University-Level pedagogical innovation mediated by Facebook and YouTube: a teaching-learning experience directed at the Z-generation

ABSTRACT Higher education has been facing great challenges due to rapidly occurring transformations in society. In this context, the application of innovative teaching methods that encourage students to create and develop scientific and critical thinking is constantly required. Nevertheless, one should first consider the use of strategies for approaching students - especially those from a younger generation, born in the mid-90s, who are currently initiating college. For this group of students, collectively referred to as Generation Z, it is essential that educators renew their teaching methods to improve the learning process. In this study, the use of virtual tools such as Facebook and YouTube was evaluated to determine their effect in higher-education student learning at the University of Salvador, Bahia. Facebook was used as the main communication tool between professors and students, and YouTube was used as a channel for virtual lessons developed by the students themselves. Both proposals have been suggested to but not demanded from the students. In the end, a semi-structured questionnaire was applied to assess student perception. As a result, we observed a high degree of student participation in the methodologies proposed. Moreover, their perception that the methods were effective for knowledge acquisition was the main positive indicator of the analysis. In conclusion, the use of virtual tools can be an effective method in the learning process of students, especially where younger ones are concerned.