Using Facebook to enhance learning experiences of students in computer programming at Introduction to Programming and Algorithm course

Abstract

ABSTRACTThe purpose of this study is to evaluate the effect of using Facebook on enriching the learning experiences of students in programming learning. In another word, the aim of the study is to detect the reflections from the environment of programming learning where Facebook is used. The study was carried out within the scope of the Introduction to Programming and Algorithm course taught in the software engineering department of the technology faculty of a university in Turkey. Initially, a Facebook group was created to enrich classroom teaching. Sixty‐three freshman engineering students taking the course and the faculty members of the department joined the group. The study was conducted for one semester in the fall semester of the 2014–2015 academic year. The Educational Usage of Facebook Scale (EUFS) and semi‐structured interview form were used as data collection tools in the study. Quantitative data were descriptively analyzed while qualitative data were subjected to content analysis. The results obtained in this study show that Facebook has positive effects such as providing a rich content in programming learning, increasing extracurricular communication, offering a cooperative and collaborative learning environment, increasing motivation, and bringing different perspectives as well as negative effects such as causing distraction, decreasing face‐to‐face communication, and bringing about problems about expressing oneself. As a result, it is possible to assert that Facebook can be efficiently used to support classroom teaching strategies and enrich learning experiences in programming learning. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Comput Appl Eng Educ 24:546–554, 2016; View this article online at wileyonlinelibrary.com/journal/cae; DOI 10.1002/cae.21730