Ecsm 2015 presentation final

Student Use of Facebook for Informal Learning and Peer Support

Elaine Garcia

Ibrahim Elbeltagi

Kerry Dungay

Outline

• Introduction & Literature Review

• Methodology

• Results & Discussion

• Conclusions

What Links me and Kevin Bacon?

INTRODUCTION & LITERATURE REVIEW

Source: OFCOM (2014)

Rise of Facebook

Some educators are interested…

A

Some educator are interested…

• Argued to have positive effects on educational performance

• Enhances Social Capital – Bridging Capital– Bonding Capital

• Students can gain support, information and ideas from others

• Students can contact other students with questions

• Encourages student engagement on their terms

Some educators are disinterested…

• Students not using it can become isolated and / or ostracized

• Can make some students feel anxious and resentful

• Students can be resistant

• Can make students easily distracted

• Students have short attention spans

• Negatively associated with engagement in educational activity

B

Do students want Facebook formally in the classroom?

• Students are already making use of Facebook

• Invisible, complex and organic social networks are already being formed

• Is Facebook already playing a role in informal learning?

• Should it remain backstage?

• Facebook is now an integral part of University Social Life– Initially Social Glue– Part of negotiating learning process

• 81% of students have discussed an educational topic on Facebook but 59% state they wish to use Facebook for educational purposes

‘understanding how and why

students use the electronic social

network is important for

understanding how to build and

maintain relationships with

students and to increase retention

and success.’ (Amador & Amador, 2014)

METHODOLOGY

Methodology

• Social Network Analysis using Gephi

• Plot the Facebook relationships between students

• Group of 90 Foundation in Art and Design students– One year course– Post A-Levels– Majority of students had not met previously

• Utilising publically available information

RESULTS / DISCUSSION

Degree of Centrality

KM Clustering

Degree of Centrality / Facebook Friends

Degree of Centrality / Attendance

Degree of Centrality / Grade

Degree of Centrality / Early Leavers

Specific Early LeaversConnected Leavers

Specific Early LeaversThe “Loners”

CONCLUSIONS

Conclusions

• There are complex, invisible and organic social networks being created

• Some students choose to interact and some do not

• Students using Facebook are more likely to attend, achieve and stay on the course

• Students do not build very diffuse networks. There is evidence of bridging capital however as they can reach across the network

• Students using Facebook extensively

LETS TALK ABOUT KEVIN…

Six degrees of Kevin Bacon

Me!Work with Alan Lemin

Alan LeminWorks with meWorked with Brian Blagdon

Brian BlagdonWorked with Alan LeminWorked with Alex Mackenzie

Alex MackenzieWorked with Brian BlagdonTaught Charles Dance

Charles DanceTaught by Alex MackenzieWorked with James McAvoy

James McAvoyWorked with Charles DanceWorked with Kevin Bacon

Kevin Bacon!Worked with James McAvoy

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Google “Bacon Number”