Jason Brent Ellis, Carla Reis Abreu-Ellis

• Social networks are currently at the forefront of tools that lend to Personal Learning Environments (PLEs). This study aimed to observe how students perceived PLEs, what they believed were the integral components of social presence when using Facebook as part of a PLE, and to describe student’s preferences for types of interactions when using Facebook as part of their PLE. This study used mixed methods to analyze the perceptions of graduate and undergraduate students on the use of social networks, more specifically Facebook as a learning tool. Fifty surveys were returned representing a 65 % response rate. Survey questions included both closed and open-ended questions. Findings suggested that even though students rated themselves relatively well in having requisite technology skills, and 94 % of students used Facebook primarily for social use, they were hesitant to migrate these skills to academic use because of concerns of privacy, believing that other platforms could fulfil the same purpose, and by not seeingSocial networks are currently at the forefront of tools that lend to Personal Learning Environments (PLEs). This study aimed to observe how students perceived PLEs, what they believed were the integral components of social presence when using Facebook as part of a PLE, and to describe student’s preferences for types of interactions when using Facebook as part of their PLE. This study used mixed methods to analyze the perceptions of graduate and undergraduate students on the use of social networks, more specifically Facebook as a learning tool. Fifty surveys were returned representing a 65 % response rate. Survey questions included both closed and open-ended questions. Findings suggested that even though students rated themselves relatively well in having requisite technology skills, and 94 % of students used Facebook primarily for social use, they were hesitant to migrate these skills to academic use because of concerns of privacy, believing that other platforms could fulfil the same purpose, and by not seeing the validity to use Facebook in establishing social presence. What lies at odds with these beliefs is that when asked to identify strategies in Facebook that enabled social presence to occur in academic work, the majority of students identified strategies in five categories that lead to social presence establishment on Facebook during their coursework.…