Abstract
This paper makes a comparison between the use of social media and traditional Course Management System (CMS) discussion groups in fully online Microeconomic Principles courses. Students within the same sections of the classes were randomly assigned to a discussion forum in either Facebook or in the CMS (Blackboard) to discern a difference in the level of engagement (as measured by frequency and length of posts as well as rated post content) and learning outcomes (measured by overall course average). The popular hypothesis is that students using social media (Facebook discussion group here) have greater engagement with the class and higher learning outcomes relative to students not using that platform for coursework (the CMS control group here) because of the ease of use and student familiarity with social media, which allows them to make more connections and gain a deeper understanding of the course material through discussions with others. The results of this study suggest that membership in the treatment group (Facebook) is associated with declining student engagement and a reduction in the semester course average of 3 to 4 points on a 100-point scale.
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