I am teaching an online statistics class this summer, and things are going really well. One reason behind that is the Facebook group page I created for the class. Here are a couple benefits that I have observed.

• Ability to Contact Students when Course Site is Down
  Pearson performed some scheduled maintenance on their site during the first weekend of the class. Due to some issues, it took about a day longer than expected. Without the Facebook group, my only contact with students was through MyStatLab. The group page allowed me to keep students updated on the progress, and easily reassure them about deadlines, etc.
  I encourage my students to check the group page the instant they have connection problems because it can help them to figure out whether the issue is with their computer or the entire site. I get notifications from the group page, and I am alerted the second issues show up.
• Students Helping Students
  I encourage students to post their questions to the group page and to help each other if they are able. There have been so many times where I have received an email notification that a student posted to the group, only to find 5 or 6 comments by the time I get to the page. I am convinced that students getting timely help, as well as choosing how to explain an answer to another student, has helped with their success this summer.

Why Facebook?

I chose to use Facebook because, in my experience, it is the social media site where the most students have an account. The ability to quickly post photos & video also helps students when posting their questions.

If you are teaching online statistics, or any online class, I’d encourage you to think about using Facebook groups in your course.

George