The School of Communication launched an online learning community geared toward module learning Nov. 7, providing students an innovative way to share information and communicate with instructors.
The social network allows university students to join modules — specific areas of academic interest — much like the way Facebook users can subscribe to groups or "Like" pages. They then can share information, engage in group discussion and read instructor blogs in an environment that isn't all too unfamiliar.
"It's a lot like Facebook," said Paul Riismandel, the school's director of Curriculum Support Services. "It's intended to give you the opportunity to collaborate in a lot of different ways.
The site, open to all students, aims to facilitate the increase in modular learning called for in the latest strategic plan, Riismandel said during a demonstration in Fisk on Friday. And although the social network was unveiled quietly only last week, the School of Communication is looking to further integrate its use into modular learning.
Users on the site maintain their own profile pages, in which they can list their academic interest, share links and even post status updates. In the group pages, meanwhile, instructors can moderate discussion with blogs, forum-style discussion boards, interesting links and related events.
The learning community — which is slated to include 25 modules next year — was built to work in conjunction with Blackboard, Riismandel said. While the latter provides an online foundation for out-of-class instruction, the school's new social network will foster increases in both student-instructor and student-student interaction.
"If you think about Blackboard, it gives you an opportunity to collaborate in class. But you don't have an opportunity to collaborate with someone in another class," Riismandel said. "This learning community site gives anyone with a particular interest in a topic the opportunity to collaborate on it."