Strategic Intent:Social Media in Office of Commuter and Transfer Students

contentsIntroductionOverviewThemes

-Communication-Belonging-Education-Support

UsesLimitationsReferencesContact Info

Courtney Stringer

Andrew McGeehan

Dustin Grabsch

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• Social media has begun to play a new key role in how we communicate in our daily lives. Tools such as Twitter and Facebook have allowed for us to gather feedback from multiple stakeholders from wherever they might live – on or off campus. Social media has allowed those unable to be physically present at strategic conversations to participate and still feel that their voices have been heard. We will continue to interact with our stakeholders throughout the planning process using these tools, and beyond as a key method in telling this unique department’s story to the world.

our commitment

description of department

– Seattle University (SU)’s Office of Commuter and Transfer Student Services (CTSS) provides a three-time national award winning Collegia program.

– The Collegia program is a unique and crucial program because it serves more than 60% of the SU population.

– Each space in the Collegia program is referred to as a collegium.

– SU’s collegium offers a home-like environment where commuter and transfer students can renew themselves between classes, meet with classmates and faculty in a relaxed setting, have conversations with friends, enjoy a snack or join in a special activity.

– The warm and attractive collegium environments include small kitchens, comfortable sofas and reading lamps, study tables, computers, printers, newspapers, books, and access to snacks from an honor bar.

departmental goals• Fostering a sense of belonging by providing a home-like space

where students have a sense of ownership and can build sustaining relationships.

• Develop community identity by providing a setting that promotes the building of friendships by enabling groups of students to study together, socialize, and participate in shared activities.

• Encourage learning beyond the classroom by providing a broader educational experience for students through an environment that promotes collaborative learning, gives access to resources, enables interdisciplinary interactions, gives leadership opportunities, and provides social learning experiences about the challenges and blessings of being together in community.

A needs assessment was conducted by the case study team. This was focused around current uses and possible integration strategies of social media in the Office of Commuter and Transfer Student Services.

The needs assessment was sent to current students within the department as well as staff members. The questions posed are the following:

1. How is the collegium currently using social media (i.e. Facebook, Twitter, etc.)?

2. What do you think the collegium would need (infrastructure, budget, etc.) to utilize social media on a regular basis?

3. What challenges do you anticipate that bringing social media into the collegium might create?

4. What goals has Commuter and Transfer Student Services' office, or your collegium, identified for the future?

5. Is social media a tool that can be used to attain some or all the aforementioned goals?

Themes were identified from our RESEARCH conducted with students and the goals of the CTSS Office. They are outline in the next slide.

educationEach collegium encourages education by providing resources to commuter and transfer students. The theme of education surrounds the idea of education of current students and staff on the different avenues of communication utilizing social media. This education will enable students and staff members to effectively share authentic stories and experiences related to their time in the collegia program.

belongingThe Office of Commuter and Transfer Student Services (CTSS) advocates strongly for all students to have a space to call their own on campus. With the use social media the theme immerged of expanding the sense of belonging not only in a physical sense but a digital sense as well. This was a need identified in the needs assessment.

supportSupport comes from both the CTSS Office as well as the larger campus community. Social media can help other areas on campus become more familiar with the programs in the CTSS Office.

The CTSS office is engaged with getting information regarding their students and programs to the wider campus community. Currently students and staff are not satisfied with the degree of and clarity of communication in this area; therefore, social media suggested will help improve communication.

communication

EDUCATION“Don’t assume you know everything. The options for social media are expanding and the

platforms are exploding. You can use different platforms for different audiences.”

Strategic Initiative #1: Utilize innovative messaging to develop, promote and effectively convey our identity.

STRATEGIC INTIATIVE OUTCOMES: • Identify innovative and effective ways to tell the stories of the

students and department. • Support development of the iPhone mobile application to

increase accessibility to department information.• Upgrade and enhance the website as a source for interactive

information. • Continue website development for better service and

communication to internal and external users.

• Expand our social media platform and presence. • Educate staff and students about risks and rewards of social

media. • Explore options to effectively use You Tube. • Investigate streaming links and access to the website, and

Facebook.

BELONGING“People enjoy the interaction on the Internet, and the feeling of belonging

to a group that does something interesting.”

Strategic Initiative #2: Utilize social media to expand the sense of belonging of students to our spaces, programs, and each other.

STRATEGIC INTIATIVE OUTCOMES: • Create other avenues of engagement by utilizing

FourSquare, Facebook, and phpbb. • Find ways or incentives to create a unique value for

community members to engage using these avenues.• Actively and in a timely fashion address concerns of

members in these avenues without censoring authentic sharing.

“Twitter allows us to give prospective students a bite-sized glimpse into what life here is like.”COMMUNICATION

Strategic Initiative #3: Choose social media that engages our students in ways they wish to engage and interact with our department.

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What methods of communication are right for the Office of Commuter and Transfer Student Services?

–Facebook–Foursquare–Phpbb

SUPPORT“It is a strategic initiative to find ways to build community”

Strategic Initiative #4: Identify support for integration and regular use of social media from stakeholders that interact with the department.

STRATEGIC INTIATIVE OUTCOMES:

• Identify stakeholders of students, student staff, staff, and divisional leadership.

• Assign a social media ‘specialist’ in each of these stakeholder groups to plan systematic implementation of recommendations in a way in which it meets the needs of the stakeholders.

• Obtain approval by departmental and divisional leadership.

• Support social media efforts by regularly monitoring activity, posting new and relevant information for student users.

facebook

foursquare

phpbb

Foursquare is a location-based mobile platform that makes cities easier to use and more interesting to explore. By “checking in” via a smartphone app or SMS, users share their location with friends while collecting points and virtual badges. There will be a rewards system developed each quarter to reward students who have had high amounts of check-ins. Additionally, when students “check-in” a list of programs for the day can be displayed.

Each collegium will have its own Facebook page for its members to join. This page will serve as a social connection and will also be used to send out announcements regarding future events and other pertinent information.

This open source bulletin board will be available to all students associated with collegium sites. There will be opportunities to post questions, thoughts, ideas, suggestions, program ideas, opportunities for collaboration, etc.

generational challenges

cultural shift

responsibility/accountability

There is a possibility that non-traditional students are less likely to participate using social media and/or they may not have the technical skills the younger generation has.

The department will need to shift its culture for both staff and students to adapt to the new use of social media. Any chance naturally has some resistance.

With 5 different Collegia, who will be responsible for the oversight of Facebook, FourSquare, phpbb, etc? The department needs to assess how social media responsibilities will be divided.

accessThe digital divide refers to the gap between people with effective access to digital and information technology and those with very limited or no access at all. This will also affect the CTSS student population.

Chapman, C.C. (2010). 8 Ways to build community with social media. Community College Journal, August/September , 22-26. Hughes, G. (2009). Social software: New opportunities for challenging social inequalities in learning? Learning, Media, and Technology, 34(4), 291-305.Hung, H.T., (2010). Educational use of social networking technology in higher education. Teaching in Higher Education,15(6), 703-714.Manlow, V., Friedman, H., Friedman, L. (2010). Inventing the future: Using social media to transform a university from a teaching organization to a learning organization. Journal of Interactive Learning Research, 21(1), 47-64. Mayes, Y., Freitas, S. (2007). Learning and e-learning: The role

of theory. In Rethinking pedagogy for a digital age: Designing and delivery e-learning (ed. Beetham, H., Sharpe, R.), 13-25.

Dustin Grabsch grabschd@seattleu.edu

AIM: dgrabschTwitter: dgrabschSkype: d.grabsch

Courtney Stringer stringe4@seattleu.edu

Facebook: /stringceSkype: courtneystringerAIM: courtneystringer

Andrew McGeehanmcgeeha1@seattleu.edu

Facebook: /mcgee1AIM: squall0112Skype: squall0112