Enhancing Class Communications through Segregated Social Networks

Abstract

Some classes, due to team projects or an adaptive course of study, require a high degree of communication both from an instructor-to-student and student-to-student (peer-to-peer) perspective. There are tools, such as Blackboard, that are built for instructor-to-student communication but lack some flexibility for peer-to-peer communications. Other options, such as using Facebook, can force students to manage class information and team projects along with personal information and relationships. In this article, we summarize the results of using a segregated social network that was separate from both the campus system of Blackboard and a public-access network like Facebook.