Social Media in PR Education
- Euroblog 2008 -
Prof. Dr. Thomas Pleil
Hochschule Darmstadt
March 13, 2008

Academic PR Education
The claim
Bridge science and profession
Integrate results of research in education
Thomas Pleil

Academic PR Education
The claim
Bridge science and profession
Integrate results of research in education
Some learning targets for PR students
Expert knowledge
Theoretical knowledge
PR tool box etc.
Knowledge on the occupational area
PR, media, publics
Relationship Management, e.g.
Identify relevant conversations
Join these conversations
Moderate discussions
Thomas Pleil
Turn conversations into relationships
See connections between concepts, ideas, actors

Trends in Public Relations
1. Explosion of information and knowledge
2. Collective intelligence
3. New virtual publics
4. Media Relations: Loss of importance
5. Communcation experts as relationship managers and
networkers
6. Communication department as enabler of
communications
7. Interplay between communications, innovation &
knowledge management
Thomas Pleil

Trends in Public Relations
1. Explosion of information and knowledge
2. Collective intelligence
3.
4.
5.
Social
New virtual publics
Media Relations: Loss of importance
Communcation experts as relationship managers and
networkers
Media
6. Communication department as enabler of
communications
7. Interplay between communications, innovation &
knowledge management
Thomas Pleil

Social Media in PR Education
Understanding Social Media as
Means of didactics
Instruments for communication management
Tools for
Project Management
Knowledge Management
Open Innovation
Thomas Pleil

PR education in Darmstadt
Programme of studies: online journalism (still: Diploma)
4 terms: Basics in online journalism
1 term: Internship
2 terms: Public Relations
1 term: Thesis
Thomas Pleil

PR education in Darmstadt
Courses (choice)
PR Basics
Theory of communications management
PR tool box: conception, media relations, internal comms., evaluation etc.
Fields of PR: Corporate Communications, Nonprofit-PR, CSR etc.
Online communications
Theory (e.g. social networks, relationship management)
Instruments
New developments: Socialweb
PR Agency (Practical Projects), e.g.
PR Conceptions
Evaluation/Coaching
Case Study Research
Copywriting in PR
No course dedicated to Social Media
Thomas Pleil
Integrate of Social Media in existing courses

The ambition
Our PR courses are supposed to
enclose the PR Body of Knowledge
give an overview on actual debates in PR
build up practical PR exercise
establish experience with Social Media (in PR)
Thomas Pleil

Didactical considerations
Thomas Pleil

Learning 1.0
Thomas Pleil

Outside the classroom
Thomas Pleil

„Education is Community.“
Marc Prensky 2007
(Designer of Educational Games)
Thomas Pleil

Learning Theories
Behaviorism
Knowledge gained through experience
Cognitivism
Knowledge gained through experience & thinking
Constructivism
Knowledge is constructed
Connectivism
Knowledge is composed of connections and networked entities
Learning as a process of connecting specialized nodes or
information sources.
Learning happens in many different ways: courses, conversations,
communities, reading textbooks, blogs, writing wiki articles…
Thomas Pleil
Siemens 2008

Comprise reality into education
Thomas Pleil

The goal
„Prepare students to participate in
networks where knowledge is
collectively constructed and shared.“
Mejias, Ulisis 2006
Thomas Pleil

Comprise whole reality
Thomas Pleil

Our Social Media Scenery
PR-Blog
PR-Blog PR-Blog
PR-Blog
Educators‘ (other
Twitter students)
Educators‘ PR-Blog
Weblog
Textdepot
Public Wiki
PR-Wiki Social Bookmarks
(Group Archive)
IM
Private Wikis
Others‘
PR-Blog Bookmarks
Course Blog
PR-Fundsachen
Thomas Pleil
PR-Blog
(other
students)

Roles for Educators (Siemens 2007)
Educator as network administrator
Helping students to construct networks
Educator as master artist
Enculturation into a practice
Very open spacy
Educator as curator
Expert with advanced knowledge
Creating learning resources
Great in an ideal world. Problems: Motivation, proactivity
Educator as concierge
Directing learners to ressources
Incorporating traditional lectures
Thomas Pleil
Permitting learners to explore on their own
Striking the balance

Lessons (Example)
------------ 1,5 to 3 hours -----------
Discussion:
Hot topics within the Social Web
Educator Generated Content:
Body of Knowledge: Lectures,
Excercises
Learner Generated Content:
Thomas Pleil
Short presentations (topic
chosen by students), discussion
Articles in a Wiki

Lessons (Example)
Continuing
Learning outside
the classroom Bringing the
Social Web into
the classroom
------------ 1,5 to 3 hours -----------
Discussion:
Hot topics within the Social Web
Educator Generated Content:
Body of Knowledge: Lectures,
Excercises
Opening
classroom to the
Learner Generated Content: Social Web
Thomas Pleil
Short presentations (topic
chosen by students), discussion
Articles in a Wiki

Our Social Media Formats
Thomas Pleil

Wikis
Since 2004/05: pr-wiki.de: a public Knowledge Base
Wiki articles instead of Term papers
Checklists
Thomas Pleil
Linklists
Purchase lists for the library

Wikis
Experiences (PR-Wiki)
Nearly no interaction between students and with environment
Wiki articles: Written in Word, pasted into the Wiki
Students: Nearly no involvement
Educator: Public Notebook
A growing ressource on PR but no really living project
Thomas Pleil

Wikis
2006: adding a private wiki
Management of projects, e.g.:
Milestones
Minutes of group meetings, briefings
Expert Lists
Documentation
Syllabus
Thomas Pleil
About 60 % proposed by educator, 40% by students
Texts
Organizing dates and topics for presentations

Wikis
Experiences (private Wiki)
Very high involvement in Project Management
High involvement concerning courses
Privacy as a key for success!
Thomas Pleil

Weblog
Since 2005: PR-Fundsachen
PR-Blog of all PR students
Thomas Pleil

Weblog
Experiences
„How many posts do we have to write???“
Thomas Pleil

Weblog: Experiences
Some numbers
3 classes with 44 blogging students
3 of 47 students rejected to blog (2 did design stuff)
During terms: about 3 posts/week
During vacation: nearly no posts
10 students with more than 10 posts in 2 terms
8 students with more than 20 posts in 2 terms
Most students post 6 – 8 times in 2 terms
6 students tried to Podcast (Audio/Video)
TA 55, 177 Feed subsribers
Thomas Pleil
about 20 % become Bloggers

Weblog: Experiences
Problems:
Finding topics
Writing blog-like
Managing comments
Fear of mistakes
Payoffs
Networking with PR practitioners, Alumni, other PR
students
Digital reputation/job relevance for some students
Not a leading blog, but visibility and exchange with
Thomas Pleil
environment

Weblog: The students
Online Survey 2007:
“Blogging is good exercise for career”
Thomas Pleil

Social Bookmarks
Group Archive for every class
Reading Tipps
Thomas Pleil
Results of Research for Projects

Social Bookmarks
Online Survey 2008:
“The Social Bookmark-Archive was
a good knowlegde base”
Thomas Pleil

Social Media: Conclusions
Problem 1: Motivation
Information sharing and collaborating
Extending classroom into every day life
Problem 2: Force of habit
Courses as lean back event
Unususal roles for students and instructor
More responsibilty for students
Impact
Strong benefits for 1 of 3 students
Some benefits for half of the students
Some are out of reach
Thomas Pleil

Social Media: Conclusions
Benefits:
More responsibilty for students
Activating some of the silent students
More current knowledge
Improved skills
PR for the university and for each student
Better job opportunities
Thomas Pleil

The near Future
Presence during terms: several Workshops instead of
weekly seminars
Between the Workshops: networked learning
More Learner Generated Content, e.g.
Skypecasts with Experts
Better integration of Platforms
Next Term: Google Apps
In the Future: Social Community and mobile content?
Thomas Pleil

References
Büffel, Steffen; Pleil, Thomas; Schmalz, Jan Sebastian (2007). Net-
Wiki, PR-Wiki, Kowiki – Erfahrungen mit kollaborativer Wissens-
produktion in Forschung und Lehre, kommunikation@gesellschaft,
No. 8, http://2big.at/8ui
Mejias, Ulises (2006): Teaching social software with social software.
In: Innovate 2 (5), www.innovateonline.info/index.php?view=article&id=260
Prensky, Marc (2007): To Engage, engage with, in: Educational
Technology, Nov./Dec.: 64
Siemens, George (2008): Learning and Knowing in Networks:
Changing roles for Educators and Designers, Paper presented to
ITFORUM, http://it.coe.uga.edu/itforum/Paper105/Siemens.pdf
Walker, Jill (2005): Weblogs – Learning in Public, in: On the Horizon,
Vol. 13, Issue 2, pages 112 – 118, http://jilltxt.net/txt/Weblogs-
learninginpublic.pdf
Thomas Pleil

Thank you!
Contact details
Prof. Dr. Thomas Pleil
Hochschule Darmstadt
Mail pleil@h-da.de
Blog: www.das-textdepot.de
Thomas Pleil
Twitter: http://twitter.com/tp_da
Skype/AIM: thomaspleil
Tel.: +49(0)6071/82-9272