Using Facebook to Engage Microbiology Students Outside of Class Time

Abstract

Learning microbiology can be made fun by writing funny lines related to microbiology. Students were tasked to create their own pick-up lines and explain these basNumerous usage studies show that a high percentage of college age students are subscribers of the social media service Facebook. Modern teaching methods have a high emphasis on student engagement in the classroom, however, not all students participate equally and therefore it is important to find alternate methods for student engagement. The popularity of social media services and the wealth of online biology resources therefore seem like an obvious way to additionally engage students, particularly non-traditional students who may be less likely to participate in class discussions. In order to investigate how to engage students using this tool, I set up a Facebook group for my medical microbiology class over two semesters. Afterwards I surveyed students on its usefulness. The feedback was mostly positive, and of the resources shared with students, they were most likely to view online videos. Students also found it helpful to have an alternate means of interacting with the instructor and their peers.