Face-to-Face,
GLearning Campus, Other.
The Discussion Cases refer to the activity where students discuss a case online and the
Website Project consists in the activity where students design a website. The Website Project
was an activity in which students could do the work as a team or individually. Most students
choose to form a team to complete the project. If done as a group, students were asked to
evaluate and comment on each other’s performance. Comments were generally positive. The
Overall Platform used for the course is the eConcordia Course Management Systemand the
GLearning Campus is the communication system part of the online platform.
An online survey was sent to all students registered in the course.The instrument was
made up of three parts:
a) students’ demographics and their level of understanding of the definitions provided of
the three components of team-building skills,
b) students’ perceptions of the contribution of various activities and resources towards
the three components of team-building skills,
c) students’ choice of social media tools to communicate amongst themselves.Global Journal of Business PedagogyVolume 1, Number 1, 201791
perceived acquisition of the three components of Team-Building skills?
2. Did students enlist social media tools to assist in the course? What were they?
3. Did the choice of social media have an impact on the perceived contribution of activities
and resources to the development of the three components of Team-Building skills?
Based on Thomas, 2001, and building on prior research (Thomas, et al., 2016b); Thomas
and Morin, 2012, 2010, 2006), the three components of Team-Building skills are identified as
Communication, Work Coordination and Team Cooperation and are defined as follows:
Communication: conveying ideas effectively, both orally and written
Work Coordination: bringing together work from multiple sources and team members
Team Cooperation: interpersonal skills, resolution of differences
Several activities and resources were offered in the course to assist in the development of
these skills. Students were also given a list of social media tools and asked about their use. These
are:
Table 1
ACTIVITIES, RESOURCES AND REPORTED SOCIAL MEDIA USED
IN THE COURSE
Activities Resources Social Media Tools
Assignments
Discussion Board
Discussion Cases
Practice Quizzes
Website Project
Textbook
PowerPoint Notes
Overall Platform
Email, Facebook, Phone Calls,
Text Messaging, Blogging,
Face-to-Face,
GLearning Campus, Other.
The Discussion Cases refer to the activity where students discuss a case online and the
Website Project consists in the activity where students design a website. The Website Project
was an activity in which students could do the work as a team or individually. Most students
choose to form a team to complete the project. If done as a group, students were asked to
evaluate and comment on each other’s performance. Comments were generally positive. The
Overall Platform used for the course is the eConcordia Course Management Systemand the
GLearning Campus is the communication system part of the online platform.
An online survey was sent to all students registered in the course.The instrument was
made up of three parts:
a) students’ demographics and their level of understanding of the definitions provided of
the three components of team-building skills,
b) students’ perceptions of the contribution of various activities and resources towards
the three components of team-building skills,
c) students’ choice of social media tools to communicate amongst themselves.Global Journal of Business PedagogyVolume 1, Number 1, 201791
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