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Staff-Student Facebook groups promote collaborative learning and formation of a cohort identity

Parson, Vanessa and Bain, Hannah (2021) Staff-Student Facebook groups promote collaborative learning and formation of a cohort identity. Journal of Social Media for Learning, 2 (1). pp. 40-54. ISSN 2633-7843

Item Type: Article

Abstract

Facebook has the potential to be used as an educational tool that supports the formation of a cohort
identity, improving engagement which can potentially positively impact on retention and
performance. An in-house initiative created staff-maintained Facebook groups for each cohort within
the Psychology suite of programmes, utilising staff engagement to add an additional learning resource
for students during the duration of their course. The groups were positively received by 99% of
students, showing that students immensely valued the additional learning resource available to them.
Thematic analysis revealed key positive themes sense of community and support, ease of
communication and the breaking down of barriers between staff and students; key negative themes
involved concern around the potential for students to miss out on a valuable resource. The staffmaintained Facebook groups achieved their aim of creating a socially-oriented learning space that
fostered a sense of community and cohort identity; the groups have been integrated into the permanent
provision within the School of Psychology. This type of initiative has the potential to improve
engagement, performance and retention in a world where blended learning is increasingly utilised

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More Information

Depositing User: Vanessa Parson

Identifiers

Item ID: 13619
ISSN: 2633-7843
URI: http://sure.sunderland.ac.uk/id/eprint/13619
Official URL: https://openjournals.ljmu.ac.uk/index.php/JSML/art...

Users with ORCIDS

Catalogue record

Date Deposited: 22 Jul 2021 13:44
Last Modified: 22 Jul 2021 13:45

Contributors

Author: Vanessa Parson
Author: Hannah Bain

University Divisions

Faculty of Health Sciences and Wellbeing > School of Psychology

Subjects

Education > Higher Education
Education > Learning Technology
Psychology > Psychology

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