Use of X/Twitter in Instruction: Enhancing Student Learning in an Introductory Finance Course

This paper investigates using X/Twitter to enhance student learning in a business course. As a case study, we look at the student experience in an introductory finance course when X/Twitter usage is incorporated as a daily and weekly learning instrument. An iteration of the X/Twitter-enhanced course has been offered to test the effectiveness of X/Twitter in enhancing student learning. One or more posts/tweets are sent to the followers (students) based on the week’s or day’s topic as assignments. Under this structure, X/Twitter is used as a tool to judge students’ participation and perception throughout the semester and as an in-class learning tool. To prevent selection bias, in-class activities on X/Twitter were tested in an introductory course with multiple sections at a business school, all taught by the same instructor. The uniqueness of this study is its diagnostic use of X/Twitter as a pedagogical tool to improve students’ learning outcomes. Principal component factor analysis and multiple discriminant analysis are used to identify and investigate significant factors. It has been observed that using X/Twitter assignments in an introductory finance course increases student motivation, understanding of topics, and development of a succinct writing style.