Using Facebook as a Learning Medium in Undergraduate Anatomy and Physiology (A&P) Courses

Abstract

Social networking sites such as Facebook have recently been shown to have great pedagogical potential especially for undergraduate students whose time is typically spent more online rather than in their physical persons. Even so, in most A&P courses the use of online technologies is limited to learning management systems (LMS). This mixed‐method study aimed to examine the impact of using a Facebook group page in addition to LMS in undergraduate A&P courses at one community college. Research participants consisted of all students enrolled in two A&P 101 courses (N=39) that were offered over two successive semesters. The experimental group consisted of N=19 students enrolled in Spring 2017, whereas control group consisted of N=20 students enrolled in Fall 2016. Both courses were taught by the same instructor (author, HA) using identical instructional and assessment materials – except for the Facebook platform which was introduced only to the experimental group as an independent variable. Student achievements between two groups were measured using both qualitative and quantitative methods. Qualitative methods included direct observation, document analysis, and student‐filled questionnaires collected from all participants. Quantitative data consisted of individual student demographic and dropout (yes/no) data as well as formal course gradebooks. Each of the four unit‐exam scores, final course grade (%), and student dropouts were selected as the main study variables. Statistical methods including independent t‐tests, chi‐square tests, and multiple regression analysis were performed to test the hypotheses suggesting that use of Facebook had a positive impact on students' academic achievements as well as reducing student dropouts. Both hypotheses were confirmed by statistical analyses (p<.05 and p<.001, respectively). Moreover, results from the thematic analysis of the qualitative data suggested that students who used Facebook were able to more easily connect with other students and make better use of peer‐learning study circles. They also engaged with class materials more actively, deeply, and playfully which helped them become more intrinsically motivated to learn. Therefore, the findings of this study indicate that using Facebook as an additional learning platform can provide undergraduate A&P students with more opportunities for active learning. Furthermore, using Facebook can enhance students' academic gain and reduce the student dropout rates.Support or Funding Informationnone.This abstract is from the Experimental Biology 2019 Meeting. There is no full text article associated with this abstract published in The FASEB Journal.