Using Facebook Social Network to Enhance Interactive Communi-cation toward Supporting Learning in African Higher Institution

Abstract

Communication is paramount to education as a major technique to expand our awareness by learning new things from others. Apart from face to face and postal communication, one of the latest communication means is electronically mediated communication such as social networks that answers the need for students from dispersed environment to feel their peer existence even miles away. The students can participate at any time and post comments both in real time and asynchronously so that the discussion and learning can be sustained. The main aim of this paper is to develop and evaluate a prototype for the use of Facebook social networks in project-based learning. Methodologies used involve survey, and prototyping design of Facebook learning groups. Some prototype Facebook learning groups are developed. A survey is used to investigate the impact of the use of social networks on learning. The respondents are then also required to evaluate the prototype Facebook learning groups in order to establish the productivity advantages gained by South African institutions in using social network in distance learning and to see what improvements can be made.

Using Facebook to enhance student engagement in undergraduate sociology classes at Bangladeshi colleges

“…Using Facebook to improve student engagement Dehinbo (2016) identified social media in teaching with its wonderful power of communicating and engaging the learners. On the other hand, Junco (2012) found Facebook as a tool for creating favourable and interesting platform for the students providing them with the scope of engaging themselves for their success.…”