Facebook and Distance Education

In my previous posts, I did not address the issue of Facebook use in distance education directly. It has become evident in my review of the limited literature currently available, that Facebook is not yet the technology of choice in (higher) education.

In considering the place of Facebook in distance education, a few questions come to mind:

1. Does Facebook fill a gap in terms of new features currently lacking in the delivery of content and communication with learners in distance education?

2. As a social playground for college students, would the use of Facebook enhance or diminish the image of a distance education program?

3. What would Facebook offer over and above the current technologies already in place for distance education?

4. Would the 'language of Facebook' naturally spill over into academic rhetoric?

When institutions of higher education are promoting "one-stop services" for their distance education programs, they do not appear (at the moment) overly eager to bring a tool like Facebook in the neatly bundled services currently available through their course management systems (CMSs) such as Angel or Blackboard. Higher education is not yet ready to surrender the shackles of CMSs where students' minds are (theoretically) more attuned and receptive to learning. However, other social networking tools (e.g. blogs, wikis, and podcasts) appear to be more readily adopted in distance education than Facebook. Note that integration rather than replacement of CMSs is the only role that these tools are currently suited for.

Facebook clearly provides a social outlet for college students, a fact backed by the large membership among this peer group. Socializing, however its unintended outcomes, is part and parcel of education of the whole person. Facebook has its place in that sense, but there seems to be a lack of any compelling reason to significantly integrate it into distance education. Students could use it as a secondary information exchange outlet in a cooperative learning mode with classmates that they have invited in their space, to complete group projects, for example. The services offered through Facebook (e.g. chatting, meeting new classmates, arranging for social/academic meetings) can well be attained using the current technologies in CMSs without the risk of security breaches and other legal matters pervasive in social networking websites.

It is possible that current perceptions about Facebook use in distance education could change overnight based on new developments in Facebook, technology integration, and a shift in thinking among distance education administrators about the role of this technology in promoting learning (e.g. time on task) within the envronment that some students spend a significant amount of time.