Facebook Launches Groups for Schools
In a throwback to its college-only days, Facebook has launched a new type of group for schools that requires an active “.edu” email address to join.
Within individual schools’ Groups for Schools pages, students and faculty members at the same school can exchange files, create events and message other students who are also members of the group.
Aside from creating school-based online communities, the pages mainly serve as hubs for school-related subgroups.
As the only current member of the Northwestern University group, there were no groups for me to join. But when I typed in my interests, my (former) dorm and my major, the platform prompted me to start related groups and invite friends. Eventually, I’ll be able to search groups by those that my friends have joined.
Groups for Schools could enable some of the educational functionality that Facebook lost when it opened itself up to non-students. There was once, for instance, a class feature on Facebook that students could use to share notes or find out the cute boy in the third row’s name. Now there may be class groups that perform a similar function.
Several startups have pegged Facebook as the perfect place for students to engage around school activities, their homework and education in general.
Now it seems Facebook has beaten them to the punch.
