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1 Facebook As a Student Support Tool

Running Header: FACEBOOK AS A STUDENT SUPPORT TOOL

Facebook and Student Support Services: Enhancing Student Contributions to Online Classroom Conferencing

Yuvetta Cash University of Maryland University College

. 2 Facebook As a Student Support Tool

Abstract Distance education (DE) and E-Learning programs offer students the opportunity to enroll in education programs without the limitations of time and physical space. As a result, Distance education and E-Learning programs continue to be increasingly popular. At the same time, there is increased popularity in the use of Web 2.0 features such as the social networking site Facebook (Saeed, Yang, Sinnappan, 2009) The purpose of this research project is to present an argument for using Facebook as a student support service tool. By utilizing the Facebook group feature, students can create course specific study groups that can assist students in developing a greater sense of community and develop deeper connections with the course material. Students can in turn take the knowledge gained in the study groups and apply it to the formal classroom discussions, thereby increasing the quality of the contributions made by students, and the richness of the classroom discussions overall. The researcher provides recommendations for implementing a study group program and identifies the Master of Distance Education program at the University of Maryland University College as a candidate for a Facebook study group program.

. 3 Facebook As a Student Support Tool

Introduction E-Learning institutions and most of the students that they service have a common goal: the educational success of the student. One method used by teaching institutions to accomplish this goal is the development, facilitation and promotion of student support services; which are the programs, services and systems designed to support students throughout their entire educational program and to help student to achieve their educational goals (Brindley, Walti, Zawacki-Ritcher, 2008). Student support services are designed to address varying needs of students as well as to help students with many aspects of the learning programs. The support services offered to students are a pillar in the design and operation of successful teaching institutions (Brindley, Walti, Zawacki-Ritcher, 2008). In order to remain relevant and effective it is important that the student support services of E-learning programs evolve with the current trends in courses of study/careers, technology and student identity. Remaining relevant also applies to the types of services that are offered and the method in which the services are delivered. In today's world, social networking applications such as Facebook are common place; so much so that the creators of personal computers, smart phones and other personal electronic devices design these products with convenient, built-in social networking application, or apps. For this reason, it is important that the designers, managers and policy makers for E-Learning programs take notice of the growing popularity of Facebook, and consider the possibility of incorporating it's use into aspects of student support services.

. 4 Facebook As a Student Support Tool

The focus of this research project is to explore the use of the social networking application, Facebook, as a tool to support some students with making meaningful online conference discussion post. Facebook is an international Web based social networking system that allows users to interact with each other in several different ways, one of which is through a group feature. Facebook Groups are a space within Facebook that "provide a closed space for small groups of people to communicate about shared interests(Facebook, Web Services, 2010, para 1.)". The group feature of Facebook is a possible virtual venue for students to create course specific study groups for the purpose of discussing course content and course readings. The discussions and student-student interaction can result in students making deeper connections with the course content, and building a greater sense of learning community. This paper includes a literature review, analysis and recommendations for implementing a Facebook student study group program at a distance learning program such as the Master of Distance Education program at the University of Maryland University College. Literature Review Student Support Services Student support is the programs, services and systems designed to support students throughout their educational program and to help them to achieve their academic goals (Brindley, Walti, Zawacki-Ritcher, 2008). Student support services help teaching institutions to meet the academic related needs of the student, and to meet the mission goals of the teaching institution. In the their co-authored article entitled The Current Context of Learner Support

in Open, Distance and Online Learning: An Introduction, Brindley, J. E., Walti, C., & Zawacki-

. 5 Facebook As a Student Support Tool

Richter, O., provide a foundational definition of student support in the context of distance learning. The definition identifies the three core facets of student support services which are: tutoring and teaching, counseling and advising, and administrative services. Additionally, the authors provides background information on the evolution of distance learning programs in general and the relative evolution of student support services for distance learning programs. Yoni Ryan,(2008) provides supportive data for this research project in the article "Pushing the Boundaries with Online Learner Support". The basis of the article derives from Ryan's observation that "most online students need high levels of support in order to be successful and to minimize the rate of program dropout (Ryan, 2008, p. 125)". Ryan (2008) presents a strong argument for the benefits of student-student interaction and the correlation between student-student interaction and building knowledge of subject matter. Research suggest that schools should promote and reinforce to students the academic value of participating in student run "forums, bulletin boards, and FAQ pages" (Ryan, 2008, p. 131). As stated early, there are three core facets or components of student support services. Thorpe (2003) in the article "Rethinking Learner Support: the challenge of collaborative online learning", explains that the delivery and application of the core components of student services should vary based on the needs of the students, and the clearly defined goals of the program or department. Thorpe (2003) encourages the use of new technology systems and features to increase student support services but warns that technology alone does not equate to progress. Thorpe's research highlights the effectiveness and benefits of incorporating new technology within student support services.

. 6 Facebook As a Student Support Tool

Wozniah (2007) focuses on making connections between distance learning theory and the need to support students in asynchronous discussions, which are discussions that "take place over time and not in real time" (Wozniah, 2007, p. 209) , such as online classroom conferences. Wozniah (2007) highlights the "notions of interacting in a learning program" (Wozinah, 2007, p. 209) presented by Moore (1989) that says online interaction takes on one of three forms: learner-content, learner-instructor, and learner-learner (Wozniak, 2007). Wozniah (2007) makes a strong association between small group collaboration and the retention of and connections to course materials. Learning Communities and Collaborative Learning A learning community is a group of people with common education goals and interest who come together, physically or virtually, to share their ideas. (Blackman and Thimdeau, 2008) The members of online learning communities come together in various online locations including chat rooms, online classrooms, message boards and social networking platforms. For the E-Learning student, an online learning communities provides a place to connect with other students, discuss course material and learn from the experiences of others. Research in the field of distance education supports the positive effects of learning communities. Blackman and Thimdeau (2008) in a work entitled "Learning Communities" methodically define learning communities in general, as well as the definitions for "virtual learning communities" and "knowledge building communities" which are specific types of learning communities that are relative to this research project. According to Blackman and Thindeau (2008), are virtual learning community are learning communities that only exist in

. 7 Facebook As a Student Support Tool

virtual location and is facilitated through the use of computer-mediated communications. A knowledge building community focuses on developing, maintaining and furthering knowledge for a specific purpose (Blackman and Thindeau, 2008). The research identifies benefits for students of collaborative learning in online learning communities. The primary benefits are the conscious connection with others and the creative process that stems from student-student interaction (Blackman and Thindeau, 2008). The research also offers methods and techniques for developing and implementing learning communities as a tool for student support. Brindly, Walti, and Blascke (2009) discuss the pedagogical benefits and student motivation for online collaborative learning. The research suggest that a student's participation in classroom conference discussions are driven by motivation (such as assessments and grades) and the student's prior knowledge of how to effectively communicate in a collaborative environment. The information supports the concept of utilizing collaborative learning tools such as study groups, because the interaction and connections to course materials that are made in a study group can become a motivation to participate more effectively in the formal classroom area. Brindly, Walti, and Blascke (2009) also provide a list a pedagogical benefits of the collaborative learning environment which are the development of "critical thinking skills, cocreation of knowledge and skill, reflection and transformative knowledge" (Brindley, Walti, and Blaschke, 2009, p.2). Brindly, Walti and Blascke do not deal specific with the benefits of study groups or collaborative learning apart from the formal classroom, however, they do provide other information about how to improve the participation level in the classroom conference.

. 8 Facebook As a Student Support Tool

This information can be used in the planning and goal setting stage of implementing a Facebook study group program. Zehang (2008) focuses on training tutors and other E-Learning professionals to effectively lead and facilitate learning communities. The arguments presented by Zehang (2008), are based primary on distance learning (DL) policies and current practices regarding computer mediated communication (CMC). Zehang's research also provides suggested steps for engaging students within a learning community and key elements on structuring a learning community Academic Uses for Web 2.0 and Facebook Web 2.0 refers to internet features that provide the general public with the opportunity to create, edit and author material on the World Wide Web (Qiyun & Lit Woo, 2009). Web 2.0 applications include wikis, blogs, photo/document sharing sites, social networking and other such features (Qiyun & Lit Woo, 2009). One such feature is Facebook, a primarily free social networking site that provides registered users with a platform to interact with each others, in several ways. The design of Facebook allows users to engage in highly social interaction with others by engaging in synchronous (real time) and asynchronous (over time) dialogue, and by sharing documents, photos, videos, and hyperlinks to other websites. Some Web 2.0 features such as wiki, blogs, and document sharing sites have begun to be utilized be E-Learning instructors and E-Learning program professionals. Facebook will also prove to be a good addition to DL programs as a student support service tool.

. 9 Facebook As a Student Support Tool

Diaz (2010) provides a definition and brief description of the evolution of Web 2.0 features, and offers considerations for integrating Web 2.0 features into the formal infrastructure of an E-Learning programs. Diaz argues that although the features of Web 2.0 applications are good and can be helpful, improper use of the applications can have a negative impact on a learning program. Diaz (2010) offers a list of issues to consider before implementing a Web 2.0 feature into an education program. The list includes intellectual property issues, privacy, how data will be used, quality assurance, and implementation plans. The research pinpoints areas that require thorough investigation prior to moving forward with the implementation and incorporation of a Web 2.0 feature into an E-Learning program. Lim (2010) discusses statistical data regarding the use and design of Facebook and also reports the results of an experiment conducted to measure the frequency in which students participated in classroom discussions hosted on Facebook. The analysis demonstrated that students participated more frequently in the course discussion hosted on Facebook compared to the participation rate of the classroom conference discussion hosted within the learning management system. The research presents a strong argument for using Facebook to aid students with conference discussions. Madge, Meek, Wellens & Hooley (2009) reveal that with more research Facebook is a potentially good candidate for online higher education courses. Concerns, such as students using the study group for socializing more than course related interaction, were strongly stressed by the authors. The concerns were based on the high percentage of undergraduate students who use Facebook for social purposes and if they would be able to mentally and

. 10 Facebook As a Student Support Tool

practically separate the solely social personal purposes of Facebook from the a new academic purpose (Madge, Meek, Wellens, 2009). Qiyun and Lit Woo (2009) provides analysis about the educational uses of Web 2.0 features, including Facebook. The research indicates that the highly interactive features of Facebook provide a close resemblance to the social connections made in a face to face setting. (Quiyun and Lit Woo, 2009). According to Qiyun and Lit Woo (2009) "Facebook can help to maintain immediacy among students" (Quiyun and Lit Woo, p. 199). Qiyun and Lit Woo explain that the profile and group features of Facebook help to facilitate the immediacy of students (Qiyun and Lit Woo, 2009). The profile feature provides the type of personal information that students would share with each other such as their hometown, place of employment, hobbies and likes. The group feature is the virtual location where the student meetings would occur. Qiyun and Lit Woo (2009) report the results of a study of graduate level students who developed a Facebook group for the exclusive purpose of collaborative learning for a particular course. The graduate students were the only Facebook users who had access to the group and they were able to share ideas and documents and while interacting on a social level. The research reports that the experience for the student was highly effective.

. 11 Facebook As a Student Support Tool

Analysis The Problem A significant part of an online distance education course, specifically at the graduate level, is the classroom conferences discussions. The design and purpose of the online classroom conference is to simulate the classroom discussions that take place in face-to-face courses. These discussions provide students with an opportunity to interact with the instructional faculty (student-faculty interaction), interact with other students (student-student interaction), and to connect with the course material. The interactions and connections that occur during course discussions can aide students in deepening their understanding and developing reflective insight of the course material (Moore and Kearsley, 2005). Accordingly, there are key advantages associated with participating in the online conference discussions. For that reason many instructors encourage participation in the classroom conferences by factoring the students' participation into the course grade. There are some students who are able to successfully navigate the task of conference participation without the need for additional student support services, however, there are other students who can benefit from additional support in this area. For the students who require extra support, a creative student support tool can help them to master the conference discussion aspect of the course. It is important to state that there may be more than one reason why some students are unable to effectively participate in the online conference discussions such as; the course design, individual student learning style, poor written communication skills, lack of interest in the course subject material, poor time manage or

. 12 Facebook As a Student Support Tool

intimidation of the conference process. The proposed Facebook study groups would help to minimize intimidation for the conference process and promote a sense of learning community by providing students with a place to discuss the course material and interact with other students. Providing support to students who require extra support can help to increase their success within a given academic program, and increase their connection with other students in the program. Table 1 summarizes the focus points of this research project. Facebook and Student Support Services: Enhancing Student Contributions to Online Classroom Conferencing. THE PROBLEM Poor/Minimal participation by some students in online classroom conference discussions due to intimidation of the conference process. A SOLUTION A student support tool to help minimize intimidation of the conference process and promote learner community. THE RECOMMENDATION Optional Student Study Group hosted on the internet social networking site Facebook THE BENEFITS 1. Increase the success of some students within a given academic program 2. Increase student connections with other students within the academic program. Table 1 Research Project Focus Points

Methodology for Research The literature review provides the foundational information for this research project. The current literature offers information on the topics of: student support service, online classroom conferencing, collaborative learning and learning communities, and academic uses of Web 2.0 features/application, such as Facebook. Although there is sufficient literature to support this project, additional analysis beyond a basic literature review is necessary in order to

. 13 Facebook As a Student Support Tool

establish the validity of the research focus which is: Can student support for E-Learning classroom conferences be enhanced by using optional Facebook study groups? In addition to providing the foundational information for the research product, the literature review process lead to the development of the following sub - questions: What are the benefits of building a learning community? What is the current method of addressing the problem? Why use Facebook? Who should be allowed to participate in the study groups? What are policy and management issues of a Facebook study group? What are the cost associated with developing a Facebook study group project? Are there distance learning institutions who are currently using Facebook for academic purposes? What are recommendations for implementing Facebook study groups?

The methodology for this research project is a critical analysis of literature, resources, and case studies that address the sub-questions. The Importance of Learning Communities and Collaborative Learning A learning theory is composed of ideas and concepts that help to explain the why, how and circumstances under which people learn (Moore and Kearsley, 2005). Learning theories identify areas of lack in a learning/educational process and how to strengthen those areas. Learning theories are an important part of the educational process and should therefore be

. 14 Facebook As a Student Support Tool

considered in each aspect of an educational program. Learning theories also apply to the development and implementation of student support services for DE programs. The foundation of DE programs rests on the tenants of the Theory of Transactional Distance as defined by M. Moore (2005). Transactional Distance is " the gap of understanding and communication between the teachers and the learners caused by the geographical distance that must be bridged through distinctive procedures in the instructional design and the facilitation of interaction" (Moore and Kearsley, 2005, p. 223). The theory explains that in DE there is a great potential for students to develop deficits in understand due to the lack of physical proximity to the course instructor. The degree of the deficit or gap in understanding can vary based on different factors, but can none the less, have an effect of a student's ability to fully grasp the full concepts of the course subject material. In an attempt to minimize the effects of the transactional distance the theory of mandates that there must be a "bridging" (Moore and Kearsly, 2005, p. 223) between the student and instructor. One way to create a bridge is through a continuum of communication interactions over a period of time. Moore (2005) refers to this continuum of interaction as "dialogue" (Moore, 2005, p. 224). Dialogue is not exclusive to face-to-face or telephone communication, but rather refers to any ongoing exchange over a medium of communication. Moore (2005) suggests that the interaction happens in three distinct situations: "learnerteacher, learner- content, and learner-learner" (Moore and Kearsly, 2005, p. 225). Garrison (2005) builds on Moore's (2005) theory by offering additional modes to minimize transaction distance. Garrison (2005 )proposes that collaborative learning is a

. 15 Facebook As a Student Support Tool

method to significantly reduce transaction distance because "the dynamics of the virtual group creation a sense of socialization, affection, inclusion and solidarity which lead to successful social construction of knowledge" (Moore and Kearsly, 2005, p. 226). Constructionism and Connectivism are other theories that support the use of learning communities. "Constructionism" describes the process of gaining deeper understanding of a subject matter by learning from the ideas and experiences of others (Moodle Website, 2009, para 3). Connectivism, is a newer learning theory developed by Siemens that addresses the dynamic of learning in a group and being a part of a learning community. According to Siemens theory, "learning and knowledge rests in diversity of opinions" (Bell, 2011, p. 103). Study groups are a type of learning community; they are a common place for people to meet to discuss and gain additional and/or deeper knowledge about a particular subject matter. Learning theories support the use and effectiveness of learning communities. Current Methods to Encourage Classroom Conference Participation and Collaborative Learning A primary focus of student support services for DL programs is to provide students with techniques to help them successfully navigate and complete online courses. Although most DE programs provide quality student support services, some students would benefit from additional support in the area of classroom conference posting. There are currently two primary methods of supporting and motivating students in this area; they are guidance from the instructor, and conference feedback from the instructor and/or teaching support staff.

. 16 Facebook As a Student Support Tool

In addition to providing instruction in the course subject matter and material, and helping students to develop meaningful connections with the course content, the role of the online course instructor includes providing students with a clear expectation of the course requirements. An instructor or teaching assistant must be able to provide some level of guidance to students about the benefits and processes of active participation in the online classroom conference discussion. According to Starr-Glass (N.D.), an effective approach to developing a sense of community within the conference area is for the teaching staff to practice "instructor authenticity" which Star-Glass (N.D.) describes as the instructor offering and promoting an online classroom environment that includes that following components "genuineness, authenticity, encouraging authenticity in others, and leading a critical life" (StarrGlass, N.D., p. 6-7). The level of support that students receive for classroom conferencing can vary in degree by course, and by instructor. Some instructors provide detailed instructions, that include the expected level of participation, how times a week each student should make post, the elements that should be included in each post and how and/when to interact with other students by responding to post made by others. Other instructors provide support by simply stating in the course syllabus that students are expected to participate in the online class discussions and highlighting the grading rubric that is associated with the level of participation that the student provides. This type of guidance, at either end of the spectrum, supports students by providing a clear understanding of what is expected of them. Instructor feedback in the classroom conference discussions is another method of providing support to students. The comments that the instructor provides helps students to

. 17 Facebook As a Student Support Tool

develop deeper meaning of the course material, make meaningful and reflective connections with the material and to build an appropriate connection with the instructor. The support that the instructor offers is meaningful and beneficial to the students. For some students this level of support is sufficient. However, there remain students who can benefit from student-student interaction around the subject material but apart from the formal classroom area. Student-student interaction, according to the Constructionism theory causes students to learn from the ideas and perspectives of their peers, which leads to a better understanding of the course material. The development of optional student study groups would benefit the students who need this extra level support and would be a supplement to the support methods that are already in place. The discussions that take place in the study groups can help students to make deeper connections with the learning community, and the course readings and material; thus resulting in the student preparedness to make rich contributions to the formal classroom discussion. Advantages of Using the "Facebook Group Feature" for Online Study Groups Facebook is a Web 2.0 social networking site that provides registered users with a platform to interact with one another. Facebook is readily available to wide range of students in many countries because it is a website on the World Wide Web. Access to the sight and membership is open to anyone who meets the legal requirements of 13 years of age (Facebook Web Service, 2011, para 1). The process for establishing an account includes creating a user name and password, and building a user profile. Once the user builds a profile, he/she can begin interacting with other Facebook users. Users can also participate in group activities within the Facebook system.

. 18 Facebook As a Student Support Tool

The objective of this research project is to establish the advantages of using the Facebook group feature as the location for online study groups for students who are currently registered in a given online course. The advantages of using Facebook are that it provides an environment that: can be highly interactive and social, offers both synchronous and asynchronous communication, can be exclusive to the students in a given course, and is accessible in many parts of the world. The early discussion on learning communities established the educational and academic benefits of these environment traits. The group feature within Facebook allows registered Facebook users to establish an exclusive venue to interact with one another. The group features is highly customizable. It grants several options and permits the members of the group to select: the name and purpose of the group; a group privacy level ranging from public, to secret; and how group members are added and excluded to and from the group ( Facebook Web Services, 2011, para 2). Group members are able to post documents, photos and other information to be shared with the other group members. Figure 1 illustrates a Facebook Group page.

. 19 Facebook As a Student Support Tool

Figure 1 Facebook Group Page The nature of Facebook is highly social and interactive and this extends to the group feature. The social aspects of Facebook groups can provide study group members with the opportunity "to get to know" the members of the study group just as they would in a face- toface study group setting. In addition to discussing course material, group members can share in social exchanges that promote a sense of community and inclusion, both of which can help to establish "immediacy and psychological closeness, which can sometimes be lost or limited in online learning environments" (Qiyun & Huay, 2009, p. 199). Group members can participate in synchronous communication through a chat feature, and asynchronous communication by posting and replying to messages addressed to the entire group.

. 20 Facebook As a Student Support Tool

The process for developing a study group begins with the creation of the Facebook group. Unlike a personal Facebook page that is maintained by individuals, the group feature allows the group page administrator to limit access to the group page and its contents to only members of the group. In order to join the a Facebook group, a student must first be a registered user of Facebook. Registered users can request to join the group or be invited to join the group by other group members or the group administrator. Once a student is a part of the group they are able to interact with other group members. The asynchronous communication, which is communication exchanges that are delayed over time, allows students to participate in the group discussions only when they are able to do so. There is no limit to the length and duration of the discussions that take place in the group. The contents of group discussions are available to all group members. . Due to the easy access, the customizable group features, the communication options within the group and the cost effectiveness, Facebook is a strong option for hosting course study groups. Study Groups Member The design of the study group is to provide students with a collaborative workspace to share ideas about the course work so that they can in turn use the knowledge that has been developed in the study groups to aid them in making meaning contributions to the formal classroom conference discussion. To ensure maximum effectiveness of the Facebook study groups, participation should have some guidelines. The purpose of the guidelines is to safeguard that the objective of the study group, which is to offer student support by providing a venue for peer interaction and discussion around the subject matter of a particular course

. 21 Facebook As a Student Support Tool

while building a sense of inclusion and community. Guideline enforcement can be as simple as posting the purpose for the group and asking the group members to agree to adhere to them. Madge, Meek, Wellens & Hooley (2009) support the idea of implementing guidelines as a means to support the intended purpose of the study group. Membership of the study groups should be limited to current students of a given course. Current students in a course can join a group at the beginning of a semester and interact with their classmates within the study group during the duration of the course. Instructional staff should not be required to participate in student study groups. Although the instructional staff are an essential part of the learning community, their participation does not support to the objective of the study group of providing student-student interaction. Policy and Management Issues of the Facebook Study Groups. Implementing and promoting a Facebook study group program requires an analysis and development of policy and management procedures. Policy issues that should be considered are intellectual property, proper copyright procedures of material shared in the study groups, group monitoring, and student honor code. Putting policy and management procedures in place will help to ensure the success of a study group. The primary concern in a student study group is the handling of intellectual property and copyright procedures for any shared third party resources. The term intellectual property is used to describe mental, non-tangible creative works, such as literature, academic work, art, and music that are created by an individual (Kelly and Bonner, 2006). Third party resources, in this instances, refers to literature in which the author is not a member of the study group.

. 22 Facebook As a Student Support Tool

Students who participate in the study group should have access to written policy and code of conduct that clearly establishes recommended guidelines for the study groups. The following statement, which was written for the purpose of this research project, provides a concept for a study group policy that can be posted for students. In addition to reinforcing the intended purpose of the study group, the policy is also designed to protect the teaching and administrative staff of the academic program and to serve as a disclosure to students. Sample Student Study Group Policy. The objective of the Facebook Study group program is to offer student support by providing a venue for peer interaction and discussion around the subject matter of a particular course while building a sense of inclusion and community. The use of Facebook study groups is optional and is designed to help students make valuable and reflective contributions to the formal classroom discussion by first developing meaning knowledge through the benefits of a learning community. The discussions that take place in the study groups are not a part of the formal online classroom setting. Therefore no record of study group discussions will be maintained by faculty/staff members of the MDE program or UMUC. Students are encouraged to view the discussions that take place in the study groups as "conversations with peers" in which the content of the discussions become common to the group. The faculty and staff of the MDE program and UMUC do not take any responsibility shared information within the group, nor will the faculty and staff mediate any events that take place within the study groups. Students are encourage to extend to their fellow study group members that same courtesies that are legislated by the UMUC Student Code of Conduct and that are applicable in the formal classroom.

. 23 Facebook As a Student Support Tool

Examples of DE Institutions Using Facebook for Academic Purposes Research in the field of DE has shown that students benefit from peer interaction. As a result, many teaching institutions are providing opportunities for students to engage in collaborative learning. The growing popularity of Web 2.0 features such as Facebook has resulted in some teaching institutions to implement its use in their teaching programs. In 2008 the College of Education at North Carolina State University engaged in a trial usage of a social networking program (Brady, 2010). The social networking program was introduced to students as a part of the formal online course in an effort to increase the level of the students' interaction with each other and the coursework (Brandy, 2010). At the end of the course students were asked to complete a survey about their experience with the incorporation of the social networking program into course work. The survey asked students to rate their experience with the social networking site. The survey revealed that using the social networking did increase the level of student interaction in the online classroom (Brandy, 2010). Another example of using Facebook in an academic setting is offered by a group of Master's students who developed a study group using the Facebook group feature (Qiyun & Lit Woo, 2009). The group of five students met once a week for 13 weeks to discuss course material and to work on collaborative assignments. At the end of the semester each of the five student reported that using Facebook as a platform for a study group was advantageous and effective.

. 24 Facebook As a Student Support Tool

Recommendation for MDE Facebook Study Group Program The current literature, and research make a strong argument that Facebook can provide quality support to students and help to develop a sense of community. The group feature of Facebook is a good venue for students to establish study groups and engage in collaborative learning. The knowledge gained during the study group sessions can aid students with making more meaningful contributions to the formal classroom discussions. Implementing a Facebook study group program is a innovative approach for education programs to: assist students to develop a deeper understanding of the course material, support students in developing and benefiting from a greater sense of community, and to incorporated relevant technology into the academic program. The MDE program at UMUC requires students to work collaboratively, and to make consistent contributions to the classroom discussions. The discussion are a vital part of the MDE courses, so much so that classroom participation usually weights between 10-20% of the overall grade in the course. For these reasons the MDE program is a good candidate for a study group program. The same success with Facebook that occurred at the College of Education at North Carolina State University (Brady, 2010) and with the graduate students discussed in the research of Qiyun & Lit Woo (2009) is likely for the MDE program at UMUC. for implementation are listed below. Staff. The development of position descriptions and appointing staff members is the primary aspect of the implementation plan. In general, the staff for the study group project would be Considerations

. 25 Facebook As a Student Support Tool

responsible for establishing clear policy for the program and ensuring that the policy is communicated to teaching staff and students. The staff would also be responsible for marketing/promoting the program and for conducting cost analysis. The staffing for this program can consist of current faculty/staff. Another, and more ideal staffing option is to create intern positions specifically to manage the study group program. Cost Assessment. There is little to no external cost associated with the study group project because Facebook is a no cost site. Therefore the cost for the program is primarily staff related, that is, if a paid staff or faculty member would be involved. Time and the number of billable hour for staff/faculty is the primary budget item and can be determined by the details of the position description. The use of an unpaid intern eliminates most of the budget requirements

Conclusion Student support services are a pillar of distance education programs and aim at helping students to reach their educational goals. Although the purposes of the services many not change very much, the delivery method of student support services need to change in response to the changes in education trends and student demographic. Current literature and research in the areas of student support services for DE programs, learning communities and collaborative learning and academic uses for Web 2.0 features and Facebook all establish the benefits that Facebook can provide to students enrolled in online courses. Using Facebook as a

. 26 Facebook As a Student Support Tool

student support tool provides students with a service option that is both technologically relevant and academically beneficial. Students participation in a study group can help the student to reap the benefits of being a part of a learning community. Introducing Facebook based study groups into a program such as the MDE program at UMUC will be advantageous for the students individually and collectively. The knowledge gained from the study group experience can be transferred to the formal classroom discussions producing a richer conference experience. In addition to the benefits that the program can offer students, a Facebook study group program can be advantages to the MDE program by providing internship opportunities to current student or alumni. A Facebook study group would be a valuable addition to an online education program.

. 27 Facebook As a Student Support Tool

Resources
Bell, F. (2011). Connectivism: Its Place in Theory-Informed Research and Innovation in TechnologyEnabled Learning. International Review of Research in Open & Distance Learning, 12(3), 98-118.

Blackmun, E.V, & Thibodeau, P.P. (2008). Learning Communities. In Brindley, J. E., Walti, C., & Zawacki-Richter, O. (Eds.), Learner Support in Open, Distance and Online Learning Environments (pp. 145-156). Oldenburg: Carl von Ossietzky University. Brady, K. P., Holcomb, L. B., & Smith, B. V. (2010). The Use of Alternative Social Networking Sites in Higher Educational Settings: A Case Study of the E-Learning Benefits of Ning in Education. Journal of Interactive Online Learning, 9(2), 151-170. Retrieved from EBSCOhost. Brindley, J. E., Walti, C., & Blaschke, L. M. (2009). Creating Effective Collaborative Learning Groups in an Online Environment. International Review of Research in Open & Distance Learning, 10(3), 1-18. Retrieved from EBSCOhost. Brindley, J. E., Walti, C., & Zawacki-Richter, O. (2008). The Current Context of Learner Support in Open, Distance and Online Learning: An Introduction. In Brindley, J. E., Walti, C., & Zawacki-Richter, O. (Eds.), Learner Support in Open, Distance and Online Learning

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. 28 Facebook As a Student Support Tool

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