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THE USE OF SOCIAL MEDIA FOR CONSTRUCTIVE DISCUSSION IN AN ACADEMIC EVENTS MANAGEMENT UNIT: AN AUSTRALIAN PRACTICE-BASED CASE STUDY
Dr Robert Gill Swinburne University of Technology AUSTRALIA rgill@swin.edu.au

CITATION: Gill, R. (2013). The use of social media for constructive discussion in an academic events management unit: An Australian practice-based case study European Journal of Academic Research, 1 (1), 1-12. ABSTRACT Australian universities continue to have strong international enrolments, and remain intent on graduating students who are prepared for the global workforce. The practicalities for managing events and festivals are no exception. Numerous international students in Australian universities who come from non-English speaking backgrounds (NESB) struggle with understanding information that is delivered verbally, particularly when delivered under the traditional didactic approach. A growing trend in organisational communication is the use of social media to communicate with external and internal stakeholders, and many universities are now adopting pedagogy that simulates professional use of social media. This paper reviews the results and feedback for a 2012 practice-based events management unit that introduced online engagement as an option for conducting meetings between enrolled students. The unit has a strong representation from international students. This engagement was critical to the assessment process and the effectiveness of the learning. The paper analyses the unit results and feedback, and uses contemporary literature to form conclusions on the use of social media in academic pedagogy for events management. The student results and the literature analysed in this paper demonstrate that the use of social media (and simulated social media) can play a significant role in comprehending and consolidating knowledge delivered through transactional communication involving digital text. It concludes that electronic communication based on the social media model can heighten student engagement, particularly for NESB students, and improve students soft skills in events management. Keywords: Social media, authentic learning, events management INTRODUCTION Authentic learning is playing a stronger role in higher education pedagogy in order to lessen the gap for students moving from university to the workforce (Harmer, 2009). Governments around the world are also formulating policy in respect of linking economic progress with higher education and the development of the workforce (Knight & Yorke, 2002). A graduate who is ready for employment is a desired outcome by industry from universities (Harmer, 2009). Graduate employability is defined by Knight and Yorke (2002) as possessing understanding, skills and personal attributes to perform adequately in the workforce at a graduate level. Employers want people not only with disciplinary expertise and technical knowledge but also with Page 1 Progressive Academic Publishing, UK www.journalsgate.com

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behavioural competencies or soft skills (Yorke, 2010; Barnie, 2006). Unit designers and convenors in higher education are required to rethink higher education pedagogy in order to realise government and industry expectations. An ever-growing importance in the discipline of event management is proficient professional communication in social media and social networking sites, both in terms of technical skill and soft skills competencies (Fitch, 2009; Dwyer, 2009; Allen, OToole, Harris & McDonnell, 2011). Many students are competent in using social media socially, and are part of the biggest demographic group regularly utilising social media sites at present (Staley, 2009). However, participating professionally in electronic social mediums requires a proficient understanding of the linkages between users and how the empowering of individual opinion is a catalyst for persuasion (Kirkwood, 2010). Social media stimulates the participation culture that event management organisations must acknowledge, and utilise positively with both internal and external stakeholders (Staley, 2009; Dwyer, 2009). Businesses, small and large in Australia, are embracing the use of social media as a communication tool, especially in terms of marketing, networking and reputation management, thus making it a criterion for aspiring employees (Sensis, 2012). A strong benefit of using social media and networking professionally is it allows individuals to engage in online transactional communication where the level of spoken English is not an issue and decoding doesnt need to be instantaneous (Mohan, McGregor, Saunders & Archee, 2010). This can make e-text interaction an ideal learning medium for discussion and information exchange for international students studying on-campus at Australian universities, as practical units like events management can be dominated by didactic and aural delivery (Wong, 2004; Bretag, Horrocks & Smith, 2002). One solution to the challenges of nurturing quality student interaction that isnt dominated by face-to-face discussion or didactic teaching approaches is to incorporate e-text discussions between English speaking background (ESB) students and NESB students. Higher education students are often confident and capable with the process of social media engagement, and such online discussion can alleviate the challenges NESB students face in terms of pronunciation, grammar and vocab issues (Grenfell, 2010; Dodigovic, 2002). Social media platforms, either authentic or simulated, can ease the anxiety that often afflicts NESB students communicating in spoken English and may inhibit them from actively engaging in the classroom discussion (Kirkwood, 2010; Bretag et al., 2002). However, many students are comfortable and aptly skilled at evolving discussion at an advanced level through these platforms, regardless of their spoken English capabilities (Bretag et al., 2002, Harris, 2008). This paper examines the use social media platforms and simulated social media via an online learning management system (Blackboard commonly used in many Australian universities) as a medium for authentic learning as a means to conducting effective meetings and harnessing productive discussion, which is critical to practicebased events management pedagogy (Allen et al., 2011). It reviews the interaction and results of students studying a final-year events management unit. The unit had strong representation from international students, many who were from a NESB.

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The student results and the literature analysed validates that events management students engaged in high-order discussion perform better when consolidating knowledge through interactivity involving digital communication, particularly e-textbased content that incorporates or simulates social media. LITERATURE REVIEW Authentic Online Learning Authentic learning has a basis in activities that have real-world relevance that challenge students to find solutions to ill-defined tasks (Reeves, Herrington & Oliver, 2002). The principle of authentic learning aligns with constructivist philosophy and advances in technology, which define higher education theory regarding real-world tasks and assessment (Herrington & Herrington, 1998; Jonassen, 1991). The use of technology to advance real-world learning moves beyond simulation to incorporate opportunity for research, investigation, collaboration and persuasion as characteristics of authentic activities in higher education curriculum (Grenfel, 2010; Reeves et al., 2002). Recent advancements in online learning environments have become distanced from the dumping of large tracts of text in modules on a website (Harisim, 1997). Multimedia and hypertext capabilities provide students with a platform to move within the online medium and preserve the complexity of real operations (Dror, 2008; Wang & Verezub, 2010; Knight, 2011; Reeves et al., 2002). The use of chat rooms, discussion boards and social media to facilitate collaboration and share a wealth of opinions and ideas encourage joint problem solving and teamwork, essential elements to enable group assessment within authentic learning (Reeves et al., 2002). Real world problem solving tasks (like those faced in managing events) need to embrace digital technology, which has become an integral part of the contemporary work environment (Knight, 2011). Online Learning in Higher Education E-Learning in education, commonly referred to as online learning, is defined as the involvement of electronic devices to deliver, facilitate or encourage interaction for the purpose of providing instruction, knowledge and training (Clark, 2008; Karrer, 2007). E-learning is characterised by learner-centred pedagogy that allows students to utilise technology in order to access vast resources and have greater control over their routines for learning (Holmes & Gardner, 2006; Rosenberg, 2001; Spiro & Jehng, 1990). Text used in e-learning (e-text) refers to electronic files that serve the same purpose as traditional printed text, with hypertext being e-text that is crossed-linked to various digital resources (Wang & Verezub, 2011). E-learning allows students to explore broader information through hypertext described simply as an electronic reading and writing space (Hicks, Reid & George, 1999; Inman, 2000). Hypertexts are often non-linear and include resources that can provide the users more interactive experiences than traditional and didactic text (Wang & Verezub, 2010). The functionality of hypertext click-throughs to more dynamic resources provides opportunity for deeper comprehension and profounder cognition, as opposed to surface retention of facts and information (Ramburuth & Page 3 Progressive Academic Publishing, UK www.journalsgate.com

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McCormak, 2001). This function is particularly advantageous for NESB student who may be grappling with comprehension of aural text. Cognition is the mental processes involved in comprehending knowledge and includes thinking, knowing, remembering, judging and problem-solving. Higher-level brain functions encompass cognizance for language, imagination, perception and planning (Cherry, 2011). Kozhevnikov (2007) states cognitive style refers to consistencies in an individuals manner of cognitive functioning, particularly with respect to acquiring and processing information. Cognitive styles are not culturally or nationality assigned functions, but cognition can be significantly influenced by a students ability to comprehend curriculum content (Ramburuth & McCormack, 2001; Wong, 2004). Cognition has frequently been challenging for NESB students learning in a traditional didactic environment delivered in English (Bretag et al., 2002; Ramburuth & McCormack, 2001; Wong, 2004). Social media is a medium that can allow students to engage in discussion that clarifies, expands and provides autonomy over content, without the added challenge and immediacy comprehension (Kirkwood, 2010; Wang & Verezub, 2010). Social media includes web-based applications and mobile technologies used to turn communication into interactive dialogue, allowing the creation and exchange of usergenerated content (Kaplan & Haenlein, 2010). Social media has substantially advanced the access to information and opinion between organisations, communities, and individuals, making it particularly relevant to higher education curriculum (Harris, 2008). In Australia, most academic institutions already have online learning management systems, which can simulate or accommodate social media platforms (Kirkwood, 2010; Grenfell, 2010; Bretag et al., 2002). According to a Joint Information Systems Committee (JISC) study of 3,500 learners in the UK (Knight, 2011), unit designers and academic staff perceive students to be more digitally capable and advanced than is the case and often dont employ the pedagogy to ensure that students are digitally literate. If design is focussing on developing both transferrable skills to events management industry and a pedagogy to heighten student engagement in discussion, then consideration needs to be given to soft skills development for social media interaction. Social Media Soft Skills Communication plays a vital role in effective planning, delivery and evaluation in events management (Allen et al., 2011). Social media is now playing a more active role in professional communication, as evidenced by many academic books devoting considerable text to the effective use of social media and networking (see for example: Mohan et al., 2008; Euneson, 2008; Dwyer, 2009; Bovee & Thill; 2010). This is further evidenced by the Guardian Higher Education Network research that found more than half the UK population now have internet capability through their mobile devices determining that governments and industry need employees who are digitally literate - soft skill capabilities that equip an individual for living, learning and working in a digital society (Knight, 2011). The ever-expanding use of social media, especially mobile media devices, enables potential publics to be engaged with organisations and businesses almost continually, Page 4 Progressive Academic Publishing, UK www.journalsgate.com

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and decision makers within these organisations must exercise behavioural soft skills that connect at the right level (Kaplan & Haenlein, 2010). This connection is particularly critical to the events industry, due to the temporary and purposive nature for most events and festivals (Bladen, Kennell, Abson & Wilde, 2012). Applying this to the events communication, whilst many students can effectively use technology to communicate within social media, the discipline of effective professional communication and networking needs further application at the higher education level (Knight & Yorke, 2002). Immense opportunities for graduate employees with professional social media skills now exist, particularly for small to medium-sized businesses seeking to strengthen their brand and stakeholder engagement (Sensis, 2012). Higher education policymakers should seek to develop soft skills to facilitate appropriate behavioural responses and social practices through digital communication for professional relationship within specific industries (Thurley & Bell, 2009). Universities and colleges have a responsibility to develop students who can thrive in digital communication suitable for their environment, as these individuals will be more employable (Knight, 2011). As Thurley and Bell (2009) state, it is the responsibility of scholars to offer alternative, well-rounded perspectives on the nature and purpose of discussion through social media as an inherent sociability for human communication, both on a social and professional level. Industry needs to acknowledge the social media revolution and the importance of being able to operate effectively within its domain (Kaplan & Haenlein, 2010). Social media will continue to evolve by playing a commanding role in education through students mediating their content and knowledge, and through professional engagement in the workplace (Kirkwood, 2010). Social Media in Events Management Curriculum The principles of the knowledge economy is dependent upon engagement and the sharing of knowledge, and active online learning is paramount to successful knowledge communication, according to Kirkwood (2010). Vast numbers of tertiary students already possess technological capabilities to engage in social media, so e-text should be utilised more systematically to promote unbridled engagement (Grenfell, 2010; Altun 2003). In terms of events management, engagement and networking between stakeholders, consultants, providers and government representatives is crucial to effective delivery of events and festivals (Bladen et al., 2012, Allen et al., 2011). Social media capabilities provide both NESB and ESB students the proficiency and confidence to operate in this space at an academic level (Kirkwood, 2010; Harris, 2008). Integral to the success of an online discussion forum is the educators role, which is to nurture peer-assisted knowledge sharing in an active and collaborative process (Grenfell, 2010; Wong, 2004). Educators are charged with providing a pedagogical platform that enables students the opportunity to engage with the curriculum at a meaningful level; and social media can facilitate this (Dodigovic, 2002: Kirkwood, 2010; Grenfell, 2010).

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The use of online discussion is deemed acutely important to encouraging critical exchange and academic development, according to Harris (2008). Social media platforms in education foster online engagement and the use of hyperlinks expands the dialogue beyond the curriculum content and builds better communication channels and broader opportunity for learning (Bretag et al., 2008; Harris, 2008). Student dialogue actually becomes part of the emerging content, as participants steer the direction of the learning (Kirkwood, 2010; Kasper, Babbit, Williams Mlynarczyk, Brinton, Rosenthal, Master, Myers, Egbert, Tillyer, Wood, 2009). Therefore, the quality of learning and development in relation to soft skills distinctive to enhancing employability for events management can be significantly enhanced through the use of online discussion and web-based technology (Dror, 2008; Bretag et al., 2008; Wang & Verezub, 2010; Knight, 2011). EVENTS MANAGEMENT UNIT The Unit Structure The events management unit for this case study was designed to test final-year higher education students practical abilities in teamwork, decision making and critical analysis, all fundamental skills to scaffolding authentic learning (Reeves et al., 2002; Herrington & Herrington, 1998). The 12-week unit involved students planning, developing, implementing and evaluating an actual event in parallel with studying theories and principles for effective events management. Assessment involved individual and group assignments, team presentations and a unit test. The unit has grown from around 48 students in 2009 to more than 100 students in 2012. A large minority of the cohort were NESB students. Therefore, the management of the cohort involved organising the students into teams to oversee the administration of the critical elements in events management, for example: human resources, logistics, finance, legal, occupational health and safety etc. Teams were required to regularly engage in formal meetings to plan, manage and document their role for the overall event. Teams presented updates throughout the unit to the cohort relating to their role and achievements. The event was conducted in week 10, and a formal assessment by each team was completed before the final test in week 12. Although students were not directly assessed on the success of the actual event, their planning and evaluation relating to the teams role were dominant components in the assessment criteria, which often had been reflected through the delivery of the event on the day. Events for this unit have included a triathlon, a corporate wine tour, student festival and adolescent education conference. Changes to The 2012 Unit As a response to expanding enrolments and an increase in NESB student enrolments (31% in 2012) in the Events Management unit, some structural changes were made to accommodate a more effective scholarship of the unit. Team meetings, which in the past had incorporated unofficial social media as a means of engagement, had to designate both online and face-to-face meetings for each week. Page 6 Progressive Academic Publishing, UK www.journalsgate.com

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Online meetings could be run synchronous or asynchronous through the Blackboard online learning management system or through a specifically created group in an existing social media platform (facebook was the only existing social media platform used in 2012). This purposeful condition to meeting arrangements was to provide NESB students with opportunities to engage actively in discussion free from the anxiety associated with having perceived poor spoken-English abilities, and to replicate the growing digital meeting format regularly used by progressive organisations (Kirkwood, 2010; Knight, 2011). Assessment incorporated documentation of these meeting (including agendas and minutes) on a weekly basis. Individuals within teams were also required to peerreview their team members participation and contributions to the meeting for each week. These documents and peer reviews combined to formulate a weekly mark (over eight specified weeks). It was hoped that students who were unavailable for a face-toface meeting could still make valuable contributions to the weekly planning through online engagement; similar to authentic organisational operations (Sensis, 2012). 2012 Unit Results There were 96 students who completed the unit in semester one, 2012, including 30 NESB students. There were 16 teams formed to plan and deliver the event, which was a conference-style education day for year 10 students from neighbouring high schools. The event was attended by 220 high school students and 23 teachers. As part of the assessment, Events Management students were required to conduct a minimum of 16 meetings, incorporating eight online meetings. Eight teams used a facebook group-page solely as their online meeting platform, four teams combined the in-house Blackboard system with facebook, and four groups interacted through Blackboard only. All groups held informal face-to-face meetings beyond their scheduled face-to-face meeting, with six groups indicating through their meeting records that this was done on a weekly basis. For each week, the student teams prepared documents detailing meeting minutes, agendas and attendance, which were presented as part of assessment.
TABLE ONE: RECORD OF MEETINGS Meetings Wk 3 Wk 4 Wk 5 Formal face- 16 16 15 to-face Electronic 16 15 12 Informal 9 7 6 face-to-face Total per 41 38 33 week

Wk 6 15 13 6 34

Wk 7 15 14 8 37

Wk 8 16 15 9 40

Wk 9 16 16 15 47

Wk 11 16 16 14 46

Total 125 117 74 316

Table One indicates the number and type of meetings conducted over the course of the semester. It should be noted that for weeks 1, 2 10 and 12 students were not required to hold formal meetings. No records for informal meetings for those weeks were recorded.

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TABLE TWO: STUDENTS RESULTS FOR 2012 (NESB 31% OF ENROLMENT) Grade NESB NESB % of grade ESB Fail (>50) 2 33.3% 1 Pass (50-65) 4 29% 10 Credit (65-75) 18 35% 24 Distinction 75-85) 6 16% 31 Higher Distinction (85 plus) NA NA NA

% of cohort 3% 14.5% 43.5% 39% NA

Table Two indicates the results for students in the 2012 unit. The table illustrates a distinction between NESB and ESB student results. NESB students made up 31 per cent of the 2012 unit cohort.
TABLE THREE: STUDENTS RESULTS FOR 2009-2011 (NESB 17% OF ENROLMENT) Grade NESB NESB % of grade ESB % of cohort Fail (>50) NA 0% 6 3% Pass (50-65) 15 31% 33 20.5% Credit (65-75) 16 15% 88 44% Distinction 75-85) 8 11% 62 30% Higher Distinction (85 plus) 0 0% 6 3%

Table Three indicates results for students from 2009-2011 cohorts for the Events Management unit. The NESB students made 17% of the 2009-2011 unit cohorts. It should be noted that NESB enrolments from 2011 onwards for the Events Management unit were significantly increased by a collaborated articulated pathway for students from Chinese universities. The unit convenor kept a diary of results and feedback for the unit (including feedback from the online student feedback portal); used primarily to upgrade unit structure and content. ANALYSIS AND DISCUSSION The record of meetings indicates that face-to face meetings were utilised more by student teams than electronic meetings. However, a deeper examination indicates that electronic meetings often ran asynchronous and over the course of the week. This was evident with groups who had granted facebook access to external students and tutors from the unit, on top of their own team members, and for those teams consistently using the Blackboard discussion site. Electronic meetings were often more protracted and efficient, as many teams decisions were agreed through the electronic meeting sites. This aligns with findings in research regarding the use of social media as a teaching platform conducted by Kirkwood (2010). Students were polled at their last meeting for the year by the unit convenor seeking to gain feedback. Students were asked to comment on the meeting formats. Although the approach was unstructured, feedback was diarised. The feedback indicated that most students were comfortable with electronic meetings as it enabled them to maintain contact over the week, as many students were from different degrees and programs and rarely crossed paths while on campus. Common comments from the 12 teams using facebook as a meeting platform supported the notion that it is familiar and easy to use, access was open most of the time and responses were more likely to be instantaneous due to the team members leaving facebook open on their mobile digital devices. This is supported by previous Australian research into social media Page 8 Progressive Academic Publishing, UK www.journalsgate.com

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and access for higher education students (see for example: Kirkwood, 2010; Grenfel, 2010; Bretag et al., 2002). One of the drawbacks to using an external platform like facebook is that content is hosted offsite, and access can be limited. By using an in-house platform through a learning management system the university has greater control of content, direct access and better facilities for record keeping. For example, the use of discussion board on Blackboard can be directly linked to the grade centre and all posts records are held on the system. An interesting observation regarding the number of electronic interactions for the unit is that NESB students in teams using the Blackboard to host discussion were more active than NESB students who engaged through facebook only. This follows similar findings by Rambruth and McCormack (2001), which found Chinese students prefer highly organised material and self-paced engagement. This is indicative of Blackboard discussion, as opposed to the instantaneous nature of facebook. NESB student activity on Blackboard was significantly greater compared to ESB students, than NESB engagement through facebook. When comparing the number of meetings across the semester, the frequency of meetings generally dropped off throughout the middle weeks, but became more frequent and consistent again towards the end of the unit. This follows the pattern for activity during events management, where activity peaks before the event is conducted and peaks again during the evaluation phase (Allen et al., 2011). A comparison of the final grades over the four years indicates no significant improvements in student pass marks, an average of 3% failing the unit over the four years. However, noticeable improvement has occurred in the grade level with 82.5% of 2012 students gaining a credit or above, compared with 77% in the 2009-2011 cohorts. With 40% of assessment being directly related to the meetings that result in planning and preparation for presentations, it can be presumed that more effective meeting arrangements contributed to better preparation for assessment tasks, as similar research into learning improvements were found by Grenfel (2010), Kaplan and Haenlein (2010), and Knight (2011). When analysing the NESB grades, there is considerable improvement in the percentage of NESB students within each grade category for the credit and distinction grades. The 2012 cohort credit grade was 35% NESB students and the distinction grade was 16% NESB students, while in the 2009-2011 cohorts only 15% of NESB achieved credits and 11% achieved distinctions. These results are in keeping with findings from similar Australian higher education findings into the use of e-text and social media as knowledge sharing platform (see for example: Wang & Verezub, 2010; Kirkwood, 2010; Bretag et al., 2001; Rambruth and McCormack, 2001). There are some limitations to drawing a significant conclusion to the above study. A longitudinal comparison of results for the introduction of blended meeting arrangements incorporating social media would provide a stronger indication of the effectiveness of the change has had on student learning and results. Also, longitudinal data would make the comparisons between NESB and ESB student results more valid. Another consideration is the developing nature of the unit from year-to-year, with the unit structure slightly changing and evolving as student feedback and unit panel assessments are considered for the proceeding unit delivery. Finally, the 2012 Page 9 Progressive Academic Publishing, UK www.journalsgate.com

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assessment tasks were heavily weighted towards group assessment, meaning that some of the individual grades may have been adversely affected by other team members subjective interpretation of their contribution to the group assessment. CONCLUSION The above case study indicates that the use of social media (and simulated social media) can be an effective learning tool for students studying Events Management. Results from the unit provide qualitative evidence that grades have improved in the unit since social media was introduced to aid with the meeting process between teams of students. The online engagement through social media has enabled students to engage and advance discussion that ordinarily would require a face-to-face meeting. Most higher education students are already capable in the use of social media and social networking, so the above students competently adopted the technology into their events management unit. Online engagement may have contributed to improved cognition of discussion for 2012 NESB students for this unit, indicated by their stronger grades compared to previous cohorts. Soft skills in online engagement and behaviour are important elements to authentic learning and amplified employability, according to many theorists (for example: Knight & Yorke, 2002; Klastrup, 2009; Herrington & Herrington, 1998; Barnie, 2006; Bovee & Thill, 2010), and the introduction of social media engagement contributing to formal assessment in this unit has gone some way to heightening students abilities to operate in an authentic working environment. REFERENCES Allen, J., OToole, W., Harris, R. and McDonnelI. (2011). Festival and Special Event Management (5th Ed.). Milton: Wiley. Barnie, S. (2006). Understanding what we mean by the generic attributes of graduates. Higher Education, 51, 215-241. Bladen, C., Kennell, J., Abson, E. and Wilde, N. (2012). Events Management: an introduction. Milton Park: Routledge. Bovee, C. and Thill, J. (2010). Business Communication Today (10th Ed.). New Jersey: Pearson. Bretag, T., Horrocks, S. and Smith, J. (2002). Developing Classroom Practices to Support NESB Students in Information System Courses: Some Preliminary Findings. International Education Journal, 3(4), 57-69. Cherry, K. (2011). What is Cognition. About Psychology. Retrieved February 6, 2012, from: http://psychology.about.com/od/cindex/g/def_cognition.htm. Clark, R. (2008). E-learning and the Science of Instruction: Proven Guidelines for Consumers (2nd Ed.). San Francisco: Pfeifer. Dodigovic, M. (2002). Developing Writing Skills with a Cyber-Coach, Computer Assisted Language Learning, 15 (1), 9-25. Dror, I. (2008). Technology Enhanced Learning: The good, the bad and the ugly. Pragmatics & Cognition, 16: 215-223. Dwyer, J. (2009). Communicating in Business: strategies and skills. Melbourne: Pearson. Euneson, B. (2008). Communicating in the 21 Century (2nd Ed.). Queensland: Wiley. Fitch, K. (2009). New Media and Public Relations in Chia, J. and Synnott, G. (eds) Page 10 Progressive Academic Publishing, UK www.journalsgate.com

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(2009). An Introduction to Public Relations: From Theory to Practice (pp.333-357). Melbourne: Oxford University Press. Grenfell, J. (2010). Through the Looking Glass: Teaching and Learning in Blended Immersive Multiuser Virtual and Real World Environments. Enhancing Learning Experiences in Higher Education: International Conference 2-3 Dec 2010 University of Hong Kong. Harisim, L. (1997). Interacting in hyperspace. Paper presented at the Potential of the Web Conference, 1997.Available:http://waldorfcccc.umuc.edu/ide/potentialweb97/harasim.html Harmer, B.M. (2009). Teaching in a contextual vacuum: lack of prior workplace knowledge as a barrier to sensemaking in learning and teaching courses. Innovation in Education and Teaching International, 46 (1): 41-50. Harris, K. (2008). Using Social Networking Sites as Student Engagement Tools. Diverse Issues in Higher Education. 25(18): 40. Herington, J and Herrington, A. (1998). Authentic assessment and multimedia: How university students respond to a model of authentic assessment. Higher Education Research and Development,17(3), 305-322. Hicks, M., Reid, I. and George, R. (1999). Enhancing online teaching: designing responsive learning environments Paper presented at the 1999 HERDSA conference Cornerstones: What do we value in higher education? Melbourne, 12-15 July . Holmes, B. and Gardner, J. (2006). E-Learning: Concepts and Practice. London: Sage Publications. Inman, J. (2000). Document design in the information age: a consideration of hypertext for international technical communication', in P Hager and H Scheiber (eds), Managing global communication in science and technology. New York: John Wiley & Sons. Jonassen, D. (1991). Evaluating constructivistic learning. Educational Technology, 31(9), 28-33. Kaplan, A. M. and Haenlein, M. (2010). Users of the world, unite! The challenges and opportunities of Social Media. Business Horizons 53(1), 5968. Karrer, T. (2007). Elearning Technology, Retrieved February 1, 2012, from: http://elearningtech.blogspot.com.au/2007/10/elearning-defined.html. Kasper, L. F., Babbit, M., Williams Mlynarczyk, R., Brinton, D., Rosenthal, J., Master, P., Myers, S., Egbert, J., Tillyer, D. & Wood, L. (2009). Contentbased College ESL Instruction. New Jersey: Taylor Francis e-library. Klastrup, L. (2009). Professionally Social: Using Social Media for Professional (Research) Communication. Language at Work. Retrieved June 17, 2012, from:http://www.languageatwork.eu/readarticle.php?article_id=34 Kirkwood, K. (2010). The SNAP Platform: social networking for academic purposes. Campus Wide Information Systems. 27 (3), 118-126. Knight, P. T. and Yorke, M. (2002). Employability through the Curriculum. Tertiary Education Management, 8 (4), 261-276. Knight, S. (2011, December 15) Digital literacy can boost employability and improve student experience, The Guardian - Higher Education Network, Retrieved June 18, 2012, from: http://www.guardian.co.uk/higher-educationnetwork/blog/2011/dec/15/digital-literacy- employability-student-experience Kozhevnikov, M. (2007). Cognitive Styles in the Context of Modern Psychology: Toward an Integrated Framework of Cognitive Style, Pyschology Bulletin, 133(3), 46448. Page 11 Progressive Academic Publishing, UK www.journalsgate.com

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Mayer, R. (2009). Multimedia learning, 2 edn., Leiden: . Cambridge University Press. McLoughlin, C. (1999). The implications of the research literature on learning styles for design of instructional material. Australian Journal of Educational Technology, 15(3). 222-241. Mohan, T., McGregor, H., Saunders, S. and Archee, R. (2008). Communicating as Professionals. Melbourne: Cenage. Ramburuth, P. and McCormack, J. (2001). Learning Diversity in Higher Education: A comparative study of Asian international and Australian students. Higher Education. 42, 333-350. Reeves, T., Herrington, J. & Oliver, R. (2002). Authentic activities and online learning, in Quality Conversations, Proceedings of the 25th HERDSA Annual Conference, Perth,Western Australia, 7-10 July 2002, 562-567. Rosenberg, J. (2001). E-Learning: Strategies for Delivering Knowledge in the Digital Age. New York: McGraw-Hill. Sensis. (2012, May 29). The Yellow Pages Social Media Report 2012. Retrieved June 16, 2012, from: http://about.sensis.com.au/News/MediaReleases/?ItemID=1159&count=1 Spiro, R.J. and Jehng, J.C. (1990). Cognitive Flexibility and Hypertext: Theory and Technology for the Nonlinear and Multidimensional Traversal of Complex Subject Matter. In D. Nix & R. Sprio (Eds.) Cognition, Education, and Multimedia. Erlbaum, 1990. Staley, D. J. (2009) Managing the platform:higher education and the logic of wikinomics. EDUCAUSE Review, 44(1), 36-47. Thurley, C. and Bell, K. (2009). J Against Technologization: Young Peoples New Media Discourse as Creative Cultural Practice. Journal of Computer Mediated Communication, 14 (4), 2-22. Wang, X. and Verezub, E. (2010). Interacting with E-Text in Multimedia Formats by ESB and NESB Students, International Association for Development of The Information Society Digital Library. Retrieved February 1, 2012, from: http://www.iadisportal.org/digital- library/interacting-with-e-text-inmultimedia-formats-by-esb-and-nesb-students. Wong, J. (2004). Are the Learning Styles of Asian International Students Culturally or Contextually Based? International Education Journal, 4 (4), 154-165. Yorke, M. (2010). Employability: aligning the message, the medium and the academic values. Journal for Teaching and Learning for Graduate Employability, 1(1), 2-12.

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