Social Media Acceptance and Usage by Business Communications Faculty

• In Event: Roundtable Session 3
  In Roundtable Session: Technology in the Classroom

Abstract

Social media is an ubiquitous, technological phenomenon, permeating both personal and professional lives. Increasingly, business professionals apply social media on the job, yet business faculty members often omit it from their curricula. This qualitative study investigated business communications faculty members’ perceptions of social media in the classroom and business contexts, as well as how it is implemented in the classroom. Data were collected via personal interviews and course syllabi review. Interviews were transcribed and coded using an adaptation of the technology acceptance model. Overall, participants accepted social media as an increasingly important business tool, but including it in the business curriculum was not unanimous. Summarily, a list of guidelines for addressing social media in the business communications classroom was created.

Authors

• Kayla N. Sapkota, University of Arkansas at Little Rock

• Jim Vander Putten, University of Arkansas at Little Rock