Notes from this session at Educause 2008:
How are today’s undergrad students using social networking applications are part of their campus lives?
How might student use impact recruitment and retention?
Today’s Students:
Net Gen students use a variety of technologies to structure and organize their lives – for entertainment and communication
These students have high expectations regarding networked campuses
It’s unclear how well student technology use translates directly to teaching and learning (Wagner, 2005)
Today’s Institutions:
Struggling to meet students high expectations regarding technolgy
Institutions increasingly using Web 2.0
Horizon Project’s Call for Scholarship recently identified social networking tools as a possible education tool for building learning communities (October 2007).
30+ years of research has built on Tinto’s findings that student persistence is related to social and academic integration (1975)
Students have showed that web-based collaboration tools can increase retention in courses (Fisher and Baird, 2005)
Others have found that online social networking can increase social engagement (Lento, Wesler, Gu & Smith)
Most students start w/ MySpace but then transition to Facebook because it’s “simpler”, it’s “what college students use”.
According to presenter’s study:
63.4% of students log into a social networking site several times a day.
Only 32% of students indicate that they use a mobile device to connect to a social networking application.
Discussion related to getting students involved in the social network before they even arrive on campus so they can begin to connect with each other and make the transition easier. Students have joined Facebook groups/MySpace groups related to their residence halls.
“Does Your Preferred Social Networking Site Improve or Enrich Your Non-Academic Life at ASU? – 70.3% of Facebook Users from survey said ‘yes’”
Some students may feel like an outsider if most other students do not use their preferred social network.
2 responses so far ↓
mpstaton // November 15, 2008 at 9:32 pm |
I think both Laura Brewer and the Wellens/Madge team are thinking about social networking in the right framework: that it impacts perceived sense of belonging through connection and interaction. This sense of belonging can impact both yield and retention, not to mention just have a more unified community with greater levels of interaction and friendship.
micala // November 15, 2008 at 10:29 pm |
I completely agree with you and that’s exactly why Penn State World Campus is using all of these tools. We’re trying to build community among all of our online learners and provide them with that sense of belonging as well.