Social networks and their influence on the academic performance of university students.

Abstract

This research aims to analyze the influence of Facebook on academic performance in students of the Veterinary Medicine Faculty, Universidad Agraria del Ecuador. A descriptive experimental study was carried out and a survey was applied to 300 students and 50 teachers. In the results, 98% affirm the academic use of social networks; 85% participate in study groups within Facebook; 97% of teachers think that it encourages  collaborative learning; 89% allows to improve the academic performance of students. It is concluded that social networks have academic acceptance, and it is necessary to generate institutional policies that include social networks in the veterinary medicine career curriculum.