Faculty Focus released some interesting findings from a survey about Twitter usage and trends among college faculty. They surveyed about 2,000 faculty members and found that about a third of the respondents say they use Twitter. Over half say they have never used Twitter at all.
“One of the more interesting findings from the survey is the high percentage of faculty who use Twitter, even if they’re still experimenting with the best ways to incorporate it into their courses,” says Mary Bart, content manager for Faculty Focus. “What also became quite apparent was how strongly Twitterers and non-Twitterers feel about the technology.”
Participants were asked if they use Twitter, and depending upon how they responded, they were asked a unique set of follow-up questions. Here are some key findings from the survey:
– 21.9 percent of respondents say they are “familiar” or “very familiar” with Twitter.
– Of those who use Twitter, 21 percent say they “frequently” use it to collaborate with colleagues; 15.6 percent do so “occasionally.”
– Of those who use Twitter, 7.2 percent “frequently” use it as a learning tool in the classroom; 9.4 percent do so “occasionally.”
– 71.8 percent of current Twitterers expect their usage to increase this school year.
– 20.6 percent of current non-Twitter users say there is a “50/50 chance” they will use Twitter as a learning tool in the classroom in the next two years.
– 12.9 percent of respondents say they tried Twitter, but stopped using it because it took too much time, they did not find it valuable, or a combination of reasons.
It is worth noting that the majority (55.9%) of participants are actually professors or instructors, while about a fourth were academic leaders, such as department chairs and deans. 16% fell into the “other” category, which includes faculty development, academic advisement, instructional design, marketing, admissions, assessment, and library services.
