The Digital Student: Infographic

Anthony Freese | October 8, 2015
The Digital Student: Infographic Meet Students Where They’re At Many student affairs professionals have noticed social networking websites, such as Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter, have become an integral part of college students’ lives. Institutions have created multiple social channels for student affairs professionals to engage and interact with students no matter where they are. Initially social media existed as web-based platforms but with the advent of smartphones and increased affordability, mobile communication has developed and progressed giving more people access to a world of information and instant connectivity. Social Networking Site Usage Ages 18-29 FEB 05: 9% AUG 06: 50% MAY 08: 68% APR 09: 79% MAY 10 :87% AUG 11: 88% FEB 12: 87% DEC 12: 92% MAY 13: 83% SEP 13: 90% 94% of first-year students use social networking sites 89% of gen-y own a laptop 75% of college students use a smartphone to access and post to social media 74% of college students expect institutions to have social media accounts 76% of prospective students said they would join a private group for their college. College Student Social Network Use Across Different Platforms Facebook: 95% Instagram: 73% Pinterest: 48% Twitter: 80% Vine: 40% LinkedIn: 40% Tumblr: 29% Timing is Everything College students spend on average 95 minutes a day text messaging 40% check Facebook 10+ times a day 63% use a smartphone to access and post to social media 75% check twitter at least once a day Time of day college student use social media 14% after they wake up 13% mid-morning 24% noon/lunch 33% mid-afternoon 16% at night What should we bother? If used correctly student affairs professionals can leverage the popularity of social media as a tool to help engage students. Social media helps institutions mobilize faculty into a more active and participatory role. Research has shown social media fosters informal learning which helps institutions with student retention. Here are a few examples of how social media can promote learning outside the classroom: Respecting Diverse Ways of Learning: Staff and faculty can utilize different platforms to provide an inclusive environment where students feel comfortable participating in discussions. Communicating High Expectations: Student affairs professionals can create expectations by demonstrating a professional approach to using these sites and services. Prompt Feedback: Students can receive a wide range of feedback via social media whether it relates to their formal learning, professional development, or networking skills. Active Learning: Students can use social media to reflect on their experiences inside/outside the classroom. Students can begin to draw connections between their formal and informal learning. Cooperation Among Students: Social media can create student support and foster virtual communities where student groups can work together to reach a common goal. Contact Between Students and Student Affairs Professionals: Social media can help students have better quality interactions with staff and faculty. Visit CheckImHere.com to Learn How to Increase Student Engagement & Assessment on Your Campus Today! sources: https://www.10000degrees.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/The_Social_Side_of_Student_Retention.pdf https://www.pewinternet.org/fact-sheets/social-networking-fact-sheet/ https://www.generationy.com/about-generation-y-in-the-workforce/statistics/ https://www.macrothink.org/journal/index.php/jse/article/viewFile/1809/1712 https://www.emergingedtech.com/2012/10/can-social-media-play-a-role-in-improving-retention-in-higher-education-research-says-it-can/ https://nsse.indiana.edu/NSSE_2014_Results/pdf/NSSE_2014_Annual_Results.pdf#page=18 https://www.ferris.edu/htmls/administration/president/sparc/meetings/docs/studentengagementarticle.pdf https://psychcentral.com/news/2014/08/31/new-study-finds-cell-phone-addiction-increasingly-realistic-possibility/74312.html

 

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Anthony Freese

About the author: Anthony Freese is the former Director of Marketing at Check I’m Here, the complete student engagement platform. Learn how we can help get your students involved.

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