THINKING SOCIAL IN A DIGITAL WORLD Rowan University Corderrol Harris Calvin Cheung Drew Staats Lauren Thompson

CONTENT

 Benefits of Social Media in Higher Education:  Student Growth  Involvement  Academics  Admissions  Proposal  Social Media 101  Institutional Guidelines

STUDENT DEVELOPMENT

 According to Alex Friedrich (2011) of the Minnesota Public Radio News, social media is a powerful force on many college campuses partially of the students’ ability to learn and appreciate various cultures throughout the world.  Social media, such as Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, blogs, podcasts, etc., permit students the opportunity to “travel” around the world without leaving their campus. This could help with aspects of college life from developing creativity to alleviating homesickness.  Students are also able to watch online courses on YouTube from universities and colleges around the world, expanding their knowledge base and their intercultural appreciation.

APPLICATION TO THEORY

 How is social media connected to student growth?  Chickering's Seven Vectors consist of developing competence physically, intellectually and interpersonally. Interpersonal competence is having the skills in communication, leadership, and working effectively with others.  Using Social Media outlets such as Twitter and Facebook, allows students to interact with peers, faculty and staff effectively and quickly.  Jill Schoepf (2010) describes social media as "online media that is interactive." By promoting the interactive nature of social media, a student can develop their interpersonal competence. Therefore, social media can become an effective tool for a student’s social and interpersonal skills

STUDENT DEVELOPMENT

 Students also develop clear vocational goals and make meaningful commitments to specific personal interests and activities. This concept is in the developing purpose vector of Chickering theory. One of the most important pieces of a college education.

 If a student is interested in a particular topic, that student can follow online blogs centering around that topic and increase their knowledge base.

 Student can also join Facebook groups, and follow Twitter accounts, that will provide the student with connections to people in the field, and watch Youtube videos that provide in depth discussion in these topic areas.

INVOLVEMENT

 Astin states that the quality and quantity of the student's involvement will influence the amount of student learning and development.

 True involvement requires the investment of energy in academic, relationships and activities related to the campus. The amount of energy invested will vary greatly depending on the student's interests and goals, as well as the student's other commitments.

INVOLVEMENT

 Colleges and universities can use social media to relay messages about upcoming campus activities and deadlines to leadership positions effectively.  Students involved in campus activities and leadership positions are proven to be more compelled to not transfer or dropout.

ACADEMICS

 According to Social Times roughly 43% of U.S. Businesses have successfully integrated social media into their marketing strategy.  More businesses are using social media each year. Therefore, Companies want to hire new graduates who are well-versed in Web 2.0 to help in that department. Students should be versed in social media to compete in real world activities.

 Integrating Social Media into the curriculum will help students gain that competency and learn how to use Social Media professionally. Social media is not just for fun any longer.

ACADEMICS

    A recent study by the Babson Survey Research Group and Pearson found more than 80 percent of college faculty are incorporating some form of social media in their teaching.

Social Media can be an effective in the classroom. Professors can use YouTube videos to engaged their students. Example: YouTube can be a great resource for material for teaching foreign language because a professor can find clips from TV shows in Spanish. Example: A professor in Organization Communications can use Hulu to show episodes of The Office as an innovative way of introducing “organization culture” or “theory of management” to the students.

ADMISSIONS

   Social Media can also be an effective tool to recruit prospective students. A study in 2009 by National Association for College Admission Counseling stated that 25 percent of colleges surveyed indicated that they used Social Media to locate information about prospective students. The survey also showed that colleges are also more likely than not to use social media in promotion and student recruitment.  53 percent of colleges use social media to monitor and keep up with the buzz about their institution.  88 percent of admission offices believed social media were either “somewhat” or “very” important to their future recruitment efforts.

ADMISSIONS

 In this case, Facebook and Twitter can be used by Admissions Offices.  On Facebook, we can create a Fan Page and have not only current students like us but invite prospective students to like us. We can give them updates on upcoming deadlines for open houses, admissions, scholarships and orientation dates.  On Twitter, we can do a search to find Twitter users who are interested in our institution. Once we found a prospectus student on Twitter we can tweet them to see if they need any information. Having a selective university recruit students via twitter can make the students feel welcomed and connected to the university .

PROPOSAL: SOCIAL MEDIA 101

 Development of a program in which all first year students and transfer students must complete during new student orientation before accessing the Middle College’s internet Wi-Fi.

 During orientation a number of interactive workshops guides students towards understanding the ethical use of social media.

 Clear disciplinary Code instated.

SESSION 1: THE SOCIAL MEDIA POLICE

 An improv group will perform the many ways that social media can turn ugly in regards to relationships. Learn about the privacy settings and smart tips that will help protect you.

SESSION II: AM I HIRED? PANEL DISCUSSION

 A panel of current employers representing different careers will be in attendance to discuss the impact of social media on the selection process of potential employees; but also provide opportunities for students to network for possible internships or future employment  Discussions will also include how to utilize Linked In and the do’s and don’t of using social media.

SESSION 3: WHAT WOULD YOU DO?

 Students will be placed into small groups. Each group will be provided a scenario of a college student using social media and the choices the student makes. Based on the choices the group makes, the scenario will unfold providing the students the conclusion of what happens.  Students will then learn how and why certain choices could have certain repercussions.

SESSION 4: MY DIGITAL PASSPORT

 Students will review the guidelines stated by the university. The tutorial will conclude with an interactive tutorial to assess whether the student fully understands the importance of using social media ethically.  Upon completion, students will receive a certificate of completion and sign a pledge of appropriate conduct for utilizing social media.

A PROPER GUIDE

 We must create a component of our student conduct book that recognizes problematic computer use and a disciplinary system.

 A leaflet should be distributed around campus also to warn students of the discipline code and that we will not tolerate online actions that make our students or school look badly.

 Some examples could be: lewd pictures, pictures of students using banned substances, derogatory public statements of other students or professors, or invitations to un-sanctioned parties.

 A tiered discipline system will be put into place similar to our alcohol code of conduct.

REFERENCES

      Dones, I. (2011, April 20). More college professors embracing social media. Retrieved from Daily Trojan: http://dailytrojan.com/2011/04/20/more-college-professors-embracing-social-media/ Evans, N., Forney, D., Guido, F., Patton, L., & Renn, K. (2010). Student Developlment in College. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.

Friedrich, A. (2011, September 12). Infographic: How social media have spread among college campuses. Retrieved from MPRNews: On Campus: http://oncampus.mpr.org/2011/09/infographic-how-social media-have-spread-among-college-campuses/ McHugh, K. (2011, June 9). 43 Percent of U.S. Businesses Using Social Media to Win New Business. Retrieved from SocialTimes.com: http://socialtimes.com/43-percent-of-u-s-businesses-using-social-media-to-win new-business_b65728 National Association for College Admission Counseling . (2009, April 29). Report Finds Use of Social Networking Tools on the Rise in College Admission Offices. Retrieved from National Association for College Admission Counseling : http://www.nacacnet.org/AboutNACAC/PressRoom/2009/Pages/SocialNetworking.aspx

Schoepf, J. (2010). Social Media and Your College Experience. Retrieved from My College Guide: http://mycollegeguide.org/articles/7/119/social_media