Explaining the Strategic Position of Iran’s Agricultural and Natural Resources University in Using Virtual Social Networks in Teaching and Learning Process

Virtual social networking (VSN) is an important new technology that can redesign the structure of society and help create a learning community on campuses. This research aimed to explain the strategic position of universities in the implementation of VSN and formulate appropriate strategies for its effective implementation. SWOT analysis, along with the construction of multilevel matrices, was used to achieve this goal. The statistical population was composed of the faculty members of Iran’s agriculture sciences and natural resources universities, 28 of whom were selected as a statistical sample using the "special cases" sampling method. Data were analyzed using SPSS and MS-Excel software. In the qualitative phase, verifiably was confirmed by the following steps: 1) self-review of the research committee during the process of data collection and analysis; 2) use of special coding procedures in the analysis stage; 3) carrying out research steps by testing items such as raw data, data summarization products, and the noting process; 4) interview with faculty member separately and comparing their answers, and 5) using a steering committee to evaluate and conduct interviews. The validity and reliability of the research instrument were confirmed by the universities’ faculty members and Cronbach's alpha calculation (0.83-0.92). Findings from the SWOT matrix showed that the studied universities were in a reformation (ST) position in using VSN. By using the SWOT matrix, we developed four strategies to implement VSN in the studied universities, which included attack strategies (SO), diversification (WO), reformation (ST), and defense (WT).