Using "Facebook" as a Co-Learning Community in Higher Education
ARTICLE
Marta Cuesta, Monica Eklund, Ingegerd Rydin, Ann-Katrin Witt
Learning, Media and Technology Volume 41, Number 1, ISSN 1743-9884
Abstract
Students' cultural capital plays a major role in their success in higher education. In Sweden today, many students come from diverse cultural, social and educational backgrounds. Knowledge of requirements in academic systems differs widely. Some students feel insecure about how to interpret academic codes, thus weakening these students' opportunities for academic success. The major goal of this project was to lay the groundwork for a more equal educational system. Using social media, in this case conversations (e.g., chats) in a closed forum on Facebook monitored by a tutor, we aimed to improve student integration into academic culture. We differentiated two central themes related to student conversations on "Facebook": (1) "Access to academic habitus--cracking codes" and (2) "Emancipation by co-learning--extended academic codes." It was found that students participating in study groups created on "Facebook" learnt to better crack and extend the codes extant in university studies.
Citation
Cuesta, M., Eklund, M., Rydin, I. & Witt, A.K. (2016). Using "Facebook" as a Co-Learning Community in Higher Education. Learning, Media and Technology, 41(1), 55-72. Retrieved June 2, 2023 from https://www.learntechlib.org/p/175627/.

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