Title: Facebook group as a space for interactive and collaborative learning

Authors: Gila Kurtz

Addresses: The College for Academic Studies, Hayotzrim 5, Or Yehuda, Israel

Abstract: The purpose of this research was to examine the perceived implications on learning when making use of a Facebook group as a communication environment, along with the learning management system (LMS) course website. A total of 66 graduate students participated in the research. The main conclusion from the findings is that Facebook, although it was not originally created for educational purposes, can be used as a virtual space for discussion and sharing knowledge. Students reported being engaged in interaction and collaboration in the Facebook group as well as having appreciated its contribution to their own personal learning experience. Most of them would be willing to use Facebook groups as a learning space in future courses, without giving up the course website which is crucial as the main source of learning materials and course activities.

Keywords: Facebook; higher education; learning environment; Web 2.0 learning; social media; interactive learning environments; collaborative learning; e-learning; electronic learning; learning management systems; LMS websites; discussion; knowledge sharing.

DOI: 10.1504/IJSMILE.2013.057461

International Journal of Social Media and Interactive Learning Environments, 2013 Vol.1 No.4, pp.406 - 418

Received: 30 Apr 2013
Accepted: 25 May 2013
Published online: 28 Feb 2014 *

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