Would You Like That Posted, Tweeted, or Emailed? Exploring the Social Media

Usage Amongst our Students

Nicole Holtzclaw-Stone, Arif Fazel, and Daniel Turner

Getting to Know You – I-clicker

How often do you use email to communicate with your students?

A)NeverB)DailyC)Once per weekD)Bi-monthlyE)Monthly

Getting to Know You – I-clicker

How often do you use Facebook to communicate with your students?

A)NeverB)DailyC)Once per weekD)Bi-monthlyE)Monthly

Getting to Know You – I-clicker

How often do you use Twitter to communicate with your students?

A)NeverB)DailyC)Once per weekD)Bi-monthlyE)Monthly

Getting to Know You – I-clicker

How often do you use LinkedIn to communicate with your students?

A)NeverB)DailyC)Once per weekD)Bi-monthlyE)Monthly

Getting to Know You – I-clicker

What is your preferred form of electronic communication with your students?

A)EmailB)FacebookC)TwitterD)BlogsE)Website

Getting to Know You – I-clicker

What do you think is your students preferred form of electronic communication with you?

A)EmailB)FacebookC)TwitterD)BlogsE)Website

2013 re:fuel College Explorer Survey

Random sample 1,528 college students ages 18-34

•86% of college students use Facebook•38% of college students use Twitter•30% of college students use Instagram•29% of college students use Google+

2013 re:fuel College Explorer Survey

What is extremely/very important?•46% - staying current on celebrity news •36% - sharing links to their websites/videos/blogs•29% - sharing locations/activities with friends•17% - looking at friends’ photos•16% - discussing information with friends•16% - staying up to date with friendshttp://www.globenewswire.com/news-release/2013/06/13/554002/10036312/en/Tech-Savvy-College-Students-Are-Gathering-Gadgets-Saying-Yes-to-Showrooming-and-Rejecting-Second-Screening.html

Noel-Levitz 2013 E-Expectations Report

• Surveyed 2,018 college-bound high school students• 78% have regular access to mobile device• 67% use Facebook compared to 79% in 2012• 28% use Twitter – 27% in 2012• 15% use Instagram – 0 in 2012• 5% use Google+ - 19% in 2012• 4% use Pinterest – 6% in 2012• 3% use Tumblr – 9% in 2012• 3% use Snapchat – 0 in 2012

https://www.noellevitz.com/documents/shared/Papers_and_Research/2013/2013_E-Expectations_mobile.pdf

Student Mobile Habits

• Students spend 3.6 hours a day with their cell phones and smartphones while spending less time with computers, TVs, handheld gaming devices, and e-readers

• 87% of college students never leave without cell phone

• 91% use their mobile to check/compose email• 68% “check in” with social media via mobile

http://www.prweb.com/releases/college-students/mobile-habits-marketing/prweb10405353.htm

Technology and Academic Advising: Student Usage and Preferences

• NACADA Journal, 2014, 34(1), Trudi Gaines• Students indicated preferences for important dates

and deadlines via e-mail opposed to social media• 75.2% reported checking e-mail daily• Negative feedback about use of social media as

vehicle for transmitting information to students• Facebook – reserved for nonacademic aspects • Dominant preference for using e-mail for academic

advising and information dissemination

Research Questions

• Do undergraduates want to connect to their advisors via social media?

Research Questions

• How do undergraduates want to receive various types of school-related information?

Research Questions

• How do these responses vary by variables such as unit, race, gender, international status, first-generation status and other markers?

Research Questions

• Captive Audience:– Frequency of advising visits– Reasons seek out advising– Other questions

Research I, Public University

• 32,500 undergraduates

• College of Liberal Arts and Sciences:– 11,500 undergraduates

• Division of General Studies– 2,600 undergraduates (frosh/soph only)

Research Design

• 359 undergraduates participated in survey (approx. 4,400 invited)

• Three units:– Department of Sociology (250)– School of Molecular and Cellular Biology

(975)– Division of General Studies (2,600)

Research Design

• Online survey – Survey Gizmo

• Email invitation

• Email reminders

Analysis

• Statistics team – Graduate STATS course

• Utilized statistical methods to analyze data– Raking

– Imputation

– Tests for significance

• Qualitative analysis

Findings

• Show our survey demographics• Look at statistical data showing students

who want to connect to their Advising programs and how often they reach out to Advisors

• Show what types of social media are popular amongst students and the kinds of information they want to receive via SM

Weighted Survey Demographics - Gender

22

Weighted Survey Demographics - Race

23

Weighted Survey Demographics - Citizenship

24

Weighted Survey Demographics - Class

25

Do You Want to Connect?

26

Do you want to Connect? – “NO”

• Keep academic and social separate• Not interested/don’t use social media• Don’t like social media• Prefer email• Social media overload

Do you want to Connect? – “NO” Quotes

• “Because everyone's conforming to social media and that's what is making it such a problem today, it’s taking over society.”

• “To keep my friends separate from my academic responsibilities draws a thick line and a clear idea of which is which. Mixing pleasure with work will mesh the masks I wear for each.”

• “I prefer email. The more places information is provided, the more likely I am to miss something.”

• “The domain of academia should not be dependent on social media portals for communication.”

Do you want to Connect? – “YES”

• Ease of use• Convenience• Fastest way to get updates• Connect to obtain information• Already using social media anyway

Do you want to Connect? – “YES” Quotes

• “Social media makes everything easier by connecting people together and putting out new information or updates really quickly.”

• “I wouldn't mind being contacted via social media. I am on it all day anyway.”

• “Honestly, I check my Facebook more than my email account. By having a Facebook page that I could 'like', I would be able to get your updates quicker.”

• “Connecting college with social media is easier to get updated current information.”

31

Department

Wants To Connect?

DGS MCB SOC

Yes 140 75 17

No 88 35 4

Chi-squared=4.09P-Value: 0.1292SIS P-Value 0.1321

Wanting to Connect vs. Department

Not significant

32

Chi-squared=3.1949P-Value: 0.3625SIS P-value: 0.3682

Class

Wants To

Connect?

Freshman Sophomore JuniorSenio

r

Yes 97 66 34 35

No 59 13 14 42

Wanting to Connect vs. Class

Not significant

33

Chi-squared=2.6912P-Value: 0.1009SIS P-Value: 0.07391

Transfer Student

Wants To Connect?

No Yes

Yes 208 24

No 121 6

Wanting to Connect vs. Transfer Student

Significant?

First Generation Student vs. How Often Advising Office was Visited

34

How often you visited your Advising Office last semester

First Generation

StudentNever Once Twice

Three Times

Four or More Times

Yes 28 20 14 8 12

No 58 66 60 44 49

P-Value: 0.026Correlation: -0.117 Significant

Reasons for Going to Advising

35

“Popular” Social Media in terms of Use

36

“Popular” Social Media in terms of Likelihood to Connect to Advising Office

37

“Unpopular” Social Media in terms of Use

38

How Often You Want to Receive Information via Social Media about the

following:

39

Conclusions

• Email still preferred method of communication

• We should connect via social media, but be mindful of boundaries of professional/academic student life and personal life.

Recommendations

1. Stay current with social media trends –change rapidly

2. Its easy to use social media to get information to students – they are there

Concluding Questions

When you go back to your campus, will your connections with students via social media

A)IncreaseB)Stay the sameC)Decrease

Concluding Questions

When you go back to campus will you delete your Facebook account?

A)YesB)No

Further Readings

• Gaines, T., (2014). Technology and academic advising: student usage and preferences. NACADA Journal, 34(1).

• Social Medial in Higher Education– Rey Junco’s Blog– http://blog.reyjunco.com/about

• Engaging Students through Social Media: Evidence-Based Practices for Use in Student Affairs– Reynol Junco– August 18, 2014– http://www.amazon.com/Engaging-Students-through-Social-Media/dp/1118647459?

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Questions??