ROLE OF SOCIAL MEDIA IN KNOWLEDGE SHARING AMONG UNDERGRADUATE STUDENTS AND STAFF IN INSTITUTIONS OF HIGHER LEARNING A CASE OF BOMET UNIVERSITY COLLEGE, KENYA

Abstract

Social media have a lot of potential to improve communication, networking, teamwork, and experience sharing. However, disseminating knowledge has never been simpler, especially when it might help others. This study was necessary to ascertain the role that social networks play in knowledge sharing and to offer a plan for boosting their use by students and faculty at Kenya's universities and colleges, with a particular emphasis on Bomet University College. the extent to which students and faculty at universities and colleges use social networks to improve learning; the extent to which students and faculty at institutions of higher learning use social media for knowledge sharing; the extent to which students and faculty at higher education institutions use social media for socialization; and the difficulties associated with using social media were the specific objectives of the study. The Dependency Theory-related Melvin De Fleur communication model served as the study's foundation. A case study design that informed the study's mixed method approach was adopted. The study's target populations were the faculty and students of Bomet University College, who were chosen using systematic random sampling and purposeful sampling methods, respectively. A sample size of 205 was employed for the survey, out of which 171 replies were obtained, yielding an 83 percent response rate for the 684 undergraduate students and staff members of Bomet University College. The questionnaire and interview schedule which were the main data collection instrument was reviewed by the research supervisor and experts in information science field and their comments were included in the final copy. The dependability of the research tool was assessed using Cronbach's Alpha Value, and a pilot study done at the University of Kabianga yielded a coefficient of 0.812 in that regard. The study's findings show that everyone surveyed used social media to engage, share knowledge, and support educational initiatives. The most used social media platforms by both teachers and students were WhatsApp and Facebook. The survey also found that social media usage was constrained by a lack of basic skills, sites being restricted by the ICT department, and several security issues like hacking, cyberbullying, invasion of privacy, and exploitation of personal data. The study suggests that by creating regulations controlling social media security and privacy, policy makers in higher education institutions could encourage students and staff to utilize social media in a professionally and productive manner. In order to enhance the use of social media for knowledge sharing, stakeholders should examine the costs associated with internet connection, the language used in social media, and the safety of information by keeping an eye out for hackers.