Transitions, bridges and connections: student reflections on the role of SNS in ERTL in 2020.

The COVID-19 pandemic of 2020 transformed the educational spaces and lives of teachers and students worldwide. Students entering Japanese universities in 2020 were particularly affected by this, moving from high school to university during this period, and therefore facing multiple challenges. As part of a larger project exploring how the move to online learning affected them, the participants in this study were asked to reflect on their experiences of emergency remote teaching and learning (ERTL) in 3-minute videos they created and uploaded to the university learning management system (LMS). This paper focuses on one significant theme that proved pivotal during this transition – the use of social network systems (SNS) to bridge the move between school and university. It was found that SNS provided vital support during this time of physical distancing and contributed to student well-being. Students were able to create relationships with their peers through SNS and construct social capital in their new community while maintaining previous relationships and existing social capital.