The use of social media and, specifically, Facebook has grown exponentially in all facets of
the educ
ation sector.
Facebook is yet another medium through which universities can offer students support, information and a place
to interact with each other, university support staff and resources. Students in transition have been identified as a
particular coh
ort that can benefit from the creative use of social media.
Despite considerable concerns about Facebook,
this medium
provides an efficient and cost effective
additional
interactive point of engagement to support student transition to university
. Faceboo
k
provides some
s
tudents
who may be
without a social network,
a group which is
more likely to abandon university or feel isolated at
university, with
“a sense of belonging to a group and
[as well as]
relationships with peers
” (Adams et al. 2010:
7).
The
Faculty of Business and Law at Victoria University (VU) in Melbourne has had a Facebook site since 2008.
This site has
doubled in Friends in the last year and international students, both in Melbourne and offshore, are
overrepresented as Faculty Facebook
Friends. This paper examines the Faculty's site and offers a general
analysis of Facebook usage
with a focus on international students‟ use of the site
.
Student perspectives on the
faculty site are also provided which
highlight
the frequency and constancy
with which some students access
Facebook. The discussion explores ethical and educational qualms about using Facebook in a university context
as well as some more technical and cultural
concerns about using Facebook to support students offshore. ---- Conference held 29/11/2011-02/12/2011, Wrest Point Convention Centre, Hobart.