Integrating the Social Networking System as the Course Management ...

International Journal of Software Engineering and Its Applications Vol. 9, No. 12 (2015), pp. 155-164 http://dx.doi.org/10.14257/ijseia.2015.9.12.14

Integrating the Social Networking System as the Course Management Platform Kyeong-Ouk Jeong Hannam University [email protected] Abstract The development of ICT has made it possible to incorporate innovative technologies into various university courses in order to complement conventional curriculum and educational settings. With the help of advanced information and communication technology, anytime and anywhere principles have been realized in both learning and teaching. The aim of this study is to investigate the impact of using ICT, especially the social networking system, as a course management platform for more authentic and interactive university instruction. Among various social networking systems, Facebook is chosen because of its popularity and convenience for both teachers and students. This study depicts a case study of implementing Facebook group as the course management platform and then explains how the use of Facebook group can make English academic writing instruction become more genuine and interactive in Korean EFL university context. Keywords: e-learning, u-learning, ICT, Facebook group, social networking system, course management platform

1. Introduction With the support of innovative digital technologies, the educational paradigm has been shifting from traditional text-based learning to technology-based smart learning around the world. To meet the demands for technology-based smart learning, universities around the globe have accepted various learning management systems. Adopting innovative digital technologies and learning management system in the classroom has enriched student learning experiences and extended their learning opportunities beyond the classroom. Incorporating learning management platform (CMP) into university curriculum has changed the concept of the university campus from “bricks and mortar” to “clicks and mortar” concept [1]. Integrating this new paradigm in pedagogical strategies can bring about new challenges and opportunities to support instructional goals of universities and to promote interactive and cooperative learning experiences of students. Using ready-made diverse learning management platforms can support teachers’ course management efforts with various tools such as course productivity tools, course discussion tools, or students’ involvement tools. In addition, this can also motivate students to involve in the course activities more actively through increased interaction and cooperation with teachers and other peers. It is certain that the incorporation of various learning management systems have transformed the traditional instructional methods of text-based learning into more interactive and dynamic technology-based learning. However, the procedures for using the specific course management systems can be another burden to teachers because developing course materials and activities for uploading and posting on the course website can be both time and energy consuming. For the learners, they should visit the designated course website and should take the process of logging in and navigating for the course materials, updates, or discussions. Therefore, organizing and managing a course-

ISSN: 1738-9984 IJSEIA Copyright ⓒ 2015 SERSC

International Journal of Software Engineering and Its Applications Vol. 9, No. 12 (2015)

specific learning management system can be demanding tasks for both teachers and learners. To lessen the burdens of both teachers and learners in dealing with course management systems, the introduction of online social networking system (SNS) such as Facebook or Twitter can create new experience of collaboration and communication in learning and teaching. The use of SNS has helped more than a billion people around the globe to be connected and networked together by creating, collaborating, and sharing their collective knowledge and wisdom [2]. Among a variety of social networking systems, Facebook can serve as a popular course management platform that can facilitate learning activities at university [3]. Facebook ranked as 11th among top 100 tools for learning in 2013, which was piled up from the vote of over 500 experts in vocational learning and education from 48 countries around the world [4]. The reason for the popularity of Facebook is due to its easy and convenient process of classroom implementation. For classroom application, it is not arduous for university students to check and review course materials or activities because checking and reviewing Facebook has been already parts of daily routines for them [5]. Thus, using Facebook as a course management platform can reduce the inconvenience of posting and checking course materials and activities for both teachers and students, which has been frequently experienced when using a designated course management system. As social networking systems like Twitter or Facebook bring a sense of connectedness to a shared community and awareness of others, the utilization of these new technologies can offer additional impact on the process of English language teaching and learning. However, empirical evidence on the influence of these technologies to enhance language learning and teaching has not been yet well investigated. Most studies focus on the delivery of instructions or exchange of information rather than the capability of technology to promote meaningful learning experiences of language learners [6]. Rather than blindly following the state-of-the-art technological fad, researchers need to explore students’ perceptions regarding the utilization of technologies in the existing curriculum. Studies on students’ attitudes and perceptions may have vital implications for the successful application of ICT in education. In this respect, this study attempts to depict university students’ learning experience of academic English writing course in using Facebook group as a course management platform and then this study explains how the utilization of Facebook group as a course management platform can provide university students with authentic and interactive learning environment.

2. Related Research Thanks to the development of information and communication technology (ICT), teaching and learning practice has been no longer confined into classrooms and teachers are not the omnipotent to distribute knowledge in schools. As a result, innovative instructional methods have been applied in education with various coined terms such as elearning, u-learning, or m-learning. These new methods are utilizing ICT in learning and teaching through the use of the network and smart devices. These phenomenon has made it possible to teach and learn from anywhere at any time without any time or spatial constraints. Digital natives, born after 1980s, are defined to develop profoundly different learning styles and strategies compared to digital immigrants, born before 1980s [7]. According to this definition, most university students are categorized as digital natives through abundant exposure to innovative smart technologies from birth and therefore they have developed different cognitive and meta-cognitive learning experience and learning styles. Unlike digital immigrants who have been accustomed to receive information through textbased sources, digital natives prefer to receive information through multimodal sources such as sounds or images. Using smart devices equipped with innovative technologies has

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been important parts of their daily lives. They create and share their self-identities in the newly formed space such as social networking systems. Inevitably, there exist some gaps in perspectives between digital native university students and digital immigrant university instructors because students are often more adept in using technology than their instructors. To eliminate the gap, educators should focus on possible ways to incorporate new digital technologies that students are familiar with into existing school pedagogy and curriculum. Teachers should also try to familiarize themselves in using these new technologies [8]. The media-savvy students are ready to accept these technologies in their learning in university classrooms. In order to make digital native university students’ learning experience more meaningful and interactive, teachers need to keep striving for innovative ways of enhancing collaboration and interaction in their teaching practice through the active implementation of ICT in and out of the classrooms. Facebook is an online communication tool helping users create a public or private profile in order to make connections, share interests, and join groups [9]. Since the advent in 2004, Facebook has immediately become one of the most popular social networking systems and a lot of students at university level have been using Facebook on a daily basis [10]. Among many social networking systems, Facebook has been recognized as a respectable e-learning platform since there are a lot of features that can be used interactively in learning and teaching [11]. However, it is also true that Facebook has a limited role in supporting student academic achievement since the main motive for using Facebook is originally to engage in social interactions. For an instance, first-year university students spend about an hour a day in using Facebook, but the using time is mostly involved in social interaction while a few students get information from Facebook [12]. Therefore, teachers need to scrutinize ways to transform students’ sociocultural and interactional experience of using Facebook into academic learning opportunities. Social networking sites like Facebook can provide convergent space where multimodal interaction is evident like streaming videos and audios, tagging pictures, and posting digital writings [13]. Writing instructors should pay attention to this space because practically most of the writing activities of young generation today occur in these internetmediated social networking spaces. If teachers hope to support students in significant ways in developing English writing ability in EFL context, they should find ways of adopting integrated approach with the utilization of multimodal convergence in their writing instruction. Nowadays the paradigm of English education has been shifted toward the constructivist perspectives. Utilization of Facebook for university students’ academic purposes can help fulfill the current paradigm of English education, which emphasizes cooperation, social interaction, and creative self-reflection based on constructivism. With the integration of Facebook group, students can easily access instructional resources in diverse media and interact with teachers and peers through posting ideas and commenting on them. Beside the functions for posting, monitoring, and evaluating activities, Facebook group as learning management platform makes it possible to create online classrooms, warehouses of contents, collective and authentic knowledge, and mutual learning communities [14]. Using Facebook as the course management software program helps the course to become a more synergetic learning community because the teacher can act as a facilitator in the course while learners become the active producers of knowledge and information, not just passive consumers of knowledge [15].

3. Classroom Implementation The participants of this study were 19 students majoring in English education and they took “Advanced English Composition” course in the second semester of 2013 at a university located in the central part of Korea. The course was designed as a blended course to improve students' English academic writing skills and strategies. This course


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took integrated writing approach with diverse listening activities using various multimedia such as videos from YouTube or TED. In the first week of the semester, a Facebook group was established as the course management platform. Every student taking the course has already had Facebook accounts and experienced how to use the system to interact with others. As soon as all the enrolled students join Facebook group, the instructor decided to maintain the course as a closed group and made the group accessible only to the group members. This could keep the class in constant contact with the course contents and the students got notification if there were updates to the group schedule or activities. Every week, course materials such as vocabulary lists were posted on Facebook group by embedding links of Google document and students could access and download them for self-study at home. During a two-hour face-to-face in-class instruction, students took online quiz using their smart devices. The quiz was also posted on the spot on the Facebook group by embedding links of Google form. As soon as students submit answers for the quiz, Google form showed the quiz results using the tool of statistics and the teacher and the students could immediately check the quiz results and exchange feedback or comments. In the conventional academic writing course using papers and pencils, it took several processes for the students to get feedback to their writings from their teacher or peers. To make writing activities more authentic and interactive, listening and writing integrated approach was employed. In every class, the teacher posted short videos with 3 or 5 minute duration on the Facebook group by sharing links from TED or YouTube. The topics of the videos from TED or YouTube were motivating and informative. After watching the videos, students were required to write responses or comments in English on Facebook group or TED web site using their smart devices. Figure 1 shows one of the quick writing activities using Facebook group.

Figure 1. Facebook Group as CMP of the Course The purpose of the activities was to improve students’ quick writing skills and strategies under the proper time constraints. Beside face-to-face in-class hours, students were encouraged to take part in the online discussion beyond the classroom. At the end of the semester, an online survey via Google form and focus group interview were conducted to discover students’ learning experience toward their English writing course using Facebook group as the course management platform.

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4. Data Collection and Analysis To collect and analyze data for this paper, a few different methods were used. First, a questionnaire survey using Google form was conducted at the end of the semester. For quantitative analysis, statistics provided by Google form were utilized for the questionnaire results in order to examine how the students viewed their experience of using Facebook group as a learning management platform, how interactive Google online doc motivated their English writing practice, and how the use of Facebook group could contribute to improving interaction for the course. The course survey questionnaire consisted of 25 items. Eleven items of the questionnaire were open-ended questions and 14 items were five Likert-scales. The five Likert-scale question items of the questionnaire survey were analyzed by statistics automatically provided by a Google form. Second, descriptive data from open-ended questionnaire items were gathered and described to elicit the students' experience and perceptions about the advantages and disadvantages of using Facebook group and smart devices. In addition, for more in-depth analysis, descriptive data from open-ended questionnaire items embedded in the Facebook group were also added to enhance the portrayal of the authentic and interactive English writing experience of the students. Anonymous course survey via Google form was conducted online at the end of the semester, and the students were recommended to write their opinions or any suggestions freely to their experience of integrated writing approach, submitting their writing product via online document using Google doc., or taking online quiz using Google form embedded in Facebook group. The anonymity of the respondents was guaranteed for more candid opinions. The descriptive data for the qualitative analysis of this study were submitted in Korean or in English by students and then were transcribed into English by the instructor.

5. Discussion and Conclusion All of the students evaluated their experience in general of using Facebook group for the course management system in this semester as good or best. According to the survey results, students recognized that activities of writing comments or ideas on Facebook group or TED website were really convenient and motivating. Figure 2 shows students’ general experience of using Facebook group as the CMP.

Evaluate your experience in general of using Facebook group for the course management system in this semester. (With Figure 2)

Figure 2. General Experience of Using CMP Some students of the course responded regarding their opinions about general perception about using Facebook group as the course management platform: It makes the class roles smoother. Using Facebook group is highly recommended for instructors. (Data from open-ended survey questionnaire, 2013, 11) Using Facebook made our class time even more interesting. I also could learn new and fresh contents that were not included in a textbook by using Facebook. (Data from focus group interview, 2013, 11)


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Among the students, 90% of the students responded that they especially enjoyed the idea that they could share each other’s writing output through the course community. Since they received the prompt feedback from the teacher or peers as soon as they posted their writings on Facebook group, they could revise their writing on the spot using their smart devices. By using Facebook group, it was possible to offer more prompt and interactive feedback to students’ writing. Figure 3 shows students’ responses about course interaction using Facebook group.

Do you think that using Facebook group could contribute to improving interaction for this course? (With Figure 3)

Figure 3. Course Interaction through Facebook Group The Facebook function of giving comments on each other’s writing provides the course with the avenue to contact the students individually and to share ideas or thoughts openly with group members. Students responded regarding their experiences about classroom interaction using Facebook group: I could refer to other students' writing, so I could avoid some grammatical errors. (Data from open-ended survey questionnaire, 2013, 11) Thanks to its real time feature, I could easily share my ideas with classmates, and also it was so convenient to give and get feedback from friends or the professor. (Data from focus group interview, 2013, 11) It takes less time taking tests than the paper tests. It offers instant feedback and other students' responses, so I could recognize whether I am correct. I love releasing and sharing the students' answer. From that, I could know how other people think differently. (Data from open-ended survey questionnaire, 2013, 11) For the open-ended questionnaire item, students also responded that they could overcome their fear or negative attitudes toward writing in English and could develop understanding that English composition is not tedious and passive activities requiring time and energy but dynamic and interactive practices. A student of the course said: It is very beneficial that all of us shared our compositions, giving and receiving feedback altogether. Also, the experience of commenting on other websites gave me the confidence that I can express thoroughly what I want to say. I could also cultivate the ability to use some SNS systems. (Data from focus group interview, 2013, 11) Integrated wiring approach using diverse multimedia listening activity was also helpful for the students to improve their confidence and ability in writing. Figure 4 shows students’ responses about the improvement of their writing ability through the course.

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Do you think you could improve your writing ability through quick writing activities of this course? (With Figure 4)

Figure 4. Improvement of Writing Ability Students of the course responded regarding their opinions about how much their writing ability could improve: Listening to a variety of pedagogical thoughts and expressing my opinions about the videos are the best advantage. (Data from open-ended survey questionnaire, 2013, 11) It was amazing for me to see brilliant ideas of people from everywhere. (Data from open-ended survey questionnaire, 2013, 11) Among the respondents, only 5% of the students responded that they have ever had personal experience of using smart devices for studying English using audio or video. They usually use their smart devices for sending messages, listening to music, or surfing the net. At the same time, students have had little experience of using Facebook for educational purposes such as watching videos for studying English. Figure 5 shows students’ responses about their use of smart devices.

Figure 5. Students’ Use of Smart Devices They usually log in to Facebook using their smart devices for social and communication purposes. One of the respondents answered: I usually watch videos for entertaining or just surf on the Internet with my smart phone, but this class helped me realize that I could use my phone to study English effectively. (Data from open-ended survey questionnaire, 2013, 11) These results suggest that the teachers should scrutinize ways to transform students’ sociocultural and interactional experience of using smart devices or Facebook into academic learning opportunities. Meanwhile, some students also reported the


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inconvenient aspects of this new approach with Facebook or diverse multimedia using smart devices are as follows: •When I made some errors in my online writing, I felt shy and ashamed. •Like a disadvantage of Facebook, in that app drawer, there are many things tempting students to do other things with their smart phones other than studying. •Perhaps someone except me is likely to do other things (watching interesting videos, replying to other's post on news feed page...) during the class time. •Low battery, typing error and small screen size were sometimes sources of trouble. •I could not make comments back on the original comments. To summarize, integrating Facebook group as the course management platform throughout the course could help the university English writing course to be transformed into a more authentic, interactive and synergetic writing community. Students could engage in the authentic and meaningful language learning experience through the support and encouragement provided from the language learning community, with which they could share the common pedagogical goals and collective knowledge. Students could also have opportunities to improve their communicative confidence and learning motivation by recognizing the possibilities of social networking systems as the course management platform.

Acknowledgments This work was supported by the 2015 Hannam University Research Fund.

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Author Kyeong-Ouk Jeong received her B.A. in Foreign Language Education from Kyungpook National University, Korea and M.A. in Language and Literacy Education from The Pennsylvania State University, USA. She obtained her Ph.D. in English Education from Hannam University, Korea. She is currently an Assistant Professor in English Education Department at Graduate School of Education, Hannam University. Her main research interests include technologyenhanced language learning, smart learning, EFL pre-service teacher education, and cooperative learning.


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