Use of Social Media for Teaching Online Courses and Enhancing Business Communication Skills at the University Level: Can This Really Be Done?

This study reviews the literature on the advantages, disadvantages, best practices, communication challenges, and benefits of using social media for teaching online, particularly the enhancement of essential business communication skills. Social media tools for teaching online are varied, plentiful, and easily accessible to teachers and students. Nevertheless, educators cannot assume because social media is an appropriate technology, it will essentially involve learners and enhance student achievement. This study, therefore, will examine the literature that reported positive effects of social media for teaching online, as it relates to learners' achievement and engagement, as well as literature showing a negative relationship or showing no conclusive evidence that there exists any relationship between the two. The findings of the review will reveal there is irrefutable evidence to suggest the use of social media for teaching online has a positive relationship to learner engagement, however, a negative relationship to learner achievement.