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Evaluation of Facebook© to create an online learning community in an undergraduate animal science class

There has been widespread comment on the use and impact of Web 2.0 technologies in education. Given the use of such technologies, particularly social networking sites such as Facebook amongst the student body, it would be remiss of educators to not consider their use as part of a pedagogical strategy. This paper provides a preliminary investigation into the success of Facebook as a tool for formation of an online learning community amongst a group of undergraduate science students. A quantitative examination of participant numbers and traffic on the site was undertaken. In order to determine functionality of the group, a semi-qualitative examination of category of response posting was also performed. It was concluded that Facebook is a promising tool to establish an online educational community under the conditions imposed in our study. The main benefits are in establishment of affective communication, social support, and a problem-solving strategy.