Using Facebook in HE teaching: a case study

1. 10 reasons why you should use
social media in your teaching…
Mark Feltham
@markfeltham666
Caroline Keep
@ka81
Liverpool John Moores University
3rd June
#melsigljmu
@melsigHEdW rks

2. The
challenge...
• Fundamentals of Science (Year long)
• Core Module (350 students) across 6 programmes
• Large amount of statistics (traditionally ‘dry’ subject)
• 9 o’clock Monday morning
• Students didn’t know each other
• They had a range of learning styles
• The old style of teaching wasn’t working for many
students

3. The trouble
with
taxonomies

4. Flexible
pedagogies,
creative
learning and
the ‘maker
ethos’

5. How it
works…
• Closed Facebook Groups
• Semester 1 (ALL – alternate SM and
traditional)
• Set Tasks (TASKPRODS) on Facebook
• Students post work to Facebook
• Feedback to Facebook
• Semester 2 (CHOICE)
• Didactic v Creative Projects via SM

6. Stats Guides: printed / interactive

7. Stats Guides: Video Guide

8. Data Collection: observational / data
logging

9. Data Collection: DIY experiments
The output
Result

10. Data Collection: Ornithopters

11. Data Collection: Rube Goldberg
Machines

12. #statsexpo
#doingstatisticsdifferently

13. 10 reasons why you should use
social media in your teaching…
HEdW rks

14. 1.
Everything
is in one
familiar
place
• 99% students are already
on it
• No need to learn the
quirks of a new platform

15. 2. It’s
quick and
easy to
use
• No separate login
• Uploading is easy
• Posting is easier still…
•…and instantaneous
• Mobile version is good

16. 3.
It’s a great
way for
students to
get to know
each other…
and you
• Breaks down barriers
• Builds rapport
• Sense of community
• Allows students to share
in the experience
• Promotes engagement

17. 4.
Setting
work is…
• Quick
• Easy
• …and you can be as
creative as you like
• So it’s fun!

18. 5.
It can cater
for a variety
of different
learning
styles
• How work is set
• How feedback is given
• How students
demonstrate their
learning
• Student centric

19. Student uploads (n=949):
46% were…

20. Uploads, posts and
comments

21. BUT 54% of uploads were images

22. Video Posts

23. The
importance
of choice
• Promotes ownership

24. 6.
It promotes
creativity
“I call this piece “Frequency Histogram with Guinea Pig”

25. 7.
Giving
feedback is
timely and
efficient
• Like, Comment, Msg
• Instantaneous (notifications)
• Targetted (‘Ask an ye shall
receive’…)

26. 7.
Feedback
• Round-ups and general
feedback
• Peer to peer

27. 8.
Students
can decide
when THEY
want to
work
• Students can nip in and out
as often or as little as they
like (pace)
• Can work when they want
to (jobs, childcare)
• Drip-drip… keeps module
ticking over (steady learning)
• Avoids the ‘punctuated
disequilibrium ‘of traditional
timetabling

28. Most work wasn’t done on lecture
day…

29. ..nor in Uni hours

30. Breakdown of 691 posts (24 hours)

31. 9.
It’s a great
way to
manage
group work
• Transparent
• Scrape posts
• Weight group marks
• Break off into subgroups

32. 95% of groups work like this…
May explain why only 33% students choose to work in groups!

33. 10.
It’s mobile…
think
BYOD4L

34. Almost half of all posts were
from mobile devices

35. So, what
did the
students
think?

36. Live Twitter Feed from the Student Stats EXPO

37. The students’ views
“With no limits or boundaries our imaginations went wild and loads of people
made machines (Rube Goldbergs) that went over entire rooms.
“A much more memorable way of learning statistics, because it was fun”
“Stats made so much more sense in the context of using actual data we had
collected.”
“I have thoroughly enjoyed this module as being able to carry out a project
has made learning and practicing statistics and SPSS so much easier”
“I have loved how it’s given more scope to take charge of my own work and
work under my own steam”

38. The students’ views
“I have really enjoyed it. It makes you more independent and also using
Facebook is a lot quicker with regards feedback.”
“It was awesome! Working in a group was fun as we were able to use each
other’s skills to our advantage.”
“I really enjoyed having the freedom to work on my stats in my own time...
the task set was more of a fun activity than an assignment! I feel I learned a
lot more than I would have done from lectures at 9am.”
“The Facebook module made life and the way the work needed completing a
lot easier! Relaxing, stress free and the future of university learning! “

39. 5 x rubber bands
A piece of string
Sticky tape
Scissors
2 x sheets of A4 paper
1 x sheet of graph paper
A small length of stiff black card
A piece of ‘Blutack’ (actually it’s ‘Whitetack’)
A 1p and 5p coin
A foam triangle
A piece of wire
3 x small coloured pencils
2 x cable ties

40. WORKSHOP
How to use
Social Media
to engage
your students
in creative
learning
PLEASE JOIN www.facebook.com/groups/MELSIGcreativelearningworkshop/
THANK YOU