Higher Education Students' Perceptions Towards Using Facebook as a Learning Platform

Given the ongoing debate among educators regarding the effect of social networks on education, our aim in this article is to explore the perceptions of students towards using Facebook as a learning environment. In this vein, on the basis of the survey we carried out among university students, it was revealed that 87.4% of the informants resort to this Web-based community to improve their learning. Facebook has, actually, been reported to provide students with an ideal opportunity to access a plethora of learning resources and all class-related information and activities. It also allows them to discuss different topics with classmates and peers and enables them to seek help on learning problems they encounter. Despite the significant role that Facebook plays in boosting students' learning experience, 72.3% of the subjects noted that no interaction occurs with teachers on this platform. Facebook might, thus, be considered to be more useful for informal rather than formal learning.