INTRODUCTION:

Facebook which has emerged as the number one social networking site, introduced features of group formation in 2010. It was the same year that Facebook became the number one social networking site in India. These features coupled with student’s social network site usage propelled the researcher to explore avenues of Facebook for situated learning. There are various studies that dwell upon the role of the online facilitator and the changing role of the instructor from the sage on the stage to the guide on the side. (Collison and colleagues 2000) Young blood et al (2001) developed a list of 12 facilitator tasks and identified four major themes of online facilitation – setting the scene, monitoring participation, facilitating critical thinking and encouraging student participation.

While the role of the online facilitator or e moderator has been debated and discussed upon in online research, the advent of social networking sites and the reach and spontaneity of SNS Facebook, the affinity that the younger generation, possesses towards Facebook, its sheer ubiquity and the fact that the Facebook is the number one SNS in India with its user base in the age group of 19 to 24, the researcher was encouraged to explore Facebook as an avenue for situated learning and students perception of the same (Andersson et al. 2017), state that in the past decade, many academicians “have initiated and become engaged in pedagogical discussions outside organized competence development efforts in various online communities”In particular, social media sites fostering community participation such as Facebook, facilitate varied “discussions and share experiences related to their profession more publicly than in other professional discussion arenas”. Marcia and Garcia (2016) state that such studies are relatively still unexplored and most studies are case studies.

METHODOLOGY:

This paper focuses on the role of the online facilitator and the challenges faced by the online facilitator in creating, managing and sustaining groups on Face book for learning. The groups created were New Media Forum with 23 participants and later, learning from the mistakes of New Media Forum, Media Studies Circle was created, which today has a membership of 263.

Facilitator role: First Stage:

Initially, the researcher, created New Media Forum based on the answers provided by the initial respondents who exhibited a positive attitude towards joining a Facebook group dedicated to learning. In New Media Forum while the researcher uploaded the initial assignments, students, experienced difficulty in uploading their notes. As a facilitator, the researcher provided students with required guidance in creating a word file and then uploading assignments on the group. Students also experienced difficulty in locating and uploading relevant web links. Thus once the web links were uploaded the researcher would advise the students to either change the web links or provide additional information. Another problem with New Media Forum was the abundance of text and less of audio visual inputs. However it provided participants with asynchronous convenience to upload the assignments online and hold conversations. This Facebook group enabled the facilitator to upload links, post reminders about assignment submission, post relevant web links and provide the required encouragement to students post their assignments on time.

As claimed by Prensky, (2001) the researcher had assumed that the ‘digital natives’, (the students), would be more technologically adept than the researcher a ‘digital immigrant’. However, the researcher, found herself allaying their fears with regard to uploading word documents or providing valuable links. But soon, they liked the concept of sharing resources and finding all of their data stored at the same place, at the click of a button. (Anderson, 2009). Hence, after the initial hiccups students enjoyed the permanency and ‘copyability’ features of Facebook. (Boyd, 2008). Hence as teachers we should not presume that students do not need guidance to utilise Facebook resources. They need the active assistance and guidance of the online facilitator as members of a learning group or community. Online Facilitating then is no mean task and requires the skill of a juggler, combining adequate technical knowhow with mentoring and motivating skills, apart from the ability to shed the garb of the traditional teacher and behave like a knowledgeable peer, who is willing to accept new ideas, perspectives, willing to commit mistakes, accept ignorance of certain issues; at the same time providing scaffolding services. Wenger (1998) states that learning is both a process and a place. It encompasses transforming knowledge as well as providing a context for learning. Thus the online facilitator’s role becomes important in learning. Various aspects of a moderator’s role have been identified in online learning especially in a formal context. A moderator needs to be a technical trouble shooter, educator, hostess and a community organizer. (Mason, 1994, Berge, 1995, Berge and Collins, 2000).

Challenges Faced in creating online groups:

Perceptual:

Facebook boasts of an increasing user base, not merely among youth, but also among older adults. However Facebook is perceived as a potentially harmful or disruptive technology. Moreover Facebook usage centres on social interaction and keeping in touch. (Roblyier, 2010). Various educational organisations including Bharathiar University, the venue for this research endeavour, ban use of Facebook in the internet centres. In such a scenario, utilising Facebook for any form of learning was challenging. Students did not have access to Facebook, on campus internet centres and had to rely on off campus avenues, mobile broad band connectivity and Facebook connectivity in the research scholars’ room and Faculty room of the Department of Communication and Media Studies. It is perhaps unrealistic (Anderson, 2009) or premature to expect too much of institutional support for Social Networking Sites like Facebook. It was thus left to the researcher, to become a catalyst, motivate students to join the group on Facebook and talk to faculty members about the creation of a virtual group on Facebook. While students were willing members and listeners, faculty members were reticent. After the creation of New Media Forum and its success for the semester as well as lessons learnt, the researcher decided to explore the features of an emerging online community of practice. (Lave and Wenger, 1991). (Wenger, 1998). Hence, the concept of media studies circle emerged, a term coined by Dr. PE Thomas, Professor and Head, Department of Communication and Media Studies, Bharathiar University, Coimbatore. Students evinced greater enthusiasm and willingness to become part of Media Studies Circle, than members of faculty.

Facilitator role: Second Stage:

In this emerging community of practice, students were encouraged to overcome institutional affiliations, to come together during the course of a single semester, to interact, share, learn and form identities following the features of a community of practice. Students were added to researcher’s friends list on Facebook, and then added to the group, to maintain its secrecy. The group followed its semester pattern to discuss issues within the curriculum, linking them to various national and international contexts. Facebook lacks the technological prowess of a conventional Learning Management System like Moodle or Blackboard; however it is ubiquitous, spontaneous, people centric and encourages interactions between lecturers and students in an informal asynchronous atmosphere. Hence the facilitator found it useful to create a backstage environment. (Goffman, 1959) to facilitate and explore Situated Learning. The review of related studies and accompanying methodologies provided the researcher with the impetus and knowledge to understand that Facebook as a Social Networking Site was unexplored in the context of learning. Moreover Facebook in India is by and large an urban phenomenon and patronized by college students more than faculty members. While exploiting the ubiquity of Facebook, its technological affordances and its popularity among college students, the researcher also had to bring about a perceptual change. This by far, was a more daunting task than the technological challenges.

Challenges Faced:

Sustenance and Continuation:

The role of the online facilitator, though well represented in most forms of online learning, is still largely unexplored in the realm of Facebook and learning. Facebook is an informal, social networking site, utilised for social interactions. However, group formations, sharing of resources, peer interaction, student teacher interaction are clearly exemplified in the groups which were formed over a period of two years. The role of the online facilitator is instrumental not only in the creation of these groups, but also in their sustenance and giving them a sense of direction. The online facilitator needs to retain a friendly demeanour and a regular online presence. Students repose utmost faith and confidence in online web links provided and information shared. Hence, the online facilitator should ensure that the information and web links are relevant and useful. Moreover, the web possesses varied forms of information, sites and links. When links are provided to the group, the content should be scrutinized by the online facilitator. Similarly, while discussing topics or posting links, students may get emotional or charged about a certain issue, the online facilitator needs to do a balancing act, giving equal importance to both sides of the issue.

CONCLUSION:

While groups on Facebook may be permanent features and students regularly utilise groups to share resources, information and links, it is the online facilitator who dons the role of a catalyst and provides the required impetus to channelize resources in the right direction. The role of the online facilitator, along with core developers, active contributors and lurkers is vital for the very existence of a group. It is ideal to use a platform like Facebook by creating a secret group with a small size and more facilitators online. These will help all aspects of online learning, face to face learning and distance learning. Hence in addition to regular classes these kinds of groups on Facebook overcoming the institutional barriers may be formed to help students and faculty members better (Blattner and Fiori 2009, 2011, 2012). The online instructor should become an agent of change, a collaborator and a co-traveller, in the journey of situated learning in a Community of Practice on Facebook.

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Received on 24.10.2017 Modified on 11.12.2017

Res. J. Humanities and Social Sciences. 2018; 9(1): 245-247.

DOI: 10.5958/2321-5828.2018.00044.X