How Advisors Use Technology/Social Media for Effective Advising
· Inform: Use the Events option to advertise Advising events and programs; events can be distributed as invitations to students in a network and are open to all students browsing for campus events.
· Organize: Organize participants by a common experience, association or interest. A Group posting includes information about the group, upcoming events, access to discussion boards, and the ability to message group members; and also can be used to enhance regular group meetings. On campuses with large groups of distance students or nontraditional students, an online group organized by major, career interest, or class could help students connect with each other, get questions answered, and feel more connected to the campus community.
· Educate: Advisors have an obligation to educate students about the ramifications of what they post online. These conversations will be easier when students know their Advisor is part of their Facebook community. In fact, Advisors’ presence online may encourage students to self-censor. If students are concerned about what may be seen on their profile, then they may think more intentionally about their postings. As employers are increasingly viewing students’ profiles, introspection and self-censorship are important lessons.
· Connect: Advisors gain an opportunity from Facebook to know and be known as part of the campus community. Given the time constraints of many advising sessions, this type of connection and knowledge can serve to enhance the Advisor-student relationship, a core component in effective developmental advising.
General Twitter Uses:
· Create an online community of students
· Post important announcements
· Get feedback from students
· Share interesting and useful Advising materials online
· Pass on information about events
· Use for research
· Collaborate with other academics
· Connect with colleagues
· Establish your brand
Initial Steps in Maximizing Usage:
· Make the account informative. Begin by putting the necessary information that will define your account as an educational platform. Provide photos, brief descriptions, contact information and a few tweets.
· Organize the account. There are tools and applications available on Twitter that allow you to arrange information as well as select which groups or individuals to follow or unfollow.
· Post relevant tweets and grab attention by providing tweets that will interest your target audience. Tweet a few times each day but be careful about being tagged as a spammer.
· Personalized Twitter usage is more successful if users make it seem as if followers are talking to a real person.
Effective Communication:
· Know the limits. Twitter posts are limited to 140 characters so it’s important to be concise and to the point.
· Provide solutions. When students post concerns and complaints, specify the problem and provide the correct solutions in a timely manner.
· Use Twitter chat. You can initiate chats on topics that are highly relevant to your group.
· Communicate well. Ask questions and initiate discussions with key students/faculty/administration to cover multiple associated issues and topics.
· Use hashtags. Hashtags are a great way to grab attention and drive followers to your educational institute. Be sure to select the appropriate words after the “#” symbol.
· Do promotions. Twitter is connected with a number of social media platforms and online applications. Utilize these to inform others about your organization.
· Talk to key individuals. There are many Twitter users who can be helpful in attracting the appropriate people and students who will be interested in your discussions. They often have many followers too.
· Share. If there are new and interesting issues and topics concerning your specific field, upload or share it on Twitter to gain more followers.
· Invite others. Tag individuals and invite people to join discussions and hashtags. Also allow them to share their own information and research.
· Be specific. When conversing with students, the information should be specific and brief. This will give the impression that you are a reliable and content-rich source.
Pinterest is one of the most effective tools Advisors can use to reach their students.
· Discovery! (major exploration): Advisors can work with students to create a Pinterest account or if they already have one, additional educational-themed boards. One board could have an ‘All About Me’ theme with a minimum of 20 pins that describe who the student is. They could also create a ‘Career/Jobs’ board to help pique excitement in potential career paths and possibilities. The visual aspect of Pinterest will motivate students to learn more about careers and majors in a more creative, interactive manner.
· Recovery: This could be a board that would help motivate students on academic probation/suspension.
· Engagement and Motivation: Students could create an ‘Encouragement’ board that includes motivational and encouraging phrases and sayings using images. Students will often re-pin these motivational sayings, and then post them to their Facebook accounts. Everyone needs some encouragement, right?
· Connection to Professors, Teaching Assistants and Campus Resources: Using Pinterest to link to Campus Resources is highly beneficial for students and administrators. Currently, Texas Tech University Advising has a Pinterest board and they are following Texas Tech Student Disability Services, Texas Tech Alumni Association and Texas Tech Athletics. Advisors can increase traffic to their own site and campus resources by following the Pinterest pages of other departments and services as well. In turn, have these departments follow your page to provide students with the confidence that everything you pin is relevant and useful.
· Connect students to internships and jobs opportunities: Pinterest is the place for brand marketing, and the industries have caught on. World leaders in different industries are marketing themselves on Pinterest, and creating an attraction to their internship opportunities.
· Help Students with Study Skills:Create a ‘Study Tips’ board and include tips for time management and organization on this board. Some students might not implement all of the ideas that they pin, but the option is there if they wish to take advantage. First steps towards academic success are crucial.
· Healthy Lifestyle: Advisors understand that a student’s lifestyle and choices have a direct influence on their academic success. Creating the following boards will be helpful for students and demonstrate that Advisors care about everything that influences their academic success. This is the very definition of holistic advising.
1) ‘Healthy Lifestyle’ – include pins with exercise tips, the importance of sleep, and suggestions for handling stress.
2) ‘College Snacks & Recipes’ – include pins with recipes that are quick and simple for students, snack suggestions for in between classes, and the healthiest snacks for keeping in tiny residence hall fridges.
Sources:
http://www.nacada.ksu.edu/Resources/Clearinghouse/View-Articles/Technology-a645.aspx
http://www.edudemic.com/100-ways-to-use-twitter-in-education-by-degree-of-difficulty/
http://www.hashtags.org/platforms/twitter/30-ways-to-use-twitter-for-education/
http://blog.advising.ttu.edu/pinned-down-using-pinterest-in-academic-advising/