Developing the Virtual Campus: Engaging Students through Online Social Networking Council of College...

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Developing the Virtual Campus: Engaging Students through Online Social Networking

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• Anastasia Metros, Ph.D.• [email protected]

• Angie Lipschuetz, Ph.D.• [email protected]

• Dale Crowe, JD, Ph.D.• [email protected]

• Ian Walter• [email protected]

Presenters

Learning Outcomes of the presentation Creating Conditions that Matter Fostering Engagement Phoenix Connect - Example of a Private

Campus Wide Social Network Examples of Specific “Groups”Regulations & Directives for Military

Members Discussion, Questions & Answers

Presentation Agenda

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Learning Outcomes

Methods for increasing student engagements via social networking both within and outside of the classroom, especially in a deployment scenario

Strategies for enhancing virtual community and student engagement on an online setting for faculty, military members and veterans

Benefits and limitations of private campus wide social network

What prompts students to use a campus wide social network?

Participants will share their experiences with social networking in an effort to promote student engagement from active military as well as veterans both from a social perspective as well as academic

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Creating Conditions that Matter

Student engagement includes “investment in the academic experience of college, interactions with faculty, involvement in co-curricular activities and interaction with peers” (Kuh, 2009; Pascarella & Terenzini, 2005 as cited by Junco 2011).

Many prominent studies in the past 30 years have suggested that student engagement is strongly linked to heightened commitment to a learning institution and ultimately higher retention rates (Nora, 1987; Spady, 1971; Terenzini & Pascarella, 1997; Tinto, 1993 as cited Broome et al).


Student engagement is comprised of: The effort students put into their academics Additional activities that help them succeed.

While there are some students who are actively engaged in learning, “there are others who do not connect in meaningful ways with their teachers and their peers, or take advantage of learning opportunities. As a result, many students leave school prematurely…” (Kuh et al., 2005 p 10).


Enhanced student engagement is what is needed to positively impact student

success and student retention.

We have an opportunity to create the conditions that matter to increase student interaction with their peers and faculty,.

An academically focused social network provides the conditions for enhancing student engagement by fostering social interaction, discussions on academics, student-centered content and communities.


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Fostering Engagement

• Social Media– A group of Internet-based applications that build on the ideological

and technological foundations of Web 2.0, and that allow the creation and exchange of User Generated Content (Kaplan & Haenlein, 2010, p. 61)

• Social Network Sites– Web-based services that allow individuals to (1) construct a public

or semi-public profile within a bounded system, (2) articulate a list of other users with whom they share a connection, and (3) view and traverse their list of connections and those made by others within the system. The nature and nomenclature of these connections may vary from site to site (Boyd and Ellison, 2008, p. 211)

Fostering Engagement: Social Media

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• Relationship Between Social Media and Social Engagement• Positive relationship between social media and student

engagement

• Rutherford (2010)• Positive relationship between Twitter use and student

engagement

• Junco, Heibergert, & Locken (2011) • Positive relationship between Facebook activities and

student engagement

• Junco (2011)

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The convergence of social networking technologies and a new “always on” pedagogy is rapidly changing the face of education (Baird & Fisher, 2005, p. 6)

Higher education is tasked to find effective ways to utilize Facebook and other social media to enhance student engagement

Future Directions:

• Synchronous vs Asynchronous Environments

• Definition of VLC• composed of people, a virtual location where they interact, share in

interests, and employ technologies to work together to achieve goals (Daniel, Schwier, & Ross, 2007, p. 462).

• Strategies for development of Virtual Learning Communities (Santos, 2012, p. 53-54)

1. Permit the social dynamics that characterize a learning community2. Allow learning communities to have their own life cycles3. Members of the community engage collaboratively in problem solving activities4. Encourage students to build a shared information base

Fostering Engagement: Virtual Learning Communities

• Origins of Academic Social Networks (ASN’s)• Emory University (Pursnani, 2013)

• Current higher educational institutions utilizing ASN’s– (Namahoe, 2012; Rice, 2011)

• University of Phoenix ASN

Fostering Engagement: Academic Social Networks

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PhoenixConnectA

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Private, academically focused social network serving the University of Phoenix community

• Started pilots September 2010• Launched to entire University June 2011• Currently over 800,000 members• Network for students, faculty and alumni

PhoenixConnect Overview®

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• Community Focus Areas– Academic– Professional – Social

Academic

Social Career

Support

• Support Focus Areas– Tech support– Financial aid – Student services– Academic help


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BenefitsP

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• Expand learning network from classmates to entire population

• Access relevant information based on personal and academic interests

• Communicate in real-time to foster a social presence

• Rapid resolutions to questions allows focus to return to academic goals

• Receive guidance and support from staff and students

• Enhance career opportunities

Benefits: Students

• Increase student retention through academic and social engagement

• Maintain minimal support costs through crowd-sourced and self-service support

• Broadcast platform that enables wide reach and distribution based on the unique focus of each community

• Listen and proactively engage students in a secure network

• Data insights to drive personalization and inform decisions

Benefits: University

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Community StrategyIn

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Increasing Engagement: Community Strategy

Platform Technology (PhoenixConnect )+

Official Roles+

Strategy=

Vibrant Academic Social Network

®

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Increasing Engagement: Community Strategy

• Policies• Community Guidelines• Escalation process

• Seeded content

• Continuous engagement efforts• Community Administrator (strategy)• Community Managers (SME)• Community Leaders (super users)

• Moderation

Laun

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Learning Communities

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Increasing Engagement: Learning Communities

Students who participate in academic communities are more likely to connect with peers, increasing overall success rates and student retention.

(Zhao & Kuh, 2004)

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Result:– Students expand learning beyond the classroom

“Many times the students can explain things in a way that makes it easier to understand than what the instructors can.”

– Students find new sources of motivation

“It’s motivating to me knowing that somebody else at least cares or is on the same page as me”

Students who participate in academic communities are more likely to connect with peers, increasing overall success rates and student retention.

(Zhao & Kuh, 2004)

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Result:– Created a venue for personal investment in education,

the more active a student is, the more invested he or she is– Increased potential for student to faculty interaction.

• 6,700 active faculty on PhoenixConnect

The more a student is invested into the learning experience, the morelikely that student is to persist until graduation

(Zhao & Kuh, 2004)

The most effective way to improve a student’s satisfaction with aneducational institution is to facilitate student to faculty interaction

(Astin 1984)

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®

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Providing Support

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Increasing Engagement: Providing Support

Supportive Campus Environments allow students to perform better and increase overall satisfaction rates

Characteristics of a supportive campus environment:• Helps students succeed academically• Helps students cope with nonacademic responsibilities

(work, family etc.)• Helps students thrive socially• Promotes good relations between students and peers

National Survey of Student Engagement

Result:• Provide community based support • Access to expert help from University staff in Support Communities• Educate students about self-service capabilities

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User GroupsIn

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Increasing Engagement: User Groups

Clustering: Proven community building practice of grouping together students who share interests, areas or study or lifestyles

National Survey of Student Engagement Rese

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Result: • Traditional clustering method expanded to a much larger scale.

Students can join or form their own clusters– (over 2,700 existing groups)

• Self-forming User Groups allow for stronger connections based on very specific interests

• Criteria for these clusters are expanded to almost an infinite number of possibilities– From “Woodland Hills Psychology Club” to “Aviation enthusiasts” to “Military Spouses”

Clustering: Proven community building practice of grouping together students who share interests, areas or study or lifestyles

National Survey of Student Engagement Rese

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Clusters of Effective Education: Specific activities that enrich the educational experience, complement the academic program and engage students

• Interacting with students with different religious beliefs, political opinions or values

• Talking with students of difference races or ethnicities• Contact between students from different economic and

social backgrounds

National Survey of Student Engagement

Result:• Embrace the diversity of the University’s student population• Support interactions that would have not occurred otherwise

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Regulations & Directives for Military Members

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Examples of Specific Groups

Active Duty Military & Reservists

Combat Veterans

Military Spouses

Military Wives or Significant Others

Veterans

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Military Members: Regulations and Directives

Controlling Document: DOD Directive Type Memorandum (DTM) is 09-026 – “Responsible and Effective Use of Internet-based Capabilities

Based on DTM 09-026 Each Branch of the Military has Created its Own Handbook

U.S. Army Social Media Handbook http://www.slideshare.net/USArmySocialMedia/army-social-media-handbook-2012

Navigating the Social Network: The Air Force Guide to Effective Social Media Use http://www.slideshare.net/IRSmartt/usaf-social-media-policy

U.S. Coast Guard Social Media Handbook: Responsible Use of Social Media http://www.dvidshub.net/publication/issues/10409

The Social Corps: The U.S.M.C. Social Media Principles http://marines.dodlive.mil/social-media/

Navy Command: Social Media Handbook http://www.doncio.navy.mil/ContentView.aspx?ID=2106

DOD Social Media Hub http://www.defense.gov/socialmedia/

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What is DTM 09-026 – 10 February 2010?

It is an interim measure guiding the use of social media by members of the DOD until formal rules and regulations are published.

Prior to DTM 09-026 of 10 February 2010 allowable use of social networking sites by military members was vague at best.

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On March 16, 2010 National Public Radio’s Talk of the Nation devoted a good part of its show to Social Media and the U.S. Military following the implementation of DTM 09-026

Price Floyd (Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Public Affairs) responded to caller’s questions.

Military members phoned in from all parts of the World to express their desire to have social networking sites available for use on both personal computers and DOD computers.

Since 2010 the DOD and the civilian sector has recognized the importance of social networking site, including private social networking sites.

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One example of a private networking site is RallyPoint that is only available to military professionals. The site emphasizes the importance of engagement of military members. http:www.rallypoint.com

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Military Members: Regulations and DirectivesWhile directives and regulations are primarily for public social networking sites they may be also applicable to private sites as well

Use of facial and other photographs where taken at a military installation

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Providing written disclaimers when discussing any branch of the DOD

Post this disclaimer below your signature line when you post content about the Coast Guard in an unofficial capacity:“The views expressed herein are those of the writer and are not to be construed as official or reflecting the views of the Commandant or of the U.S. Coast Guard.”

Understanding the difference between Official, Unofficial, and Personal posts



Complying with Operation Security Requirements (OPSEC).

In addition, there are numerous checklists and caveats found in the various handbooks

Discussion: Q&A

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ReferencesBaird, D. E. & Fisher, M. (2005). Neomillennial user experience design strategies: Utilizing

social networking media to support “always on” learning styles. Journal of Education Technology Systems, 34 (1), 5-32. http://dx.doi.org/10.2190/6WMW-47L0-M81Q-12G1

Boyd, D. M., & Ellison, N. B. (2007). Social Network Sites: Definition, History, and Scholarship. Journal Of Computer-Mediated Communication, 13(1), 210-230. http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1083-6101.2007.00393.x

Broome, R., Croke, B., Staton, M., & Zachritz, H. The Social Side of Student Retention. Inigral Insights.

Dahlstrom, E., de Boor, T., Grunwald, P., & Vockley, M. (2011). The ECAR national study of undergraduate students and information technology. Retrieved from http://www.educause.edu/ecar.

Daniel, B. K., Schwier, R. A., & Ross, H. M. (2007). Synthesis of the process of learning through discourse in a formal virtual learning community. Journal of Interactive Learning Research, 18(4), 461-477. Retrieved from http://www.editlib.org/p/21783

Falahah & Rosmala, D. (2012). Study of Social Networking usage in Higher Education Environment. Procedia-Social and Behavioral Sciences, 67, 156-166. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.sbspro.2012.11.316

Heiberger, G., & Harper, R. (2008). Have you facebooked Astin lately? Using technology to increase student involvement. New Directions For Student Services, (124), 19-35. http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/ss.293

Higher Education Research Institute (2007, September). College freshmen andonline social networking sites. Retrieved from http://heri.ucla.edu/

http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1083-6101.2007.00393.x

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References Junco, R. (2011). The relationship between frequency of Facebook use, participation in

Facebook activities, and student engagement. Computers and Education, 58(1), 162-171. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.compedu.2011.08.004

Junco, R., Heiberger, G., & Loken, E. (2011). The effect of Twitter on college student engagement and grades. Journal of Computer Assisted Learning, 27(2), 119-132. doi.10.1111/j.1365-2729.2010.00387.x

Kaplan, A., & Haenlein, M. (2010). Users of the world, unite! The challenges and opportunities of social media. Business Horizons, 53(1), 59–68. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.bushor.2009.09.003

Kuh, G. D. (2001). Assessing what really matters to student learning: Inside the National Survey of Student Engagement. Change, 33(3), 10-17. doi:10.1080/00091380109601795

Kuh, G. D., Kinzie, J., Schuh, J. H., & Whitt, E. J. (2005). Student success in college: creating conditions that matter. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.

Lenning, O. T, & Ebbers, L. H. (1999). The powerful potential of learning communities: Improving education for the future. ASHE-ERIC Higher Education Report, 26(6). Washington, D.C.: The George Washington University Graduate School of Education and Human Development.

Namahoe, K. (2012, August 15). Indiana University To Test Drive Academic Social Network. Retrieved from http://campustechnology.com/articles/2012/08/15/indiana-university-to-test-drive-academic-social-network.aspx

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ReferencesPursnani, V. (2013, Winter). LearnLink’s new look: Emory’s beloved online community gets

an upgrade. Emory Magazine, 88(4). Retrieved from http://www.emory.edu/EMORY_MAGAZINE/issues/2013/winter/index.html

Rice, A. (2011, December 6). New Academic Social Network Looks Beyond the Course, and Beyond Facebook. Retrieved from http://chronicle.com/blogs/wiredcampus/new-academic-social-network-looks-beyond-the-course-and-beyond-facebook/34553

Roblyer, M. D., McDaniel, M., Webb, M., Herman, J., & Witty, J. V. (2010). Findings on Facebook in higher education: A comparison of college faculty and student uses and perceptions of social networking sites. Internet and Higher Education, 13(3), 134-140. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.iheduc.2010.03.002

Rovai, A. P. (2002). A preliminary look at the structural differences of higher education classroom communities in traditional and ALN courses. Journal of Asynchronous Learning Networks, 6(1), 41-56. Retrieved from http://sloanconsortium.org/publications/jaln_main

Rutherford, C. (2010). Using online social media to support preservice student engagement. Journal of Online Learning and Teaching, 6, 1-11. Retrieved from http://jolt.merlot.org/index.html

Santos, A. (2012). Designing and Researching Virtual Learning Communities. International Journal of Emerging Technologies in Learning, 7, 52-57. Retrieved from http://online-journals.org/i-jet/index

Swan, K. & Shea, P. (2005). The development of virtual learning communities. In S. R. Hiltz & R. Goldman, Asynchronous Learning Networks: The Research Frontier. New York: Hampton Press, 239-260.

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