The next time you're on a campus, take a look around. Chances are most people will be looking down at a screen. As research repeatedly confirms, 18-29-year-olds are the biggest users of social media. Liking, posting and scrolling has become as much a part of the daily routine as brushing teeth or getting dressed—and it's starting to transform the way students want to study and learn.
What does this shift mean, and how can educators best support students in and out of the classroom? To find out, we partnered with Morning Consult to survey 500 undergraduate students around the country about their school experiences, learning and studying pain points, social media use, and awareness and use of online study apps. The survey was part of our research for the development of SHARPEN, a new mobile app we launched this month that delivers content in social-friendly formats.
Students' answers shed new light on how and where learners want to get their information and ways educators can support them.
Here are five important insights we learned.
1. Social media is a go-to resource for class content.
College students are using social media for more than just checking out funny memes and videos. A majority of survey respondents also turn to these platforms to help find information for class.