Influencing policy (training slides from Fast Track Impact)
Uceama09 Porto
1. Using social media tools
to support student retention
Dr. Stella Porto
Master of Distance Education
Graduate School of Management & Technology
University of Maryland University College
http://www.slideshare.net/sporto/uceama09-porto
2. Agenda
• Focus of this presentation
• Introduction
Student support in distance education
Context & background
Social media in distance education
• The Social Media experience in the MDE
Our activities
Lessons learned
Synergy and future
• Final remarks
3. Focus of this presentation
“As distance education has evolved
from a teacher-centric to a much more
learner-centric model, the roles and
activities instructors and other learner
support providers have changed to being
more proactive than reactive” (Brindley et
al., 2004, p.9)
The lack of campus life imposes difficulty in keeping students and
graduates connected beyond the ties of the online classroom.
Using social media to provide further student support in a
sustainable way is the focus of this presentation.
4. Introduction:
Student Support in Distance Education
• Necessary shift from a campus based perspective
Needs go beyond those addressed in individual courses
• Focus on the needs of this specific target audience
Part-time
Full-time employment
Family duties
Long time away from school
Diverse academic and professional background
9. Introduction:
Context & background: the program
• Core competencies
Managing the DE system in a Corporate
variety of settings Training &
Planning, budgeting, Learning
development, delivery, and
support of distance education Faculty Media &
and distance training programs Support technology
• Target Audience
Potential managers of the Distance
distance education enterprise in: Education
Educational organizations
Corporate / Business Instruction
Higher
Government & Military Design &
Education
Non-profit and associations Support
• Entirely online for part-time Leaders &
working adults Managers
• International
• Collaborative
10. Introduction:
Institutional Student support
• Enrollment management / Registrar
Admissions
Financial aid
Registration
Advising
Graduation
• Portal with self-services
• Academic specialist within the
department
• Program director
• Library
• Office of disabilities
12. Social media: what it can do for us
BEYOND instruction
• Virtual communities: cultivate a blend of challenge and support
Sharing beyond virtual classroom
Social network
Peer support
Tools: any social network tool or online group tools
• Sandbox for experiments, especially useful for distance
educators
Learning with technology
Learning through technology
Acquiring skills
Developing technological competencies
Tools: ALL
13. Social media: what it can do for us
BEYOND instruction
• Individual and collaborative means for producing and sharing
content
Generation of user content
Building collective knowledge
Tools: blogs, wikis, collaborative documents, etc.
• Information diffusion and immediate feedback
Immediate communication with stakeholders
Collective feedback and appreciation
Tools: blogs, social networking, wikis, …
• Expanding knowledge in field of interest
Sharing new information and utilizing new media
Program-wide projects
Tools: audio, video, and image tools, blogs, social networking, …
14. The MDE Student Support
Social Media Suite
BLOGS
WIKIS VIDEOS
SOCIAL NETWORKING
15. The MDE Student Support
Social Media Suite: The MDE Hub
The MDE Hub
•The one-stop-shop for ALL
MDE related information
•Extremely flexible platform
16. The MDE Student Support
Social Media Suite: The MDE Blog
The MDE Blog
•Initially was the one-stop-shop
for all MDE information
•Now, works exclusively as a
blog
•One-way communication - no
interaction
17. The MDE Student Support
Social Media Suite: The MDE Lounge
The MDE-lounge
•Real interaction
•Privacy, listserv mode,
discussion board, simple and not-
invasive
18. The MDE Student Support
Social Media Suite: The MDE Faculty Forum
The Faculty-forum
•Management effectiveness
•Privacy, listserv mode,
discussion board, simple and
not-invasive
19. The MDE Student Support
Social Media Suite: The MDE wiki
The MDE wiki on new technologies
•Knowledge-base
•Information sharing
•Meta-learning
20. The MDE Student Support
Social Media Suite: The MDE capstone wiki
The MDE capstone
wiki
•Support for final
capstone: e-portfolio &
research project
•Information sharing
•Direct relationship with
instruction
21. The MDE Student Support
Social Media Suite: The capstone tutorial
The MDE tutorial
•Support for e-portfolio
•Precursor of the MDE
capstone wiki
•Direct relationship with
instruction
22. The MDE Student Support
Social Media Suite: MDE Orientation
The MDE orientation
•Workshop with direct
instructor-led support
•Information sharing
•Direct support to instruction
23. The MDE Student Support Social Media Suite:
The MDE internship program
The MDE internship
program
•Getting your feet wet as
a distance educator
•Supporting the program
•Engaging in action
research
24. The MDE Student Support
Social Media Suite: The MDE Buddy Program
The MDE buddy-system
•Peer-support
•Student initiative
•Action research project
25. The MDE Student Support
Social Media Suite: social networking
Presence in social
networks
•Connections with
graduates and
prospective students
•Marketing
26. The MDE Student Support
Social Media Suite: The MDE Itinerant Video
The MDE Itinerant
video project
•Graduate initiative
•Celebration of the 10th
anniversary
•Community
involvement
27. Tools and more tools: Allison’s toolbox
Who is Allison?
Allison is an MDE 2008 graduate and an collaborator in the MDE network…
28. Lessons learned
There is a need for an active leadership role in all initiatives
Continuously invite community
Reach out to new students
Most participants are lurkers
Coupling blog posts to listserv
Students want to get involved, but they need a HAND
A few active members generate
significant impact
Being personal is key
Ongoing projects and activities
Respond to the needs of stakeholders
29. Synergy and future
Projects led
by graduates
Relationship Virtual
with other conference for
UMUC units 10th anniversary
Partnerships celebration
in publishing Podcast series
and academic Webinars
work Special interest
groups
30. Final remarks
Thinking beyond the
classroom
Enthusiasm is contagious
Experiment, experiment
and experiment…
Count on your graduates
and students
Networking is essential to
everyone for different
reasons