Supporting Older Students in the Research Journey: Assessing a Facebook Group

Abstract

With many students over 40 years of age undertaking research studies, the need for support and connection with others is vital to research completion. Educational Facebook groups have a well-research history of what constitutes successful practice, but it is unknown if, and to what extent, those running such groups assess their performance for their members. This paper discusses a case study of an older students Facebook group and the challenge of conducting research to assess how it supports members. Examples from the study are provided to illustrate an example of such assessment, with the conclusion that older learners can be successfully supported and connected with others in their research journey.