Social Media Use Up in Higher Education
University and college admission offices are beginning to harness the power of social media sites like Facebook and Twitter to recruit and inform students. Schools are using sites like YouTube to show off campus amenities to prospective students and blogs to keep parents up to date on school information.
A recent study by The University of Massachusetts Dartmouth Center for Marketing Research on the use of social media by colleges and universities, found 85% of the surveyed schools used some form of social media in 2008 and that number is expected to grow. The study also found:
- 61% use social networking sites
- 41% use video blogs
- 36% use message boards
- 16% use podcasts
10% use wikis
Faculty More Unlikely to Use Social Media Tools
Though it seems college admission offices have jumped on board with various social media tools, faculty use lags behind. In a September 2009 study titled “Twitter in Higher Education: Usage Habits and Trends of Today’s College Faculty” found only 19% of those surveyed were familiar with Twitter.
Other findings:
- 12.9% said they had tried Twitter but stopped, citing its contribution to poor writing sills
- 15.6% used Twitter only occasionally
- 21% used Twitter frequently
- 20.6% said there was an even chance they would incorporate it into their instruction over the next 2 years.
Social Media Here To Stay As a Tool for Educators
As colleges and universities become more comfortable with social media, it will become a mainstay on campuses to teach, stay in touch with, and recruit students to their programs.
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I can see why many professors aren’t making the jump into social media. It must drive them nuts having students tweet on their Iphones and login to Facebook on their laptops while they are lecturing.
It is very true. It can help the professors in developing the way of teaching to their students but I also agree with Kyle said about the flaws of using social media as learning tool.
very impressive truth just does not happen because it is very difficult to come up and that then it’s turned out to be true because it’s real life on the planet