Facebook Mediated Interaction and
Learning in Distance Learning at
Makerere University
G. Mayende; P. B. Muyinda; G. M. N. Isabwe; M.
Walimbwa & S. Siminyu
E-Learning 2014, 15th - 18th July 2014, Sana Metropolitan, Lisbon,
Portugal
Agenda
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Makerere University (Mak)
Distance Learning at Mak
Distance Education Leapfrogging Project (DELP)
Facebook Mediated Support
Theoretical Lens
Materials and Methods
Findings
Conclusion & Recommendation
References
Authors
Acknowledgement
E-Learning 2014, 15th - 18th July 2014, Sana Metropolitan, Lisbon,
Portugal
Mak, Uganda
• Total students enrolment - 37,262
• 300 academic programmes (Diploma – 14,
Bachelors – 134, PGD – 17, Masters – 134)
• Masters have equivalent PhDs
• Dual mode university with 5 distance learning
programmes at undergraduate level
E-Learning 2014, 15th - 18th July 2014, Sana Metropolitan, Lisbon,
Portugal
Distance Learning @ Mak
2 Weeks
Residential
Session
Tutor
Facilitation
Study
Materials
11 Weeks of
Self-study
2 Weeks
Residential
Session
2 Weeks
Exams
Student Support
ICT/Virtual
Support
DELP PROJECT
One-onOne
Support
Study
Centres
E-Learning 2014, 15th - 18th July 2014,
Sana Metropolitan, Lisbon, Portula
Group
Meetings
DELP Project
• Distance Education Leapfrogging Project
• Partnership project between Mak, Uganda
and UiA, Norway
• Funded by Norad under NORHED Programme
• Aimed at moving Mak’s distance education
from predominant 1st generation to 4th and 5th
generation distance education
• Education, PhD & Research, Institutional Devt
E-Learning 2014, 15th - 18th July 2014, Sana Metropolitan, Lisbon,
Portugal
Facebook Mediated Support
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Focus – Bachelor of Commerce (External)
Course - Introduction to ICT (650 students)
Year – Third Year
A mix of Facebook with other DE support
means
E-Learning 2014, 15th - 18th July 2014, Sana Metropolitan, Lisbon,
Portugal
Research Questions
• What were the students’ perceptions to
Facebook support?
• Did Facebook mediate learning, and
specifically interactive learning?
• What were the main challenges to Facebook
mediated learning?
E-Learning 2014, 15th - 18th July 2014, Sana Metropolitan, Lisbon,
Portugal
Theoretical Lens
• Inter and Intra-Psychology and Facebook
– Inter-psychology begins as a social interaction
between individuals and, as this interaction goes
on, it is internalized hence intra-psychology
(Vygotsky, 1978).
• Mediation of Inter- and Intra-psychology
– Facebook brings about interaction hence
potentially leading to inter- and intra-psychology.
E-Learning 2014, 15th - 18th July 2014, Sana Metropolitan, Lisbon,
Portugal
Theoretical Lens
• Technology Mediated Learning
– “flexible and online learning environments need
learning supports to be designed as integral parts of
the learning process” (p. 14)
• Facebook as a Mediator of Learning
– Vygotsky (1978) argues that social interactions are
seen to play a critical role in the processes of learning
and cognition.
– Rambe and Ng’ambi (2011) identified the need for the
active presence of the learners and tutors on social
media for the learners to have someone to interact
with at any time.
E-Learning 2014, 15th - 18th July 2014, Sana Metropolitan, Lisbon,
Portugal
Materials & Methods
• Mediator: Facebook
• Course: Introduction to ICT
• Year : B.Com (External) Year III , Second Semester
2012/2013.
• Class capacity: 650
• 621 joined the Facebook page:
• The course ended in May 2013
• Two month later, we posted a qualitative questionnaire
on the page to evaluate learners experience
• We also interviewed two randomly selected students.
E-Learning 2014, 15th - 18th July 2014, Sana Metropolitan, Lisbon,
Portugal
Findings
• Students perception
• Facebook as tool for mediating learning could
not replace a teacher
– Difficult to explain complex concepts
– To much text and reading most especially from
peers
– Facial expression not supported
– Gestures not supported
– Mainly accessed on mobile phones
E-Learning 2014, 15th - 18th July 2014, Sana Metropolitan, Lisbon,
Portugal
Findings...
• Did Facebook mediate learning?
– Access to lecture notes
– Access anywhere anyplace via mobile phones
– Facebook complemented other support options
– Facebook enabled the teacher to learners’ ZPDs
– Facebook increased interaction among students
– Had affordances of feedback, questioning,
contigency management, modeling &
instructing
E-Learning 2014, 15th - 18th July 2014, Sana Metropolitan, Lisbon,
Portugal
Findings ...
• Challenges
– ICT literacy levels low for some students
– Limited access to Internet
– Mobile network coverage
– Some students phones didn’t support Facebook
– Cognitive overload by the teachers and students
E-Learning 2014, 15th - 18th July 2014, Sana Metropolitan, Lisbon,
Portugal
Conclusion and Recommendation
• The possibility of accessing Facebook on mobile phones
gave distance learners an opportunity to access the class.
• Given that the majority of the distance learners have no
access to computers and Internet from their places of
aboard, mobile phone access to Facebook offered the best
alternative.
• The use of Facebook in the teaching and learning helped to
support modeling, contingency management, feedback,
instructing and questioning.
• Systematically integrate the activities in the teaching and
learning using Facebook in order to achieve meaningful
mediated learning
E-Learning 2014, 15th - 18th July 2014, Sana Metropolitan, Lisbon,
Portugal
References
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Aguti, J. N. (2002). “Facing up to the challenge Universal Primary Education, (UPE) in Uganda
through distance teacher education programmes”, Pan Commonwealth Forum on Open Learning:
Open Learning: Transforming Education for Development.
Aguti, J. N. & Fraser, W., J. (2006). “Integration of Information Communication Technologies (ICTs) in
the Distance Education Bachelor of Education Programme, Makerere University, Uganda”, Turkish
Online Journal of Distance Education – TOJDE, p.166-171, volume 7, ISSN 1302-6488.
Anderson, T. (2003). Modes of interaction in distance education: Recent developments and
research questions. In M. Moore & G. Anderson (Eds.), Handbook of distance education (pp. 129144). Mahwah, NJ: Erlbaum
Daina Laurillard, (2006). Rethinking University Teaching a framework for the effective use of
learning technologies 2nd edition, RoutledgeFalmer, 270 Madison Avenue, New York, NY 10016.
Gallimore, R. & Tharp, R. (2002) Teaching mind in society: Teaching, schooling and literate discourse
in Moll (ed) Vygotsky and education: Instructional implications and applications of socio historical
psychology Cambridge university press.
Kajumbula, R. (2006) “The effectiveness of mobile short messaging service (SMS) technologies in
the support of selected distance education students of Makerere University, Uganda.”, Paper
presented at the Fourth Pan-Commonwealth Forum on Open Learning (PCF4).
E-Learning 2014, 15th - 18th July 2014,
Sana Metropolitan, Lisbon, Portula
References...
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Mayende, G., Divitini, M., & Haugalokken, O. (2006). MOTUS goes to Africa: mobile technologies to
increase sustainability of collaborative models for teacher education, Fourth IEEE International
Workshop on Technology for Education in Developing Countries (TEDC’06), pp.53-54.
Muyinda, B. P. & Mayende, G. (2013). Pedagogical Affordances of Social Networking Sites amongst
Distance Learners in Uganda. A Paper Presented at eLearning Africa 2013 8th International
Conference on ICT for Development, Education and Training, Safari Court, Windhoek Namibia, May
28-31, 2013
Muyinda, P.B., Lubega, J.T. and Lynch, K. (2010) ‘Unleashing mobile phones for research supervision
support at Makerere University, Uganda: the lessons learned’, Int. J. Innovation and Learning, Vol. 7,
No. 1, pp.14–34.
Oliver, R. & Herrington, J. (2003). Exploring technology-mediated learning from a pedagogical
perspective. Journal of Interactive Learning Environments, 11(2), 111-126.
Rambe, P. & Ng’ambi, D. (2011). Towards an Information Sharing Pedagogy: A Case of Using
Facebook in a Large First Year Class, Informing Science: the International Journal of an Emerging
Transdiscipline, Volume 14.
Saul, C. and Patti, S. (2008). Revisiting Learning Theory for e-Learning. The e-Learning Handbook.
P423-455
Vygotsky, L. (1978). “Mind in society: the development of higher psychological processes”,
Cambridge: Harvard University press.
E-Learning 2014, 15th - 18th July 2014,
Sana Metropolitan, Lisbon, Portula
Authors
• Godfrey Mayende, Makerere University,
[email protected].
• Dr. Paul Birevu Muyinda, Makerere University,
[email protected].
• Dr. Ghislain Maurice Norbert Isabwe, Makerere
University, [email protected].
• Michael Walimbwa, Makerere University,
[email protected].
• Samuel Ndeda Siminyu, Makerere University,
[email protected].
E-Learning 2014, 15th - 18th July 2014, Sana Metropolitan, Lisbon,
Portugal
Acknowledgement
• The Authors are grateful to the following:
– Norad – for funding the DELP Project and enabling
the team to present at e-learning 2014
– UiA for the collaborative partnership with Mak
E-Learning 2014, 15th - 18th July 2014, Sana Metropolitan, Lisbon,
Portugal
Deliberations
Thank You
E-Learning 2014, 15th - 18th July 2014, Sana Metropolitan, Lisbon,
Portugal