Journal Article
An innovative research on the usage of facebook in the higher education context of Hong Kong
pp378-386
© Oct 2012 Volume 10 Issue 4, ICEL 2012, Editor: Paul Lam, pp360 - 440
Look inside Download PDF (free)
Abstract
Teaching and learning is undergoing a dramatic change due to the advancement in telecommunication and IT. Increasingly, Online learning platform is playing an important role higher education. The maturity of Internet and emergence of various cloud services catalyse the development of these platforms and student learning behaviour. An example is Facebook, online social network sites, which changes the interaction, communication and interrelation of students and their daily life. There is a growing trend that people participate in Facebook. Given there is discussion forum provided by online learning platforms, students get used to communicate on Facebook. The phenomenon enables teachers to think whether Facebook can be incorporated in teaching so as to facilitate student learning. Past research on online social network sites evidence that there are a number of benefits including the improved student participation, social relationship, interaction, communication and facilitation. However, seldom studies try to consolidate these benefits and examine simultaneously against the overall learning motivation. This study attempts to develop a model of student motivation in learning with four Face book benefits : (1) Interaction , (2) Communication , (3) Social relationship , (4) Participation. The students of the School of Continuing and Professional Studies (SCS), The Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK), studying Hi‑Diploma Programme, are invited to participate in this study. A survey was conducted to examine how these Facebook benefits relate to student motivation in learning. The results revealed that Interrelationship, Communication, Social relationship, and Participation influence significantly on student learning motivation. The results show teachers how Facebook benefits improve student learning motivation. The study also tries to explore some demographic trend in related to student Facebook usage.
Journal Article
© Mar 2012 Volume 10 Issue 1, ICEL 2011, Editor: Philip Balcean, pp1 - 158
Look inside Download PDF (free)
Abstract
The essentialist view that new technological innovations (especially Social Media) disrupt higher education delivery ride on educators’ risk averse attitudes toward full scale adoption of unproven technologies. However, this unsubstantiated logic forecloses possibilities for embracing the constructive dimensions of disruptions, and grasping the tremendous academic potential of emerging technologies. Community of inquiry and virtual ethnography were adopted as theoretical and methodological lenses for exploring the productive pedagogical impacts of appropriating Social Media in an Information Systems course at a South African University. Lecturer‑student and peer‑based postings on Facebook were examined to understand the influence of Facebook adoption on student meaningful learning and pedagogical delivery. The findings suggest that Facebook constituted a collective “Third space” for student enactment of counter scripts, augmented traditional academic networking, fostered “safe” havens for student democratic expression, and afforded learning communities for student co‑construction of knowledge. Shortfalls identified include challenges of developing quality academic discussions and fostering student engagement at epistemological and conceptual levels to ensure deep learning. The study recommends a multi‑pronged strategy that foregrounds contingent relaxation of academic authority, on‑task student behavior, strategic alignment of powerful collaborative technologies with pedagogical designs, and learning needs and styles of students.
