Social Media Exploring Social Media to Enhance Interactive Communication and e-Learning for Students in Higher Education Billy Rector, Chief Information Officer Texas Southern University, Houston, TX

Social Media and Higher Education 3 When you talk to your grandchildren 50 years from now, you can say you were there at the dawn of this new Internet century, and you played a role in shaping our future and improving the way people get information and communicate with each other. So you are a pioneer. You didn’t miss the party. The party is just beginning. Steve Case, The Digital Decade

Social Media and Higher Education 4 Social Media has revolutionize how colleges should communicate and teach students The current generation of students spends the most time online. Finding ways to meet students’ interests is key Social Media can keep students engaged in lectures and inform them about things they may not have known about the school.

Social Media and Higher Education 5 “Instructors who incorporate mobile devices are actively engaging us in the class. They are using the medium of communication that we most often use. We need to find new ways to present material; we don’t need more cut- and-dry lecture formats. Engage us in video, ask us questions, challenge us to think for ourselves while applying the class information… Lectures are just one way to present material…one would think it was the only way to teach.” When asked how students felt about lectures and using social media devices in college courses, one student at Purdue University replied:

Agenda 6 Types of Social Media Schools Use Why Social Media Can and Is Changing Education How Schools Use Social Media Challenges of Social Media HBCUs Study on Social Media

Social Media Study Top 5 Schools in Social Media Usage 7

Why Social Media Can and Is Changing Education 8 Its Free It reduces the feeling of isolation among ( interconnection between student to teacher) Embraces cultural diversity Intensifies passion Opens up the world to education

Types of Social Media Schools Use 9 Facebook is the most used social media tool in higher education at 98% in Facebook usage was at 61% in (37% increase in 2 years)

Types of Social Media Schools Use 10 Facebook has 1.06 billion monthly active users 680 million mobile users More than 42 million pages 9 million mobile apps

Types of Social Media Schools Use 11 Microblogging allows schools to send up-to- date announcements and bulletins to students Twitter usage was 84% in Twitter usage was 59% in (25% increase in 1 year)

How Schools use Social Media 12 In the Classroom: Professors, Make class announcements and conduct discussions on Twitter Share class documents and learning materials on social networking sites Interact with students in a new way using mobile device apps like Hotseat.

How Schools use Social Media 13 General Outreach: Social Sites, Provide a platform to promote school activities and events. Keep parents of students informed on admission deadlines Coordinate with Alumni for School Giving Campaigns

Challenges of Social Media 14 Lack of Knowledge: A school’s social media must be managed by knowledgeable people who understands social media and is passionate about the school. If not, students will feel that it is not authentic. Lack of privacy.

Challenges of Social Media 15 Lack of Features: The lack of engagement for students can make them feel like the school does not care. Even an excellent web page is useless if there are not any features to promote one-on-one connections with the students.

Challenges of Social Media 16 More than a presence: It’s not enough to just have a school Facebook page. It requires daily maintenance and interaction with students. Current and potential students will judge the school based on their experiences with the school’s social media accounts.

Social Media Strategies for HighED  Social media strategies need to address how educational institutions behave and interact on social media. This concerns the institutions in their roles as educational entities, as well the ethical behavior of individual academics and administrators in both their professional and personal capacities.  Strategies must recognize the different roles that academics and administrators play in the organization, and determine and encourage uses that are compatible with and valuable for those roles within their different constituencies.  Educational institutions on social media needs to take into account the interests, needs and agendas of the intended target audience. 17

Social Media Strategies for HighED Recommendations  Structure the strategy by category of use: official for the institution as a whole, professional and personal for different roles within an education ecosystem.  Establish a framework that the institution will use when determining the need for and the form of any official presence on social media: This framework must assess the purpose of such presence for the intended target audience, its scope and its time horizon, and establish a set of metrics to periodically reassess its value and importance.  Determine which categories of potential social media use should be forbidden, discouraged, tolerated, encouraged or rewarded for using social media, both professionally and — where possible and where their role so implies — personally within the expanding educational ecosystem. 18

HBCUs Study HBCUs in 20 States in the U.S. Only 4 HBCUs are in the Top 100 Social Media Colleges The University of Phoenix (Online University) awards more bachelor’s degrees to African- American students than any HBCU. Online students are looking for an education that fits into their personal and work lives with self- paced learning options.

HBCUs Study 20 With the right social media strategy and Title III assistance the number of HBCUs on the Top 100 Social Media Colleges list can increase.

Reference Links 21 Social Media in Higher Education Study University of Massachusetts Dartmouth Study Colleges Embrace Social Media in the Classroom Top 100 Social Media Colleges College Rankings HR Office of Educational Partnerships/HBCUs Number of HBCUs in the US HBCUs Must Embrace Online Education Study by Reggie Smith III(United States Distance Learning Association), April 4,

Share your thoughts on this session Questions  22