Using the Facebook group as a learning management system: An exploratory study

Qiyun Wang, Huay Lit Woo, Choon Lang Quek, Yuqin Yang and Mei Liu, Using the Facebook group as a learning management system: An exploratory study, British Journal of Educational Technology, Vol 43, No 3, 2012, p.428–438, doi:10.1111/j.1467-8535.2011.01195.x

Abstract

Facebook is a popular social networking site. It, like many other new technologies, has potential for teaching and learning because of its unique built-in functions that offer pedagogical, social and technological affordances. In this study, the Facebook group was used as a learning management system (LMS) in two courses for putting up announcements, sharing resources, organizing weekly tutorials and conducting online discussions at a teacher education institute in Singapore. This study explores using the Facebook group as an LMS and the students’ perceptions of using it in their courses. Results showed that students were basically satisfied with the affordances of Facebook as the fundamental functions of an LMS could be easily implemented in the Facebook group. However, using the Facebook group as an LMS has certain limitations. It did not support other format files to be uploaded directly, and the discussion was not organized in a threaded structure. Also, the students did not feel safe and comfortable as their privacy might be revealed. Constraints of using the Facebook group as an LMS, implications for practice and limitations of this study are discussed. >