Increasing Student Engagement and Communication Using Emojis and Memes

Emojis and animated GIFs or memes have been quite popular in the digital world. We see emojis and memes in messages, tweets, emails, and even commercial advertisements.  

Emoji is defined as a small digital image or icon used to express an idea, emotion, etc. in electronic communication. Source: Oxford Dictionary. Emojis have been around since 1999. There is even an unofficial holiday called “World Emoji Day” which is celebrated on July 17th😊. Over 1800 different emojis are available on emojipedia.com with new additions every few months.

Meme refers to “an idea, behavior, style, or usage that spreads from person to person within a culture” (Merriam-Webster, n.d., Definition 2). These pieces of information usually take the form of images (pictures; animations such as GIFs) taken from other media (e.g., television or film) or photographs from everyday life, often overlayed with specific phrases or quotes. The intended information extracted from these images is the “meme” which is the underlying message, joke, or emotion the meme represents. Brown (2020) describes modern memes as “tongue in cheek, irreverent, and humorous” (p. 2).

Besides being viewed as leisure-time fun, these types of visual media could engage students in the class and offer an additional means of conceptual demonstration and interpersonal communication. They can serve as visual wayfinding in the Canvas course and icebreakers to foster a friendly and playful class environment. 

Icebreaker 

In online communication, emojis stand in for facial expressions and body language to soften the tone, unstiffen formal language (Evans, 2017; Lo, 2008) and add warmth (Marder et al., 2019).  

Research by Lynch et al. (2006) established that the first few weeks of a class are especially critical and are well recognized as a “make or break” period. First impressions count, and forming positive, friendly relationships is crucial. Self-introduction on the first day of class is awkward for some students. Memes’ humorous nature offers opportunities for a light-hearted segue into deeper emotional discussions. “Meme elicitation process an effective icebreaker and a meaningful entry point for discussions” (Julien, 2020), especially for some introverted students. For example, you can have your students find a GIF/meme online that they think reflects their personality or current mood. 

The humor of the GIFs/memes reduces anxiety and creates a fun, relaxing classroom environment. This method seems to help students connect with others more easily.

A white image; on the left, labeled as 'My Thoughts', a messy blob of pencil scribbles. On the right, labeled 'My Words.', just blank space.

Demonstrate Course Content/Concept

An old saying goes that a picture is worth a thousand words. It is a good practice to utilize memes to link course content to the concept implied by the meme. Meme creation applied to course content could go beyond typical recall and may even facilitate higher-level thought, application, and retention of these concepts (Brown, 2020). You can have students find an example of memes or create their own memes that deal with a topic the underlying subtext. For instance, students could pick this image below as an entry point into a serious discussion about climate change and how change impacts our lives. This activity can also be used as an informal and playful assessment.

A Kermit the Frog, sipping tea meme: 'The NW is buying allergy medicine early and the SE is still wrapped in blankets'

Emoji Slides

The use of emojis, “helps fill out the visual and vocal void in the asynchronous, text-based online learning environment” Emoji Slides is a fun game to play, especially before exams. You prepare a set of pre-made slides before. Each slide displays a concept or a question. You present the slide one by one and ask your students to respond with emoji reactions. You can tell from students’ reactions if your students have trouble understanding the course materials. If they emoji, then you may explain further about that concept or question and move ahead.

A picture of the emoji picker in Zoom

Wayfinding

Emojis as icons can be used for visual wayfinding in online course design. Using emojis in the Canvas modules menu is a method to increase the noticeability of categorized items. The symbols need to be used consistently across the modules, so students can quickly identify their intended navigational path once they get to know the symbolism of each emoji.

Here is what emojis look like in the modules. The single-person icon means students study by themselves, and the two-person icon means it is a class activity.

Readability and Accessibility

If you decide to add emojis to your online course, follow the guidelines below to ensure your use of emojis is readable and accessible.

  • Check unicode.org to ensure that the emoji you select will appear as you intended it to across various devices and operating systems.
  • People with visual impairments use screen readers (Immersive readers in Canvas) to interpret the information on the screen. When reading a sentence with an emoji, a description of the emoji is read out loud. Put the emojis at the end of sentences to avoid confusion.
  • Avoid using emojis repeatedly or excessively.
  • Contrast is important for readability. Avoid using emojis that are not visible in both light and dark modes.

Emojis and memes are digital expressions that support relevant and purposeful meaning and add feeling. If instructors choose to use these tools, they should be sure to use them with purpose, sparingly, and always in accessible ways.

References

Al Tawil, R. (2019). Nonverbal communication in text-based, asynchronous online education. International Review of Research in Open and Distributed Learning, 20(1).

Brown, J.D. (2020). What do you meme, professor? An experiment using “memes” in pharmacy education. Pharmacy, 8(4), 202. https://doi.org/10.3390/pharmacy8040202

Evans, V. (2017). The Emoji Code: The Linguistics Behind Smiley Faces and Scaredy Cats. New York, NY: Picador.

Julien, K. (2022). Using memes as an elicitation tool: The interview prompt you didn’t know you needed. The Qualitative Report, 27(9), 1816-1827. https://www.proquest.com/openview/994d3022113af4326956920aaa39ed2f/1?pq-origsite=gscholar&cbl=55152

Lynch, K., Frame, P., Harwood, T., Hoult, L., Jenkins, M., & Volpe, G. (2006). Transitions into higher education: Processes, outcomes and collaborations. In G. Grigg & C. Bond (Eds.), Supporting learning in the 21st century: Refereed proceedings of the 2005 Asso-ciation of Tertiary Learning Advisors of Aotearoa New Zealand Conference (pp. 32-46). Auckland: ATLAANZ.

Marder, B., Houghton, D., Erz, A., Harris, L., & Javornik, A. (2019). Smile (y)–and your stu-dents will smile with you? The effects of emoticons on impressions, evaluations, and behaviour in staff-to-student communication. Studies in Higher Education,1-13.

Merriam-Webster. (n.d.). Semantics. In Merriam-Webster.com dictionary. Retrieved December 20, 2022, from https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/meme

Readability Guideline. (2020). Emojis. https://readabilityguidelines.co.uk/images/emojis/#6-use-emojis-not-emoticons

Reyes, M., Kaeppel, K., and Bjorngard-Basayne, E. (December 12, 2018). Memes and GIFs as powerful classroom tools. Faculty Focus. https://www.facultyfocus.com/articles/teaching-with-technology-articles/memes-and-gifs-as-powerful-classroom-tools/

Santhanam, S-P (April 29, 2020). A reflection on the sudden transition: Ideas to make your synchronous online classes more fun. Faculty Focus
https://www.facultyfocus.com/articles/online-education/online-student-engagement/ideas-to-make-your-synchronous-online-classes-more-fun/

Shatkinl (February 7, 2022). My experience with emojis in online courses: Affordances and considerations
https://blogs.oregonstate.edu/inspire/2022/02/07/my-experience-with-emojis-in-online-courses-affordances-and-considerations/