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Engaging Students: Social Media vs Email vs VLE?

Explore the different ways to communicate and engage with students outside of the classroom, including social media, email, and virtual learning environments. Discover current media usage trends and learn how to effectively engage with students using various communication channels.

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Engaging Students: Social Media vs Email vs VLE?

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  1. Bring it on Communicating with studentssocial media vs email vs VLE? Guy Saward, University of Hertfordshire • Get out of my face

  2. Agenda • How do we flexibly engage with students • Current media usage + trends • What (some) students want • Issues with social media

  3. Engagement #1 • How do YOU prefer to communicate / engage with students outside the lab/lecture/seminar room? • by web based / StudyNet news • by email • by text • by social media (Facebook/Twitter/blog/wiki) • by some other means • I don’t

  4. Engagement #2 • How do YOUR STUDENTS prefer to communicate / engage outside the lab/lecture/seminar room? • by web based / StudyNet news • by email • by text • by social media (Facebook/Twitter/blog/wiki) • by some other means • I don’t

  5. Characterisation of Comms Media • Can look at different channels of engagement in number of different dimensions, including: • content amount / type (text, image, audio) • push (user has to look for updates)vs pull(user notified of updates) • personalisation of message or same for all • persistance of message • searchability or ability to retrieve • Can use characteristics to analyse utility / affordance of particular comms approach

  6. Current Comms Media Usage • LastestOfcom report shows • 78% internet take up by UK population • 46% of people engaged in social networking • 28% of UK have mobileinternet (1/3 of users) • email beats web in user numbers • for mobiles: txt (85%) > email (30%) > SM (25%) • But smart phones are changing picture • increasing in device+internet share • shifting email use from PC/laptop to mobile • social media preferred over web based email • 18-24 year olds highest mobile users (55% vs 31% for all ages) and social networkers (69% vs 46%)

  7. Social media / StudyNet integration • CS pilot project trying multi-channel comms strategy, adding social media push to StudyNet • So far (as module based project) we have • surveyed three cohorts of student (level 6/m) • implemented bridges from StudyNet to => 3 Facebook pages + 2 Twitter accounts • followed two cohorts with post-module survey • Have also supported student-led project in PAM • initial survey of 4 cohorts (levels 4/5/6) • Awaiting results of £5K bid to JISC

  8. discuss Social Media Updates: Consuming RSS news mail feed staff publish notify student

  9. Social Media Updates: Consuming RSS discuss RSS feed facebook.com/uh6com0265 student RSS Graffiti Twitterfeed publish notify twitter.com/uh6com0265 student / staff

  10. StudyNet Twitter Facebook

  11. VLE-SM Integration: Key Principles • StudyNet as prime originator / repository • Reuse don’t reinvent • Present professional image • Privacy is paramount • staff do not need to share any personal info • students only share identity info • minimal post info => main content in StudyNet • Social media is opt-in for students (and staff?) • Driven by student desire / benefit=> 60% want SM integration vs 17% who don’t

  12. Discussion • Would like to share / understand … • What works for you in comms with students • How things could be improved • Why tech does/doesn’t get used • Where are challenges for professional use • Can do this on technology or issue focus

  13. News • Characterised by HTML web content, pull (multi)media, with push added by RSS feeds Quick fire – 3 key words • Pros? • Cons?

  14. Email • Characterised by HTML web content, targetted / personalised(?), push (multi?)media Quick fire – 3 key words • Pros? • Cons?

  15. Social Media • Characterised by short (microblogging), personalised(?), push (multi)media Quick fire – 3 key words • Pros? • Cons?

  16. Social Media Fatigue • Issues from Guardian live web chat, 27th April Personal vs Professional Private vs Public Inside VLE vs Outside VLE Message vs Medium Digital literacy vs Just another tech Compulsory vs Opt-in Marketing vs Academic ‘Guide on the side’ vs ‘Sage on the stage’

  17. Competance in Comms • Model build model on different competancy, e.g. for Twitter • operational => this is how you use it, e.g. tweet • linguistic => this is the syntax of it, e.g. learning to communicate in 140 characters • social => who can you share with, who are they, e.g. followers and followings • strategic => why are you doing it? what else can you do, e.g. with analytics, reach etc • Latest JISC mobile report seems more 1) than 4)

  18. Our take on issues • Our approach favours … Personal vs Professional Private (content) vs Public (notification) Inside VLE vs Outside VLE Message vs Medium Digital literacy vs Just another tech Compulsory vs Opt-in Marketing vs Academic ‘Guide on the side’ vs ‘Sage on the stage’ • Next issues are scalability and moving beyond comms to public dialogue / engagement

  19. “Social media should be the means, not the end. If the studentsstill had a successful learning experience without the lecturer using social media, then there wouldn't be a problem. The professional responsibility, I guess, is for the lecturer to explore if social media (and anything else) would improve it” Paul Bradshaw, City / Birmingham City University, Online journalist … and for institutions to work out how they can support it effectively

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