title: Medical students' use of Facebook to support learning: insights from four case studies.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Recent research indicates that university students are interested and active in supporting their learning by using Facebook, a popular social networking website.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  This study aimed to add to our understanding of how or how effectively students may be using Facebook for this purpose.
  
  
  METHODS
  Researchers surveyed the extent and key features of Facebook use among 759 medical students at one university, and explored in depth the design and conduct of four Facebook study groups.
  
  
  RESULTS
  25.5% of students reported using Facebook for education related reasons and another 50.0% said they were open to doing so. The case studies showed conservative approaches in students' efforts to support their development of medical knowledge, skills and attributes in this way. Both technological affordances and group dynamics were factors contributing to groups' mixed successes.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  These cases indicate that using Facebook as part of learning and teaching is as much of a challenge for many students as it may be for most educators.
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Medicine, Dentistry, and Health Sciences, Department of Information Systems, The University of Melbourne, Australia. kgray@unimelb.edu.au
authors.forename: Kathleen
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Gray
authors.forename: Lucas
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Annabell
authors.forename: Gregor
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Kennedy
mesh_terms: D057218:Blogging; D004504:Education, Medical, Undergraduate; D005260:Female; D006126:Group Processes; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D013337:Students, Medical; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires