Facebook in the classroom?

New application acts to aid in education

March 4, 2009
By Luke Runyon
Staff writer

Images from www.facebook.com and www.zdnet.com

Walking through the library, one would most likely see the trademark blue layout of social networking website Facebook on a majority of computers. However, as more schools adapt Facebook to suit their needs, students may find their time on the site being more productive than usual.

Facebook, created by Mark Zuckerberg in 2004, has currently more than 175 million users worldwide and, as of 2007, has allowed users to create applications for the website.

While many professors may criticize Facebook for taking students away from their studies, administrators and academics at some universities have seen the potential in Facebook being used as an educational tool. The vast potential for group work, collaboration, and discussion has been cited as a great strength for Facebook.

Abilene Christian University in Abilene, Texas is making its name known as a trailblazer on the issue of Facebook in higher education. While the university has been studying the effects of social networking on college students, its new foray into technology is the adoption of a new Facebook application simply called “Schools”.

Developed by Inigral, Inc., “Schools” looks to aid with campus issues such as marketing, retention, and creating a more cohesive campus. Set up for use at both large and small institutions, the application uses information given to it by the university to set up pages for each course in which a student is enrolled and every student organization on campus.

These new pages set up by “Schools” would allow students to contact classmates and professors about assignments or lectures. Students would also be able to turn in assignments via Facebook and professors could hold discussions and post grades on the course’s page. These new uses of the social networking site virtually render many of Blackboard’s features inert.

Munindra Khaund, a coordinator for Information Technology Services at UIS, says that many professors at UIS are not extremely fond of Blackboard.
“They find it very restrictive and gated,” said Khaund.
He went on to explain how other professors are being turned on to the openness of Facebook and the array of educational applications it has to offer.

Inigral’s website claims that its features result in “an active campus both on and offline.” The website also states that the application “keeps students in touch with classmates and gives a sense of belonging.”

The benefits are not only limited to current students. Inigral feels confident that their application can be used to reel in prospective students as well. It allows new students to look up future classmates and converse with existing students at the university.

Also important is its ability to maintain contact with alumni. “Schools” is a way to keep tabs on alumni and foster alumni relations.

With Facebook being a gateway into the life of another human being, issues of privacy have been raised within the discussion of whether it should be used in higher education. While “Schools” maintains that it is a private application only available to student, faculty, and staff of the subscribing university, other professors have taken it upon themselves to create their own course pages on Facebook.

Khaund explained that professors are realizing that social networking sites have a great impact on the views of students.
“Professors are finding out that '[Facebook] is where my students are hanging out,' and [they] want to be there too,” said Khaund.

However, it becomes a tricky balancing act when professors want to keep their personal information on their Facebook account used for professional purposes. Cited by Khaund was a Dartmouth professor who criticized fellow faculty members on her Facebook page only to be read by a student in one of her classes.

While some UIS professors have Facebook accounts, their usage of the site is not exactly the most efficient.

“There are some using it, but for the most part there is so much more that we could be doing,” said Khaund.