ERIC Number: EJ824828
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2008
Pages: 17
Abstractor: ERIC
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0164-7970
EISSN: N/A
Have You Facebooked Astin Lately? Using Technology to Increase Student Involvement
Heiberger, Greg; Harper, Ruth
New Directions for Student Services, n124 p19-35 Win 2008
Students today network with each other using technology as much as, if not more than, face-to-face communication. College administrators must not only recognize this phenomenon, but learn to use the variety of electronic media available in positive ways: to stay connected to college social networks, promote relevant events, and help students feel safe and at home on campus. Facebook, an online communication tool that allows users to connect individually and with large groups, began with a Harvard student who saw untapped potential in taking the college's traditional freshman directory to an electronic, student-directed format. With over 100 million active users, Facebook now holds an 85 percent market share of four-year U.S. colleges and universities (Facebook, 2008a). This article explores Facebook.com's current and potential uses for increasing college student involvement. Just as students are multidimensional in their talents, interests, and abilities, so must student affairs staff members be creative in implementing programs that support these talents, interests, and abilities. Informed by theory and practice, effective student personnel administrators will find innovative ways to involve students. Alexander Astin's theory of student involvement (1984) is a highly useful framework for evaluating how much or whether Facebook use affects student engagement. The authors present examples and recommendations in using Facebook to increase student involvement. (Contains 2 figures.)
Descriptors: Educational Technology, Social Networks, Student Participation, Theory Practice Relationship, Influence of Technology, Computer Networks, Computer Mediated Communication, Computer Uses in Education, Technology Integration, Student Personnel Services, Student Personnel Workers, College Students
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Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Evaluative
Education Level: Higher Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A