Teaching through TikTok: a duoethnographic exploration of pedagogical approaches using TikTok in higher dance education in China and Norway during a global pandemic

Considering the COVID-19 pandemic, teaching, and learning encounters in higher education have changed. Online teaching has become routine and a variety of virtual learning platforms are being explored. Within this article we, two higher dance education teachers and researchers, reflect on using TikTok in our work. Taking a duoethnographic approach, we explore engagement with TikTok in our contexts of teaching in higher education institutions in China and Norway. From our duoethnographic dialogue we discuss how TikTok offers an example of a posthuman educational encounter. From there, the idea of how a platform such as TikTok might be able to create a space and place for teaching and learning within a higher education setting is unpacked. Then a reflection on disciplinary specific contribution is given, asking: what can dance offer to the conversation about using a social media platform such as TikTok within higher education? Through reflecting on our pedagogical experiences and cultures, this article reveals that while queries surround the use of social media platforms such as TikTok in higher education, there are benefits in experimentation with such platforms. Specifically, there is value considering the interaction between the human and non-human aspects of teaching and learning in higher education settings.

Automated summary

Considering the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, this article reflects on the use of TikTok in higher education by two dance education teachers and researchers in China and Norway. Through a duoethnographic approach, the authors discuss how TikTok can be seen as a posthuman educational encounter and explore its potential in creating a space for teaching and learning within a higher education setting. The article emphasizes the value of considering the interaction between human and non-human aspects in the utilization of social media platforms like TikTok in higher education.