Bridging formal and informal learning - A case study on students' perceptions of the use of social networking tools

Abstract

Social networking tools have been enthusiastically heralded as a means to support different learning types and innovative pedagogical practices. They have also been recognized as potential tools to promote informal learning. In this paper we describe work carried out using the synergy of social web tools, learning models and innovative pedagogical practices across a Masters Degree Course. Findings suggest that the use of these tools as a means to distribute an open and flexible learning environment fosters informal interactions and such interactions are perceived by students to have a significant impact over their formal learning outcomes. © 2009 Springer Berlin Heidelberg.