Utilizing Social Media to Foster Communities of Practice in College Classrooms
Keywords:
communities of practice, technology, social media, university teaching practices, case study researchAbstract
Various pedagogical tools have been used by educators as they seek to build classroom communities that support learning. This mixed-methods case study examined the experiences of students who utilized a class Facebook group as a pedagogical tool in a face-to-face university undergraduate course. Students’ perceptions were gathered via an online survey and semi-structured interviews and revealed that the use of the class Facebook group enhanced the classroom community of practice. Analysis of the study results also revealed that course participants perceived the Facebook group contributed to their learning and positively affected their sense of community.
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