Abstract— In spite of the widespread incorporation of learning management systems (LMSs) into university teaching and learning, lecturers leverage them primarily for delivery of documents such as class syllabus and lecture slides. However, this traditional one-way transformation of knowledge does not encourage students to utilize the collaborative features of LMSs such as discussion forums for enhancing their level of learning. In this article, the researchers explain about the potential of the social network sites (SNSs) for communication and information sharing in higher education system. The capability of SNSs to create personal profiles allows users to maintain connections with students and lecturers from other educational institutions. Furthermore, applying appropriate theoretical frameworks such as community of inquiry (CoI) to the social network platforms provides meaningful environments for collaborative knowledge construction among students. The element of teaching presence in this COI model is influential in promoting students’ academic engagement and higher order thinking skills.

Index Terms— Social network sites, e-learning, higher order thinking, community of inquiry.

M. Aghili is with University of Malaya, Malaysia (e-mail: Mahdieh.aghili@ siswa.um.edu.my).
A. K. Palaniappan and S. Abbasnasab Sardareh are with the Faculty of Education, University of Malaya, Malaysia (e-mail: anandak@um.edu.my, abbasnasab@gmail.com).
K. Kamali is with UMCAS at the Faculty of Medicine, University of Malaya, Malaysia (e-mail: drkamali@um.edu.my).
S. Aghabozorgi is with the Faculty of Computer Science, University of Malaya, Malaysia (e-mail: saeed@um.edu.my).

Cite: Mahdieh Aghili, Ananda K. Palaniappan, Khosrow Kamali, Saeed Aghabozorgi, and Sedigheh Abbasnasab Sardareh, " Unifying Informal and Formal Learning Environments: Educational Use of Social Network Sites through Implementing Community of Inquiry Framework," International Journal of e-Education, e-Business, e-Management and e-Learning vol. 4, no. 3, pp. 191-196, 2014.