Facebook as a learning node: a theoretical proposal of a private connectivist group for the collective construction of knowledge in higher education

Social networks have transformed the way young people relate to knowledge. The intended pedagogical use in higher education is still barely theorized. Our article proposes a theoretical design of a private Facebook group as a connectivist learning space for university students in the first levels of the Education career. The objective is to theoretically argue how a private Facebook group, structured under connectivist principles, can constitute an intentional learning node that favors the collective construction of knowledge about the role of the teacher in the digital age. Methodologically, we adopt a non-empirical approach, inscribed in the conceptual and theoretical tradition, which articulates the principles of connectivism of Siemens and Downes with the pedagogical possibilities of existing social networks. We include conceptual instructional design without reaching its empirical implementation. Our paper posits a closed, moderated space on a well-known social platform where students can reduce technological friction, activate authentic cognitive and relational connections. We conclude that the instructional design of the group is the determining condition for the emergence of connectivist learning and not the platform itself.