Social media and higher education: introversion and collaborative learning from the student’s perspective

The aim of this study is to understand how social media contribute to face-to-face collaborative learning by introvert students in higher education. A total of 233 students participated. This study shows that more introvert students perceive that social media are more helpful for increasing their collaborative learning performance and self-confidence. These students feel that their true nature is hampered in face-to-face contact and prefer to communicate via social media rather than face-to-face communication. Additionally, all students in this study signal that they wish their educators to make more use of social media. HE institutions are therefore recommended to make more use of social media to enhance collaborative learning.