This document discusses how higher education institutions can engage students through social networking and the social web. It argues that while students and faculty want to use social media, typical social networking sites are not well-suited for academic purposes due to issues like privacy, content ownership, and identity. Instead, it presents a case study of the University of Pennsylvania's LPS Commons, which uses a virtual space focused on social learning through connection, communication and collaboration. This led to increased engagement across disciplines and countries. The document concludes by offering principles for building an effective academic engagement network using social media.

2. The Social Web & Higher Education?
Student, faculty, staff, institutions want to use it.
! We are social by nature
! We are driven by our passions
! We seek identity & individuality
! We no longer feel bound by that which is immediately around
us
! We seek better ways to manage information overload
! We spend more time connected virtually to one another than
we do physically
! We can interact with one another in ways that were never
possible before (or were extremely cost prohibitive)
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3. Yet, social networking sites don’t
seem to be the answer.
Don’t Friend me!
! Privacy
! Content Ownership
! Academic Identity
! Knowledge Networking
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4. The Engagement Principle
As institutional leaders, faculty and staff, we care about
engagement.
! The majority of students drop out because of a lack of
connection to the university.
! Increased student engagement can lead to:
• Higher retention rates
• Improved academic performance
• Contextual, situational or differential learning, resulting in the building of
higher order thinking skills
! Increased faculty & staff engagement can lead to:
• Stronger ability to meet institution goals, mission & vision
• Tighter alignment with institution values
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5. What About Academic Identity? Networking?
In a world where we are one of many, we seek identity & look for
others to network with.
! Active, vibrant virtual commons & communities promote
stronger institutional & individual identity, which can lead
to:
• Higher recruitment rates
• Increased utilization of institutional resources, academic or not
• Increased extended community participation
• Increased participation in life-long learning offerings
! Networking is critical as students seek opportunities within or
beyond your institution upon graduation.
• Personal learning networks are a key part of 21st century professional
success.
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6. What does engagement look like…
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7. In the age of the social web?
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8. Case Study: The Penn LPS Commons
The University of Pennsylvania College of Liberal & Professional
Studies engages students through virtual commons focused on
social learning.
! Three key principles of the commons:
• Connect
• Communicate
• Collaborate
! First Courses launched in Summer 2009
Foundations in Positive Psychology
• 600 students, 96 countries
• 3,000 user posts, 45 forums, 11,000 hours of video across one semester
• Led to ancillary communities, fostered a community broader than the
course
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9. Case Study: The Penn LPS Commons
Success multiplied for the Penn LPS Commons, delivering similar
results to courses across disciplines, countries & diverse student
populations. Success was driven by:
! Commitment to fostering (not forcing) collaboration by faculty
& staff
! Use of social learning constructs when developing the
curriculum
! Opportunities for students to build pro les & network
! Ease of accessing streams of content & updates
! Ease of contributing content
! Community-oriented (vs. course) nature of the entire
experience
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10. the Academic
Engagement Network
My • Activity Streams • Announcements
Channels
Dashboard • My Content • News & Events
& Feeds
• Notifications & Feeds • SIS Data
• Web resources
My • Programs My Academic • Academic Identity
Communities • Workgroups Identity • Portfolio
• Social Classrooms • Connections
• Students Cooperatives • Knowledge Network
• Clubs & Associations
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11. If We Build it, Will They Come?
1. Remember the fundamentals
• Domain, community, & practice
• Think participant goals rst, institutional outcomes second
2. Design for growth
• Create exible goals & tools that allow for growth at any pace
• Build aspects that promote new, differentiated activity
3. Build critical mass
• Involve key participants early
• Pick strong projects to start with that involve diverse participation
• Develop buy-in quickly
4. Develop permeable spaces & encourage ow
• Allow external & internal constituents to interact
• Involve novices & experts
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12. If We Build it, Will They Come?
5. Make sure all participants derive value
• Everyone should see value in participating, regardless of skill level or
involvement
• Conduct focus groups, employ role-based scenarios
6. Abide by community norms and foster trust
• Allow the community to develop its own policies & procedures
• Establish community-based ownership
7. Encourage identity building
• Promote activities that encourage students to “own” their pro le
• Allow the pro le to move among communities as desired
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13. Want to Learn More?
www.GoingOn.com
Melissa Loble
Vice President, Client Strategy
melissal@goingon.com
949-923-0508
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