The Effect of Using a Facebook Group as a Learning Management System

Facebook is commonly used in the daily lives of higher-education students. Facebook groups are considered educational tools that can be used as learning management system (LMS) substitutes or supplements. However, the effect of using Facebook groups on learning in the computer engineering field has not been adequately compared with that of using other types of LMS and must be explored. The results of this study indicated that the participants in a Facebook group academically outperformed those using iCas and Moodle did. Moreover, users of the Facebook group held a more positive attitude toward learning than did users of the other two types of LMS, a more positive attitude toward interaction than did Moodle users, and higher technological self-efficacy and willingness to use LMSs as well as higher learning motivation compared with users of iCas. The participants’ experience of adopting LMSs in their learning as well as constraints are described and discussed. The results are valuable for instructors seeking to adopt a Facebook group as their LMS.