Social Networking and Learning in Higher Education

Written by Dr Adam Bostock & Charles Davis

Authors:  Dr Adam Bostock and Charles Davis

Email:       A.Bostock@derby.ac.uk / C .davis@derby.ac.uk                      

Biographies

Dr Bostock studied physics then started a career in IT and software development (in
telecommunications and factory automation).  He worked as a consultant in road transport
technologies and maintained enough stamina to study part-time for a PhD in road traffic
emissions.  This was followed by a launch into the academic world as the Information Manager
of one of the UK’s leading colleges.  Dr Bostock then set up his own consultancy business,
which covered Internet based topics, e-learning and the environment – with an emphasis on
innovation.  He later joined the university as an e-learning developer, which has involved the
development of web based educational materials and online systems.  He gained a staff
excellence award for the development of the university’s Online Application System.

Charlie spent eight years teaching English as a Foreign Language in Spain, Ireland and
England prior to taking up his position as a Learning Technologist in the UoD in July 2009. 
While teaching, he developed an interest in how technology, particularly Web 2.0 tools can be
used to support social learning in informal and formal contexts.  Other areas of interest include
how audio / audiovisual technologies can be used to support reflective practices.

Abstract

Social networking has achieved widespread popularity and also inspired the use of similar
approaches in education; along with the associated terms of “social learning”, “educational
networking” and “collaborative learning”.  The authors’ initial research has shown that social
learning technologies may be used to: unwittingly replace the repository type role of a VLE or
other web hosting system; allow general purpose networking for various user groups; and

1/9
Social Networking and Learning in Higher Education

Written by Dr Adam Bostock & Charles Davis

provide an opportunity for collaborative learning.  However, questions exist over the purpose
and scope of collaborative learning; and making it happen requires more effort than just
providing the technology.  This paper discusses those challenges and opportunities, and
provides recommendations.

Introduction
Within higher education there is a growing trend in the use of social learning: using social
networking technologies to allow students to collaborate on learning activities.  The university
has launched a pilot project to evaluate the use of social networking technology and to evaluate
social (or collaborative) learning.  The project has evolved to cover a diverse range of users and
applications.  Currently the project is in its early stages and so more results are expected to
follow later.  However, tentative conclusions and recommendations already exist, based on our
research and the pilot project itself.

Background
As the tools of communication progress from pen and paper to email, web and “Web 2.0” then
so do the tools of learning. “Web 2.0” is a loosely defined term that describes a collection of
online content creation and communication technologies, which may include wikis, blogs,
forums, interactive chat and messaging.  Learners are employing Web 2.0 technologies to
harvest artefacts from every corner of the Internet to use as currency in the knowledge rich
spaces they are familiar with.  Crook et al (2008: p4) argue that in order to do this effectively
they “must acquire the skills that are necessary to navigate and interrogate this new knowledge
space”.

Web 2.0 technologies form the basis of Social networking sites, like Facebook, which have a
notorious reputation for their social uses within a personal context as opposed to a business or
learning context.  Sites like Facebook represent collaborative spaces in which learners can
share ideas, thoughts or even artefacts they have created.  Their emergence and popularity has
prompted some educational practitioners to use social networking sites to act as, or form part
of, social learning environments (SLEs) within learning contexts.

To distinguish between social networking and learning, the term social learning is used to refer
to social networking technologies that are specifically used within a learning context.  The
technologies for social networking (and learning) are fairly well established, but the processes
for social learning are still emerging.  One of the key aims of social learning is to develop
collaborative skills that aid learning (and may also be useful in the workplace).

Providing technology rich environments in which collaboration can flourish brings with it a need

2/9
Social Networking and Learning in Higher Education

Written by Dr Adam Bostock & Charles Davis

to evaluate whether or not provisions are in place to accommodate it, both in terms of academic
and administrative support.  Berg, Berquam and Cristoph (2007) argue that “although advances
in social networking technologies allow for new and perhaps more efficient means of learning
and communicating, they also pose some significant challenges in higher education”. They go
on to ask “how can campus professionals, especially those in student and academic services,
learn to use these technologies to think differently about communicating with students and
about facilitating learning?”

It is hoped that the pilot will go some way to answering the above questions as well as
evaluating to what extent systems like Elgg “are changing the way we are able to deal with
knowledge”. (Owen et al, 2006).  Of particular interest is how it impacts on the social nature of
collaboration and communication in group contexts.

The pilot project encompasses various uses for social networking technology:

• EYPS – Supports staff and distance learners studying on the Early Years Professional Status
course.
• Buddies – Allows prospective students to enquire about various aspects of the university.
• Employer Expo – Facilitates communication between job seeking students and employers.
• Virtual Teams – Facilitation and support for members of staff in the pilot project; and
miscellaneous use by staff.

This paper focuses on the EYPS case study as that involves teaching and learning.

Methodology
For the pilot an open source social networking application called Elgg has been adopted.  Elgg
provides a useful suite of social networking technologies: messaging; groups; forums; wikis /
web pages; blogs; file uploads; bookmarks; and calendars.  Elgg doesn’t provide enterprise
level functionality and so we have set up multiple sites: EYPS; Buddies; Employer Expo; and
Virtual Teams.  These sites were installed and configured by a consultant and then handed over
to CEDM (the Centre for Educational Development and Materials).

The EYPS site is used for teaching and learning.  As with all of the sites, members of staff were
shown how to use Elgg and asked how they wanted their site to be configured.  The EYPS staff
then created the appropriate groups on their site and uploaded their content.  The users consist
of members of staff, mentors and distance learning students.
Monitoring strategies for each of the sites are in the process of being refined.  We aim to use
metrics that measure site usage, and to collect qualitative data through questionnaires and
discussions.

The approach in our pilot has been informed by research into the best practice aspects of social
learning; and this research is an ongoing process.

Evaluation / Results

3/9
Social Networking and Learning in Higher Education

Written by Dr Adam Bostock & Charles Davis

The staff members of the EYPS were able to set up their site with groups and initial content
within a few days.  To date, the feedback has been very positive both in terms of the site’s ease
of use and its ability to meet their immediate requirements.

An initial interview with members of the team provided us with the feedback below:

1. When asked whether the site would or should be used for collaboration the answer was: Yes
the site should be used for collaboration between mentors / staff and students, and student to
student collaboration.
2. There was concern that although there is some collaboration amongst staff / mentors there is
little (or no) student collaboration.
3. To stimulate collaboration they may set up an example of the collaboration between staff /
mentors.  This would involve a real topic that is relevant.
4. Help from EDU/CEDM [the department that supports e-learning] on how to stimulate
collaboration is needed.
5. Students have to meet 39 standards, and the aim is to get them to collaborate on how they
meet the standards and share ideas.  For example, the child minders could collaborate in one
group.
6. Staff are moving all of their information and communications onto the Elgg system; which
demonstrates a reasonable degree of satisfaction and confidence in the system.
7. Students are using email a lot more.
8. Elgg is user friendly but initially there were problems with access; a number of passwords
had to be reset to allow users on the system.
9. On the user’s wish list is a booking system, which is not supported in Elgg.  It does have an
events calendar but to use it as a booking system has involved a lengthy work around, which is
not ideal.
10. Students are emailing in their documents rather than uploading them to Elgg, as instructed. 
It’s not yet clear why this is.  (On a related note there is a minor presentation bug on one of the
uploaded docs.)
11. Users are hesitant to take the initiative and ask for help on something.  For example, users
were unable to access a resource but rather than point this out by asking for assistance (online
or otherwise) they waited until they met a member of staff and then mentioned it.
12. The member of staff running the site said it was “really good” and “liked how it looks”; but
was not keen on the dashboard, which shows a list of all activity on the site.
13. A future objective is to get old EYPS members (ex-students) on the system.

From the perspective of the technical staff a few (minor) bugs have been identified in Elgg.  The
system also has a few limitations:

• It is not an enterprise level system, as it has limited user roles and associated permissions. 
An enterprise level system would support all types of groups within an organisation, but with
Elgg we had to create a new site for each application type.
• The whole site has to have the same appearance and branding
• The discussion forums are flat – they do not support hierarchically nested replies.  Replies to
any post are always added at the bottom of the page and so this makes it difficult to follow a
conversation.

4/9
Social Networking and Learning in Higher Education

Written by Dr Adam Bostock & Charles Davis

• Some of the features are fairly basic and would benefit from a level of functionality that is
found in other social networking products.

Discussion
The feedback within the project has portrayed Elgg in a positive light.

However, it also shows that no social learning or collaboration has taken place between
students.  The reasons for this may be varied and an investigation of this is expected to form a
significant part of the project.  Since the project was launched, on-going research has identified
factors that may be useful in stimulating effective social learning and collaboration.  Findings
that may be relevant to this project are discussed below.

A review of the literature has provided a useful base on which the project can progress.

Building Upon E-Learning

Some of the lessons learnt from e-learning generally provide a useful basis on which to design
social learning approaches.  For example, the JISC funded project called STROLL (Student
Reflections on Lifelong e-Learning) provided some useful insights (Jefferies, Bullen and Hyde,
2009).  It found that as students mature in their learning and their general use of technologies
they generally adopt more careful strategies for planning and managing their time, and for
determining how they are going to retrieve and use information to support their learning.  This
observation resonates with research findings published by McPherson and Baptista Nunes
(2004) on how a cohort of distance learners used an online site to interact with each other in a
social context.  They concluded that “mature, full-time professional, part-time students have
neither the time nor the inclination to spend effort on non-essential and unrewarded tasks”
(p317 & p318).

These findings lead us to believe that it may be useful to train new students to develop those
skills.  Also, the approach adopted for each group may need to consider what the group’s
current level of ability is with regard to these skills, and to provide the appropriate level of
support and guidance.  For example, new groups may benefit from clear guidelines, training and
support; whereas experienced groups may not need assistance. Thorman (2009) makes an
interesting comment on this: while it may seem like we’re enjoying our freedom, research shows
that we’d be a lot better off with more structure, less choice, and working through problems
instead of moving on to our next big adventure.

The STROLL project also showed that:

• Students on different programmes choose different ways to communicate and keep in touch
with each other and academics.
• All were able to adopt the technology, irrespective of age and previous IT experience - though
some did seek help from friends and family.
• Student reflections were useful.
• Carefully chosen pedagogy should inform the students’ learning and not just the provision of

5/9
Social Networking and Learning in Higher Education

Written by Dr Adam Bostock & Charles Davis

technology.  This reiterates that learning should be assisted by the technology provision and not
driven by it.

Skills Emphasis
In general, learning provides students with new knowledge and understanding, and/or new
skills.  Social learning may bring added emphasis to developing skills, particularly skills in
collaboration.  The focus is on how we are learning (Brown and Adler, 2008).  The students’
success in HE is determined by the ability to form or participate in small study groups, and this
is relevant in social learning too.  In the 21st century there may be a paradigm shift from content
to skills.  Thousands of institutions provide free online knowledge, but are they engaging
students and providing reflective learning?

Developing skills (rather than disseminating knowledge) may become the primary role of the
educational institution.  Bostock (2009) identified a set of 21st century skills that are relevant to
e-learning.  Many of these skills could be developed within a social learning context by focusing
on collaborative skills in the following areas: research; analysis and critical evaluation; problem
solving; creativity; organisation; leadership; and presentation and communication.
The manner in which practitioners and learners employ software, particularly social varieties, to
cultivate and redefine skills could be central to this shift should it occur.  Crook et al (2008:
p4&5) and Owen et al (2006: p12) make the point that the roles of social software and
educational practice are moving in similar directions.  This poses significant challenges for
HEIs, especially for curriculum designers.  Owen et al (2006: p53) argue that an inflexible
curriculum may impinge in a negative way on the development of skills learners need to solve
problems and work collaboratively in the 21st century.

Scope
The project team has considered the scope of social learning, with particular emphasis being
placed on whether it is a valuable mode of learning for all students.  As well as this, it also aims
to identify whether or not social approaches to learning lend themselves to every learning
scenario.  The pilot also seeks to identify in what ways the symbiotic nature existing between
the practical application of technology and pedagogy affects curriculum design.  Social software
has the ability to facilitate a wide range of approaches to learning as well as the development of
skills but only if “underlying curriculum and regimes of assessment have been designed to be in
sympathy with them” (Crook et al, 2008: p6).
In addition to considerations that need to be made at curriculum design level, considerations
also have to be made with regards to how it affects individual learners.  Given that applications
used to create social learning networks are web-based, issues such as Internet connectivity and
how it impacts upon individual learning need to be taken into consideration.  The richness of a
learner’s educational experience and the skills they develop may suffer due to a lack of
connectivity. 

We need to be mindful of placing too much emphasis on the use of technology at the expense
of learning.
To carve out spaces for collaborative practices may fail to equip learners for situations when

6/9
Social Networking and Learning in Higher Education

Written by Dr Adam Bostock & Charles Davis

technology is neither needed nor practical.

On occasion, it may also be more beneficial to let learners decide what tools they use and how
they use them.  The THEMA project found that postgraduate students know when to use tools
and interactions in the online and real worlds (Masterman, Shuyska and Geng, 2009). 
However, they consider social networks inappropriate environments for formal learning. 

It may be helpful and productive to extend the scope beyond the traditional context in order to
provide additional motivation.  For example, e-Science enables students to collaborate with
scientists through the use of robotic telescopes, and microscopes (Brown and Adler, 2008).

The Staff Perspective

What are the implications for members of staff?

Understandably, some members of staff (including those who set policies within an
organisation) may be concerned about the implications of social networking and learning. 
However, it is possible to manage these concerns, adhere to strategic policies, and benefit from
the new approaches.  Dennison (2007) provides an excellent example of how BT successfully
introduced social networking across its organisation.  One of the key points could be
summarised as follows: make users aware of the policies, but give them flexibility in how they
choose to use the system.  This advice may also be applicable to social learning: make
students aware of the objectives, the process and the skills to exercise, but give them flexibility
in how they achieve it.

Staff may have to invest time into learning new technologies and implementing new
approaches, but there are potential benefits too.  The students’ collaboration and knowledge
generation may assist members of staff by extending their own knowledge and understanding
(Brown and Adler, 2008).  Monitoring of the online process also allows other benefits to be
leveraged too.  A lecturer / tutor can quickly adapt to the students' understanding and provide
clarification when and where it is needed (Digital Learning Community, 2007).

Group assignments need to be carefully designed.  The most common complaint amongst
students about group work is that workload is never evenly distributed, and assessment is
therefore inequitable as a result (Digital Learning Community, 2007).  Blogs can help
collaboration, but how this happens is not self evident, so you need to do more than just
introduce a blog.  Group blogs have issues but if they are properly structured and developed
they may be effective.  Students could be asked to write a blog post that summarises their
group (and individual) learning processes.

Students may need to be motivated to participate.  Examples of how staff can do this are as
follows:

• Provide opportunities for students to take on roles that are of interest to them.
• A marking system that explicitly allocates points based on the demonstration of particular skills
and collaborative processes.

7/9
Social Networking and Learning in Higher Education

Written by Dr Adam Bostock & Charles Davis

• Demonstrate the value of a system by practicing what you preach: do and use what you
expect the students to do and use, e.g. blogs (Digital Learning Community, 2007).

It may be beneficial to consider how students are first introduced to the system: an explanation
of its purpose; and introductory tasks.  Allow time for students to learn the technology (and
approach) by setting introductory tasks that use the given technology and/or approach (Digital
Learning Community, 2007).

Conclusions and Recommendations

Overall Elgg seems to provide all of the basic requirements for a social networking platform, but
it would benefit from enhanced functionality in some areas.

The technology has been used to facilitate teaching and learning, but actual social learning has
not yet taken place.

Recommendations for Social Learning

Based on our work and research to date the following tentative ideas are proposed for
stimulating effective social learning and collaboration amongst students:

1. Get the students to start with ice-breakers and ask them to introduce themselves to each
other using the online system.
2. Use technologies that are simple, easy to use, widely accessible, and reliable.
3. Before starting, be clear what the purpose of the social learning platform is, and discuss this
with the staff and students.
4. Make the platform relevant and useful, and show the benefits to its users.
5. Provide a real incentive for it to be visited and used, e.g.: host key information on the site,
and set tasks that require use of the site.
6. Consider whether students should participate in social learning and collaboration all of the
time, or just some of the time (e.g. just to develop collaborative learning skills).
7. Is social learning "the be all and end all"?  Some students don’t want to socialise (or can’t
spare the time in their busy lives), and some prefer to study alone.
8. Do we always have to use a centralised platform?  Why can’t learners create their own
personal learning environments that are linked together in some way, when the need arises
(e.g. for collaborative projects)?  This allows learners to choose their own tools.
9. When setting a group activity, clearly explain to the students what the objectives and
outcomes are expected to be; and consider explaining how the group process should work and
what the required roles may be (if you consider this will be helpful to the group).
10. Outlining processes and roles for groups may be useful initially, but experienced groups
may be able to do this for themselves.
11. Critical mass: consider how many people need to be in a group to stimulate social learning
and get good results.
12. To encourage greater social learning and collaboration a group assignment could include a
marking system that explicitly assigns marks to:
a. the processes used within the group

8/9
Social Networking and Learning in Higher Education

Written by Dr Adam Bostock & Charles Davis

b. the allocation of individual roles

c. group discussions
d. decision making
e. the quality of the work (e.g. research, validation and reporting)
f. the contributions made by individuals
It is hoped that during the course of the project that we will be able to validate (or otherwise) the
above recommendations.

References
Berg, J, Berquam, L and Cristoph, K, 2007. Social Networking Technologies: A “poke” for
campus services.  [Online]. 

9/9