Welcome

Social Learning Space Supporting students articulating from FE to HE by utilising social media technology By Dawn Carmichael Abertay University

Introduction Social Learning Space (SLS) Tayside and Fife Articulation Hub funded Innovative browser based web apps Informed by Social Networking design patterns School of Engineering, Computing & Applied Mathematics students

Rationale Students from Further Education to Higher Education challenges: –Social contacts (networks) –Background information (culture) –Mismatched subject knowledge & skills (subject) SLS Project seeks to address all three

Nature of project Five web applications including ‘FB Group App’ The project: –Doesn’t seek to promote (or measure) academic achievement –Does seek to promote social connections and social learning FB app evaluated by: –Questionnaires, Interviews –Computer logged data

Project Resources

Project Resources – the app

Social Networks Isolation a reason for non-progression Social Networks – social presence & communication Social Networking software: –Sharing opinions and promoting reflection –Promote sense of academic community Facebook – 85%-99% student use Increasing academic interest

Facebook pros & cons Pros –Promote digital literacy –Social presence –Promote reflection –Promote social capital Cons –Student privacy concerns –Time wasting

Academic Facebook Student preference for communication over and VLEs High levels of Facebook checking > low engagement Commenting on content > high engagement Facebook groups – questioning, collaboration and feedback

Results – interviews with articulating students Facebook checked for communication more often that Facebook not preferred overall to VLEs Privacy demarcation between ‘groups’ and profiles Facebook group app – –Helped with integration –Preferred to other SLS apps

Results ‘FB Group App’ – Survey of articulating students Academic community Tutor Participation

Results ‘FB Group App’ – Survey of articulating students Correlation between engagement and participation in using the app No evidence of a causal relationship Social capital & the app – an average of 36 more friends

Social Network Analysis & the App Before and after using the app –Degree significant increase –Betweeness significant increase –Eigenvector value no significant increase Increases may have occurred anyway Future study into dynamic measures of social capital

Results – Social Network Analysis Tutor high betweeness > connectedness Provides connectivity for the graph

Conclusions The Facebook group app with ‘social tools’ promoted –Academic community –Social capital Tutor participation is important Preserve student privacy by demarcation Using social networks means meeting students where they are

Q & A Further information