Title: Using Facebook to supplement instruction in online and hybrid courses

Authors: Ashley A. Hall; Julie A. Delello; Rochell R. McWhorter

Addresses: Department of Human Resource Development, The University of Texas at Tyler, 3900 University Blvd. Tyler, TX 75799, USA ' School of Education, The University of Texas at Tyler, 3900 University Blvd., Tyler, TX 75799, USA ' Department of Human Resource Development, The University of Texas at Tyler, 3900 University Blvd., Tyler, TX 75799, USA

Abstract: With the growing pervasiveness of social media use among college students, instructors are considering how to incorporate social media elements into their courses. For online and hybrid courses where face-to-face interaction is limited or lacking, social media has the ability to develop virtual communities of practice and involve students with each other, with the content, and with their instructor in a digital space. This study investigated students' perceptions of using a closed Facebook group to supplement instruction in online and hybrid courses in the business and education disciplines. As a result of the cross-case analysis, a better understanding of how Facebook enhanced the students' course learning experience was gained and suggestions for future Facebook group pages were generated.

Keywords: social media; Facebook group; online class; hybrid class; distance education.

DOI: 10.1504/IJIL.2017.085250

International Journal of Innovation and Learning, 2017 Vol.22 No.1, pp.87 - 104

Received: 18 Sep 2015
Accepted: 11 Jan 2016
Published online: 19 Jul 2017 *

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