Recent research has focused on using emerging technologies to help increase college student engagement. Engagement has been found to be related to student persistence and GPA. Student affairs professionals have the opportunity to enhance student engagement and learning by using Facebook. The program presenters are planning a multi-institution study on using Facebook and Twitter to enhance student engagement. The presenters will review their ongoing research on using Facebook to improve student engagement in order to produce improved educational outcomes and will provide specific examples of how you can use Facebook in the same way.

1. Research-supported strategies to engage your students.
Reynol Junco Greg Heiberger
Associate Professor Coordinator and Advisor for
Department of Academic Pre-Health Professionals
Development and Counseling South Dakota State University
Lock Haven University of PA
http://www.reyjunco.com

2. References
 Send email to Rey Junco for list of
references
 Reference for this presentation:
Junco, R. & Heiberger, G. (2009, March). You can
use Facebook for that? Research-supported
strategies to engage your students. Presentation
at the National American College Personnel
Association Meeting, Washington, DC.

3. Presentation Outline
 Generations on campus
 Introduction to technology used by
students
 Using Facebook to increase student
engagement and retention
 Astin
 Tinto
 Research
on Facebook and student
engagement

4. Generations on Campus
Silent Boomers! Generation X! Net Generation!
Generation!
Generation! (1943-1960)! (1961-1981)! (1982-Now)!
(1925-1942)!
Loyal! Optimistic! Independent! Special!
Peer
Collaborative! Competitive! Skeptical! Sheltered!
Personality!
Personal Individualistic! Latchkey Kids! Confident!
Sacrifice! Reject Authority! Shun Traditional Conventional!
Patriotic! Values!
Return to Team-Oriented!
Conformity! Nihilism!
religious values! Achieving!
Respect for Pressured!
authority!
Civic Pride!
WWI & II! Vietnam War! Challenger Columbine
Defining
Accident! Shootings!
Great Depression! Watergate!
Events!
MTV! September 11
New Deal! Women’s Rights!
Attacks!
Computers!
Reagan recession!
Oklahoma City
Video Games!
Civil Rights
Bombing!
Persian Gulf War!
Movement!
Television!
1943-1960! 1961-1978! 1979-1999! 2000-Now!
Attended
College!

5. Technologies used
by students

6. Student Technology Use
Today’s College Internet
 
Students Use Facebook

Instant Messenger

Wikipedia

Blogs

More than people
 P2P File Sharing

from other
generations

7. Use
 >175 Million Active Users
 Users over 35 are the fastest growing
demographic
 3 billion minutes spent per day
 35 languages (60 in development)
 850 million photos uploaded every
month
 95% of users have at least one of the
52,000 applications

8. Nielsen March 2009 Report
67% of global online community visit blogs and

social networking sites
Global active reach is greater than email

Facebook is visited monthly by 3 in every 10 people

Audience is becoming more diverse

 Largest growth in 35-49 year olds in 2008
Increase of 156% from 2007 in use of cell phones

to access social networking in the US

9. Increase in global use of
Facebook since 2007

10. Facebook Growth by age
since 2007

11. Audience is becoming older
since 2007

12. Facebook Penetration on
College Campuses
92% use Facebook daily
(Heiberger)
94% use Facebook weekly
7th most visited site in US
(HERI)
86% had Facebook accounts
(Mastrodicasa & Kepic)
2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009
69% had Facebook account
Faecbook founded
(Junco & Mastrodicasa)
99% use Facebook (Matney &
Borland)
Facebook open to everyone

13. Changing Perceptions of
Facebook

14. Astin’s (1984) theory of student engagement
 Involvement requires the investment of
psychological and physical energy
 Students will invest varying amounts of
energy in different areas
 Involvement occurs along a continuum
 Student development is proportional to
quantity and quality of involvement
 Educational effectiveness is related to
capacity to increase involvement

15. Tinto’s model of departure

16. Research on Facebook and
Student Engagement
 Few studies examining link
 HERI (2007)
 Heiberger (2007)
 How is engagement related to
technology use?

17. HERI (2007) & Heiberger
(2007)
HERI HEIBERGER
n 31,500 via YFCY 375
Participants 114 Colleges and 1 Midsize Midwestern
Universities U.
Social Network All Social Networks Facebook only
94% use weekly 92% use daily
No less time studying

18. The Bad…
Data from HERI (2007) show that:
 94% of first year students spend at least some
time on SNW each week.
 Majority of first year students (60%) spend
between 1-5 hours a week on SNW.
 High users (> 6 hours/week) reported more
problems with time management and study
skills.

19. The Good…
 Time spent on SNW was less than on
academic activities and socializing in
the real world.

20. Friends
Social networks Interact Daily w/ close
friends
>6hrs per week 84%
<1hr per week 69%
HERI, 2007
Facebook Feeling of connection to
friends (VH/H)
>1hr per day 92.2%
<1hr per day 73.4%
Heiberger, 2007

21. Student Organizations
Social networks Spend 6 hrs per week in
student clubs and groups
>6hrs per week 15%
<1hr per week 7%
HERI, 2007
Facebook Participation in 1+ student
organization
>1hr per day 78.1%
<1hr per day 63.3%
Heiberger, 2007

22. Connection and Satisfaction
Social networks Very Satisfied with social
life
>6hrs per week 33%
<1hr per week 20%
HERI, 2007
Facebook Connection to University
(VH/H)
>1hr per day 63.4%
<1hr per day 43.4%
Heiberger, 2007

23. Social Networking and Engagement

24. Bridging the Gap
 Hesitationby student affairs
professionals to use emerging
technologies
 Increased experience with Facebook
 Meeting students where they are

25. Opportunities for Student
Affairs Professionals
 Shift
to older population on Facebook
 Familiarity with the technology
 Mainstreaming
 Capitalizing on engaging aspects of the
technology
 Using applications
 Working with student attitudes

26. Student Attitudes
 Information posted on social networking
sites is private
 You shouldn’t be looking at my social
networking site unless, of course, I want
you to
 What is a privacy statement?
 The job search

27. CareerBuilder.com Survey
(2008)
 22% of Hiring Managers use Social
Networking websites to research
candidates.
 33% reported they found information to
disqualify potential employee:
 41% posted information about them drinking or using drugs
 40% posted inappropriate photographs or information
 29% had poor communication skills
 28% badmouthed their previous company or fellow employee
 22% used discriminatory remarks
 21% were linked to criminal behavior

29. Helping Students
 Explaining the concept of online privacy
 Implications of information posted online
 Judicial sanctions
 Staying safe

30. Five Ways to use Facebook to increase
engagement
Help peer leaders and mentors develop
1.
and maintain connection with program
students.
Help students connect to each other and to
2.
faculty and staff members.
Help students connect to groups and
3.
activities on campus.
Increase engagement of non-traditional
4.
students.
Enhancing pre-enrollment orientation
5.
efforts.

31. Engaging uses of Facebook
Presidential election and Inauguration

FraternityLive

Careerbuilder.com Application

Courses Application

College News Application

Fantasy Stock Exchange Application

Causes Application

Groups – study/orgs/classes/majors

RedRover

Social networking

 Students and employers hooking up (Newhouse
News, 2007)
Maintaining Relationships


32. Maintaining appropriate
boundaries
 Five ideas to consider:
1. Not friending students unless they request the
connection
Never pressuring students to friend you
2.
Use Facebook to help students learn about you
3.
Exercising appropriate discretion when using
4.
Facebook for personal communications
Keep in mind that your behavior on Facebook will
5.
be used as a model by our students

33. Effects of faculty self-
disclosure on Facebook
Three themes discovered by Mazer,
Murphy, and Simonds (2007):
 Concern about faculty professionalism
 Students like to learn about a
professor’s personality
 Students concerned that faculty would
“spy” on them

34. Ideas for future research
 Longitudinal
study
 Experimental design
 RedRover as IV
 Engagement, Retention as DV’s

35. Questions and Discussion