Exploring Facebook (FB) as an Online Tutorial Complement in Distance Education

Abstract

Facebook (FB) has become the “communication portal” for social networking, which has rapidly transformed the way people communicate and stay connected. From an educational perspective, social networking sites have received ambiguous reviews. The authors explore FB use at an Asian distance university by ten domestic workers as students in an English course, as well as lecturer engagement with students in that course. Drawing on virtual ethnography and online qualitative interviews, this study relies on qualitative data that shows there are potential positive benefits to using FB for teaching and learning, particularly for the development of educational micro-communities. However, certain challenges need to be managed and are discussed.