Exploring computer mediated communications in Facebook for an insight into enhancing uptake and usage in higher education for social, educational and institutional benefit
In the UK, technology enhanced learning is seen as a way of enhancing student engagement and collaboration. Recent literature suggests that some of the attempts to integrate social media into formal teaching in higher education (HE) have suffered from student privacy issues leading to low student participation. This thesis explored the use of Facebook in HE, discussed shortcomings in digital signal transmission affecting intersubjective accord and employed Goffman's embarrassment avoidance framework, communication privacy management and social penetration theories to model student behaviour on and offline to offer insights into the realities of student Facebook usage in HE. The research followed a pragmatist paradigm and focused upon Facebook usage in a post 1992 university, exploring student emotions and privacy boundaries. Facebook data recording and an online survey provided data from 22 students. Results from the sample indicated a preference for face to face teaching methods, similar levels of trustworthiness accorded to staff as they would for senior colleagues at work and that those who became embarrassed more easily shared fewer items on Facebook. When making a privacy boundary decision, the nature of the shared object had a greater influence than the personal network with which it was to be shared. The conclusion is that Facebook has limited potential at the front of the classroom, however private Facebook study groups can be a source of peer feedback and social support with the potential to increase individual learning outcomes, cohesion and interaction, directly and indirectly benefiting HE. This thesis suggests changes to HE social networking policies to encourage student participation in social media and that greater emphasis should be placed upon copresent methods of teaching.