Abstract— This research looks into implementation of Facebook in six different courses covering Science, Engineering and Technology subjects. The initial purpose of using Facebook in the class is to communicate with the students more effectively, as communication through the formal channel (through learn management system) had not been successful. It is expected that by sending two to three notices per week to the students as a gentle reminder for reading material, assignments or even tests, students would be more motivated to engage in the course content. The research results showed that students are positive in using Facebook as an engagement tool. The engagement also encourages their participation in class, and enhances their interest towards the subject content. Features that influenced this engagement are also looked into.

Index Terms— Engineering education, social network services, Facebook, Web 2.0, learning technology

The authors are with Sunway University, Malaysia, no. 5, Jalan University, Bandar Sunway, 47500 Malaysia.Tel.: +012 603 8655; email: dewikan@sunway.edu.my

Cite: Tze Ying Sim, Dewika Naidu, Devandran Apparasamy, " Improving Students Engagement through Social Media a Case Study of a Private University in Malaysia Using Facebook," International Journal of e-Education, e-Business, e-Management and e-Learning vol. 4, no. 6, pp. 396-409, 2014.