The use of Facebook and social networks to improve education

Abstract

The development of new information technologies, and specially the evolution of social networks, is affecting the new educational framework. Understanding the process is crucial for educational organizations, since it involves the creation and possible use of new opportunities, and the development of processes to enhance learning and collaboration. This paper considers the possibilities of these processes for improving teaching methods which may be applied to the university education of engineers. Specifically, the paper focuses on the new possibilities of using social media to promote enhanced learning, using the case of Facebook. The paper analyzes diverse possibilities of this social network, different applications and services for teachers and students, and their possible use in teaching. The study concentrates on the use of Facebook to improve the creation and evaluation of assignments in marketing and management courses for engineers. The paper also provides some suggestions and future recommendations.