Lurking to Learn: Peer academic support on Facebook

1. Lurking to Learn: Peer academic support on Facebook Amanda SMITH, Peer Learning Coordinator Contributing authors: Rushil SHAH (Peer Learning Facilitator), Baldwin KWAN, Adilah AHMAD, Claire MUELLER & Charleigh LAWRENCE (Senior Peer Learning Facilitators), Raphael PEREIRA (Diversity & Equity Trainer) With thanks to all the Peer Learning Facilitators from Curtin’s UniPASS program June 2019 A global university Western Australia | Dubai | Malaysia | Mauritius | Singapore

3. A Snapshot of our experience • Acknowledgement of Country • Who we are • Why & how we use Facebook • PASS techniques online • How we evaluate our Facebook groups • Next steps Anyone NOT use Facebook?

4. Curtin Snapshot 2019 Semester 1 Established in 1966 as WAIT, became Curtin University in 1987 Approx. 3500 staff (Headcount) 37000 Domestic (Australian) 25% International students 7500 International onshore 7100 International offshore 4700 Open Unis Australia 42000 Internal students 13000 Fully online & external students Campuses: Bentley, Perth, Kalgoorlie Dubai, Malaysia, Mauritius, Singapore Approx. 56000 students (Headcount) Centre for Aboriginal Studies Faculty of Business & Law Faculty of Health Sciences Faculty of Humanities Faculty of Science & Engineering

5. UniPASS Snapshot 2019 Semester 1 Wk 4 22 hrs Facilitator Training (including 17 hrs Facilitator training for 6 Library Staff members) 7 hrs Senior Facilitator Training Over 1600 members across 4 UniPASS FACEBOOK GROUPS Over 12 700 STUDENTS Enrolled in UniPASS supported units 26 Units (Courses) supported 40 CASUAL STAFF: 11 New Peer Learning Facilitators 20 Returning Peer Learning Facilitators 9 Senior Peer Learning Facilitators OVER 920 STUDENTS ATTENDING WEEKS 2 & 3 (Average of 16 students per session week 3) 58 UniPASS SESSIONS PER WEEK 4 Faculties + UniReady (pathway program)

6. Why Facebook? Internet user accounts in Australia 80% Facebook (60% of total pop.) 79% YouTube 64% WhatsApp 45% Instagram 28% Fb Messenger 25% Twitter & 25% Snapchat Use social media to follow the news (40%) as they are to keep in touch with friends (40%) network for work (23%) general networking with other people (33%) I’m definitely finding myself using Instagram more as opposed to Facebook. Although I do get a lot of my daily news and sciencey articles from Facebook whereas Instagram is more of a social thing. Adilah, Peer Learning Facilitator (GlobalWebIndex, 2019) (*Facebook Newsroom, 2019, **Internet World Stats, 2019, ***Worldstream, 2019)

7. How do we use Facebook? • Supportive tool, not replacement for face-to-face sessions • Less “peer learning” & more “peer academic support” • Addressing equity issues • Excellent promotional resource for encouraging attendance at F2F sessions

8. How do we use Facebook? • 2014 Pilot and report 2019 S1 4 groups 1700 members 2018 9 groups 2000 members 2016 20 groups 2000 members 2017 9 groups 2000 members 2015 21 groups 2200 members

9. How do we use Facebook? • Adhere to PASS peer-learning principles • Non-hierarchical • Community of peers/no-one involved in assessment in the space • Monitored by trained & employed leader (PASS Leader & Senior Leader) • Content follows behind the lecture – so no ‘teaching’ just revision • Encourage self-directed learning and study skills (redirection techniques) • Encourage students/group members to help each other

10. How do we use Facebook? Dedicated Senior Facebook PASS Leader: Guidelines Training Monitoring Feedback Strategy Meetings • PASS Leader as a Facebook group administrator: • Set guidelines/pinned post • Several posts each week • Approving/monitoring • Redirect, guide, concept check where necessary (PASS techniques)

11. How do we use Facebook?

12. How do we use Facebook?

14. PASS techniques online

27. How do we evaluate? • Not with grade data • Percentage of cohort as group members • Engagement (posts, comments, reactions) – Facebook Group Insights • Student survey • Incidence of academic misconduct (preferably none!)

28. How do we evaluate?

29. How do we evaluate?

30. How do we evaluate?

31. How do we evaluate? • Majority engaged with the Fb groups weekly and 3 times a week UniPASS Student Survey 2018 S2 421 responses (6% response rate) N=99 for Fb groups section

32. Next steps • Trialling online F2F sessions for remote students (Bb Collaborate) • To continue with the Fb groups, if time: • Monitor ‘click throughs’ of posts about resources/quizzes • Facilitators keep adding to the ‘inspo bank’ - ‘successful posts’ and resources • Facebook “Live” - quick revision sessions (5 mins per topic) • Continue ‘just being there’ for late night questions

33. References • Australian Bureau of Statistics. (2014). Australian social trends, July 2013 (Cat. No. 4102.0). Retrieved from http://www.abs.gov.au/AUSSTATS/abs@.nsf/Lookup/4102.0 Main+Features20July+2013 • Bayindir, N., Kavanagh, D., & Global Web Index. (2018). Social: GlobalWebIndex’s flagship report on the latest trends in social media. Retrieved from https://www.globalwebindex.com/ • Cluett, L. (2014). Managing social media [Presentation]. Crawley, WA: University of Western Australia. • Company information. (2019). In Facebook Newsroom. Retrieved May 9th, 2019, from https://newsroom.fb.com/company-info/ • Coughlan, T., & Perryman, L. A. (2015, April 14). Are student-led Facebook groups open educational practices? Paper presented at OER15, Cardiff. Retrieved from http://oro.open.ac.uk/42541/4/OER15.pdf • Donnelly, G. (2018, September 7). 75 super useful Facebook statistics for 2018 [Blog post]. Retrieved from https://www.wordstream.com/blog/ws/2017/11/07/facebook-statistics • Huang, T., Cui, J., Cortese, C., & Pepper, M. (2015). Internet based peer assisting learning: Current models, future applications, and potential. In Y. A. Zhang (Ed.), Handbook of mobile teaching and learning. Berlin: Springer-Verlag. • Lim, C., Anderson, F., & Mortimer, R. (2016). PASSport to the Cloud: Results of a peer assisted study sessions (PASS) online pilot program. Student Success, 7(2), 59-64. https://doi.org/10.5204/ssj.v.7i2.342 • Miniwatts Marketing Group. (2018). Internet world stats: Usage and population statistics. Retrieved from https://www.internetworldstats.com/stats6.htm • Pereira, R., Potier, B., & Smith, A. (2014). Curtin Facebook Initial Report 2015. Perth, WA: Curtin University. Questions/discussion Images: jasonmcguireresearchtechniques.blogspot.com Retrieved 29/04/2019 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aEzZLXBH3rU Retrieved 29/04/2019 Facebook.com Retrieved 29/04/2019 dilipbuildcon.com Retrieved 29/04/2019 edu.gcfglobal.org Retrieved 29/04/2019 www.chezgagne.com Retrieved 29/04/2019 Thanks to: All Peer Learning Facilitators in UniPASS at Curtin University who constantly contribute ideas to our program Raphael Pereira for his vision, support and generosity with knowledge Facebook, for helping me communicate with my staff in preparation for this presentation

34. Questions and/or Discussion • Could you see yourself utilising Facebook for study support? (As a staff member OR as a student?) • Think about: • Pros & Cons of online space vs face-to-face sessions • Benefits for different student populations • Potential risks/challenges • Considerations for monitoring • Differences in application between units/faculties • Funding, training, professional development and support Do you have online students or those that struggle to attend classes/PASS/PAL/SI sessions? Engaged vs Non Engaged users – are students still learning while lurking? How do you promote your F2F sessions – would Facebook groups be useful?

35. Amanda Smith • Peer Learning Coordinator • UniPASS, University Library • Curtin University • amanda.smith@curtin.edu.au

36. Extra Slides

37. Why Facebook?

38. Why Facebook? Still at the top: 85% of internet users say they have a Fb account* 79% YouTube 72% Fb Messenger 66% WhatsApp 63% Instagram 56% Twitter…etc In Australia: 80% Facebook 79% YouTube 64% WhatsApp 45% Instagram 28% Fb Messenger 25% Twitter & 25% Snapchat Aussies spend about 1.4 hours per day on Socials (UK is 1.53) *Outside of China (GlobalWebIndex, 2019)

39. Why Facebook? Australia 2017/2018 stats: 60% of the population have a Fb account 83% of Facebook users worldwide are under the age of 45, 15.8% between 45 and 64*** Users are now as likely to use social media to follow the news (40%) as they are to keep in touch with friends (40%), network for work (23%) & general networking with other people (33%) I’m definitely finding myself using Instagram more as opposed to Facebook. Although I do get a lot of my daily news and sciencey articles from Facebook whereas Instagram is more of a social thing. Adilah, Peer Learning Facilitator (*Facebook Newsroom, 2019, **Internet World Stats, 2019, ***Worldstream, 2019)

40. How do we use Facebook? Dedicated Senior Facebook PASS Leader Guidelines – consistency in practice Training – forming connections Oversees all UniPASS Facebook groups – pick up issues Feedback on weekly content/engagement plans (“Buzzcharts”) Develops strategies to increase engagement Meetings

41. How do we use Facebook? • Role of PASS Leader as a Facebook group administrator: • Set guidelines/pinned post for the group • Plan weekly posts to maximise engagement, following unit content • Approving/monitoring student posts and comments throughout semester • Redirect, guide, concept check where necessary (PASS techniques)

42. How do we use Facebook? • 2014 Pilot and report • 2015 21 groups across 4 faculties with 2227 members • 20 groups, around 2000 members • 2017 Less $ - 9 groups S1, 10 S2 – similar around 1/3 cohort members (approx. 2000) • 2018 9 S1 – 48% total cohort (1300), S2 9, no figures, but around 2000 over the year • 2019 S1 Groups less (only 4) but percentage of cohort a members similarly high (46%), with a record of 49% of total cohort for HSF. Total members over 1708 (1068 in HSF alone) just in semester 1

43. How do we use Facebook? • Access to peer support in a guided space that was PURELY for study purposes • Positive space • One unit/course we had only Facebook, no face to face sessions – a fully online unit

45. How do we evaluate? Lurk Like Tag POST! Share Comment (Cluett, 2014)

46. How do we evaluate? Facebook group insights: For groups 50 and above, only useful detail over 250 Times/days of posts/comments Age/gender Number of posts and comments Members’ cities

47. How do we evaluate?

48. How do we evaluate?

49. How do we evaluate? • How could the Facebook groups be improved? • “None, the HUMB1000 group was excellent!” • “Do more Facebook Live study sessions” • “More posts and revision material” • “It is amazing” • “I wish the tutors had of prepared more useful activities and given us more help. It really was just a guided study session which I didn't find very helpful” UniPASS Student Survey 2018 S2 421 responses (6% response rate) N=99 for Fb groups section

50. Tips and tricks • Social media constantly evolving • Doesn’t just happen. You need time, training, practice, strategy and experience • Appoint the right people for the right role • Use students to assist with planning and ideas • Monitor and reflect