Roblyer, M., Mcdaniel, M., Webb, M., Herman, J., & Witty, J. V. (2010). Findings on Facebook in higher education: A comparison of college faculty and student uses and perceptions of social networking sites. The Internet and Higher Education,13(3), 134-140. 

Summary of the Article

This article examines how Social Networking Sites (SNSs) such as Facebook could be used as effective communicational and instructional tools in higher education. This study also gives insights into how college faculty members are reluctant to adopt new technology such as SNSs, while students use SNSs on a daily basis. One of the negative stigmas of incorporating SNSs in the classroom is that many faculty members think SNSs are inadequate for instructional pedagogy. In order to show how students use Facebook and how it could be incorporated as an effective learning tool, the researchers recruited 120 students to take an online survey at a mid-sized, southern public university. 62 faculty members also responded to the online survey. The results reveal that 88% of students and 26% of faculty members feel Facebook would be convenient and they welcome the opportunity to try it. Since there is such a high usage of SNSs and positive feedback from students on incorporating SNSs into the classroom, it would be worth researching how to utilize SNSs as efficient learning tools. 

Assessment 

A majority of higher education in the U.S. employ learning management systems such as D2L, Moodle, etc. While the aforementioned learning management systems are efficient instructional tools, students are reluctant to use these systems. However, as research indicates, students use SNSs on a daily basis. Rather than having schools force students to use online learning management systems that do not interest them, it would be worth exploring how instructors could utilize SNSs as instructional tools instead. For example, while students may not check institutional emails every day, they check Facebook messages on a daily and even hourly basis. 

Key Article Quotations

Growth of social networking: everywhere but in education?

• “Higher education has a well-established trend toward non-adoption of new technologies” (p. 134).

Annotated by

Giseung Lee (2018)