Using Bluesky for Teaching and Learning with Wahiba Chair and Elva Fisher

In this episode of Prof to Prof, award-winning educator Wahiba Chair and researcher Elva Fisher examine the emerging role of decentralized social media in higher education pedagogy. Drawing from an empirical study conducted at University Canada West, they share preliminary findings on how international ESL students used Bluesky as a low-stakes learning tool in a hybrid communication course. Their research reveals significant gains in student engagement, peer community, media literacy, and English writing development when using custom feeds and course hashtags on the platform.

Beyond the research data, Wahiba presents a universal 5-step framework — covering purpose, structure, prompts, engagement, and measurement — that any instructor can use to integrate Bluesky into their syllabus. Learn how custom feeds create a safe, sandbox environment, how to handle platform moderation, and how to structure weekly microblogging prompts that encourage active learning and responsible AI tool usage.