Everyone seems to agree that change is inevitable for traditional educational institutions, but how much, what kind, and how fast seem to be the big questions. As someone who cares deeply about improving student access and success to higher education, I am always looking for innovative ways to improve my work, and by extension the work we do as educators.
Social Media Tools and Student Engagement
There has been an explosion in recent years in the number of start-ups and established companies using social media and web 2.0 approaches to engage students, enhance curriculum, and help schools better manage their relationships with students. Recently I have been looking at a few in particular as we explore new approaches to engage our students at their point of entry. inigral.com and goingon.com both feature web-based applications that provide a platform for engaging students with each other and with the school in question and provide some elements of customization.
But Do They Work?
Stay tuned as I report back on my conversations with education professionals who have been using these products and approaches. In the coming weeks I will be gathering information, doing webinars with product vendors, and otherwise exploring the use of social media and web 2.0 technologies in student engagement, enrollment management, and student success.
