Community of Inquiry on Facebook in a Formal Learning Setting in Higher Education

This study demonstrates an application of Facebook for higher education in science (STEM), and it clarifies its impact on students' learning in a formal online learning setting. A combined qualitative and quantitative approach was used. Messages posted on Facebook were classified by qualitative transcript analysis. The perception and experience of students with Facebook were recorded by means of pre- and post-tests, using a treatment/control group approach. The results show that an integral Community of Inquiry (CoI) was formed on Facebook within the regular online course, encompassing all relevant CoI interactions leading to a powerful educational experience. Additionally, a type of CoI interaction "student-community" is observed, which was not reported before. The results show that the use of Facebook had positive effects on students' learning, only when the activities on Facebook were constructively integrated in a course design, and a moderator was present. More research is needed to include larger group sizes and other course designs.