six points for six posts: the use of facebook to compliment the mass lecture
DESCRIPTION
Facebook has become a growing interest among communication scholars, especially in the focus of instruction. Literature has demonstrated mixed findings regarding the influence of Facebook on learning outcomes. The current study retroactively observed course-specific Facebook usage of 321 undergraduates at a large Mid-Atlantic University enrolled in a basic mass communication course, looking at how usage (or non-usage) influenced cognitive learning, affect towards the instructor and course, and student support. Results suggest that using a course-related Facebook group significantly enhances cognitive and affective learning outcomes by providing students with a persistent classroom to engage each other as well as course material. Citation: Bowman, N. D., Bryand, M., & Carr, L. M. (2012, November). Six points for six posts: Cognitive and affective learning benefits of using Facebook to supplement the mass lecture in an undergraduate curriculum. Paper to be presented at the Annual Meeting of the National Communication Association, Orlando, FL.TRANSCRIPT
WEST VIRGINIA UNIVERSITYDEPARTMENT OF COMMUNICATION STUDIES
SIX POINTS FOR SIX POSTS:THE USE OF FACEBOOK TO COMPLIMENT THE MASS LECTURENicholas David Bowman, Ph.D.Meagan Bryand, M.A.Lindsey Carr, B. A.
WEST VIRGINIA UNIVERSITYDEPARTMENT OF COMMUNICATION STUDIES
PREMISE• Mass lectures are an
historical and integral part of University experience…
• …that often leave students disengaged and disenfranchised
WEST VIRGINIA UNIVERSITYDEPARTMENT OF COMMUNICATION STUDIES
PREMISE
• Common complaints:– Lack of cognitive engagement – Lack of attendance– Lack of P2P connectedness
WEST VIRGINIA UNIVERSITYDEPARTMENT OF COMMUNICATION STUDIES
PREMISES
• facebook might address these by providing a persistent classroom
• a ‘ready space’ for engagement and relationships
WEST VIRGINIA UNIVERSITYDEPARTMENT OF COMMUNICATION STUDIES
RESEARCH QUESTIONS
• How does student membership in a course-related Facebook group affect:– RQ1: students’ cognitive learning?– RQ2: students’ class attendance?– RQ3: student-to-student connectedness?
WEST VIRGINIA UNIVERSITYDEPARTMENT OF COMMUNICATION STUDIES
METHOD
Sample• N = 321 students (195 male,
126 female) in an introductory mass media course
• Voluntary enrollment in supplemental facebook page
• Page started Day 1 to present, all students invited
Facebook Usage• 46% joined (n = 148)• Avg. of 6.88 posts (SD =
9.50, skew = 4.09); 1.88 responses per post
• Heavy positive skewed, suggesting a few ‘super-posters’ with many lurkers
WEST VIRGINIA UNIVERSITYDEPARTMENT OF COMMUNICATION STUDIES
RESULTS - USAGE Exam
ReviewAdmin Class-
Related Links
Peer Support
Humor Affect Unrelated Links
Instructor Support
Random
# posts 201 119 61 17 16 15 13 8 27
Avg # comments per post
3.60 2.47 1.46 3.41 2.74 .292 .288 .375 1.64
# posts initiated by Instructor
64 60 39 0 3 1 5 8 13
Avg # of comments per post
3.66 1.22 .923 0 4.33 0 0 .375 2.92
# posts initiated by students
137 59 22 17 13 14 8 0 14
Avg # of comments per post
3.54 3.71 2.00 3.41 1.15 4.39 3.75 0 .357
WEST VIRGINIA UNIVERSITYDEPARTMENT OF COMMUNICATION STUDIES
RESULTS – RQ1
• Attendance (assignments) – In-group: (M = 5.23, SD = 1.79)– Out-group: (M = 4.43, SD = 2.07)– t(319) = -3.69, p < .001
• No correlation between number of posts and attendance (r = .124, p = .144)
WEST VIRGINIA UNIVERSITYDEPARTMENT OF COMMUNICATION STUDIES
RESULTS – RQ2
• Cognitive learning– In-group: (M = 78.55%, SD = 8.54) – Out-group: (M = 72.64%, SD = 13.60)– t(319) = -4.71, p < 001.
• “No” correlation between number of posts and learning (r = .158, p = .061)
WEST VIRGINIA UNIVERSITYDEPARTMENT OF COMMUNICATION STUDIES
DISCUSSION
• Students engaging class online scored higher on their exams– Increased contact with content– Increased contact with each other
• A ‘double-dose’ of (persistent) content, from multiple perspectives
WEST VIRGINIA UNIVERSITYDEPARTMENT OF COMMUNICATION STUDIES
LIMITATIONS
• Quasi-experimental design does not account for self-selection
• Blunt measurement of cognitive learning qua memory recall (exam grades)
WEST VIRGINIA UNIVERSITYDEPARTMENT OF COMMUNICATION STUDIES
FOR MORE INFORMATION PLEASE CONTACT: Nicholas David Bowman, [email protected]@bowmanspartan