Social Media in Work Experience 12: Is the use of Facebook an Effective Method of Communication for Work Experience 12?

Abstract

The Work Experience 12 program involves students participating in a 100 hour work experience placement out in the community. One of the challenges faced by the instructors is how to keep in contact with the students while they are not right in front of them on a regular basis. Email had been used for the last number of years, but was proving to be frustrating for the instructors as the grade 12 students were not checking or responding to messages in a timely manner. The researcher studied whether Facebook would be an effective method of communication for the teacher and Work Experience students. The instructors set up a Facebook group for the class and made it a requirement that every student join. The researcher then recorded the amount of time it took the students to respond to every message sent where a reply was expected and also conducted a student survey at the end of the course to evaluate student attitudes and beliefs. The researcher found that Facebook was an effective method of communication and the students felt that way as well.