It has been a while since I wrote about Facebook and Distance Education. Judging from the statistics on the interest in that post, I thought it would be a good idea to share new perspectives on the subject.
It appears that Facebook use continues to evolve, joining other Web 2.0 technologies in the trend to integrate them in higher education. Let's consider the case for learning management systems that are now widely used to facilitate distance education. Some have reacted to the growing use of the Web by college students by providing a single sign-in capability for connecting students to both their academic and social endeavors. Some institutions have embraced this development by integrating their learning management systems with Facebook. For any number of reasons, others have taken a 'wait and see' stance. Perhaps, security and privacy reasons are still a major concern; perhaps they are hesitant to mix academic pursuits with what they perceive to be purely a social medium. While the levels of engagement may seem vastly disparate at each end of the technology spectrum, considerations to integrate new tools in education should not be dismissed merely on the basis of the original intent and focus of the medium. To do so may be irrational, if the medium also facilitates time on task and and other educational objectives. As routine, most students are used to juggling multiple unrelated tasks. For many, a key attraction to distance education is the flexibility to do just that, and they are capable of managing their multiple roles quite successfully.
On a different note, a number of colleges and universities are using Facebook to place their brand as a recruiting tool in an enviroment where young people congregate. The expectation is that their presence will be perceived positively, and therefore selected by potential applicants. In the face of economic hardships, coupled by competition for distance education students and others, this move is not only logical but also financially sensible. The more the exposure, the better. As for success stories using this strategy, stay tuned...
I also know that some truths remain the same. Just last week while talking with a college student, she expressed the 'horror' of finding that a much, much older relative had a Facebook account! While societal tendency appears to be leaning toward making Facebook all-inclusive on many levels, some young people (who don't contemplate ever becoming older) are yearning for the 'good old days' when Facebook was strictly their domain, with the sole purpose of promoting their own youthful online social connections.
