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Enhancing Community among Discover Chicago Students Using Facebook

Enhancing Community among Discover Chicago Students Using Facebook. Amber Settle (CDM) DePaul 2009 Faculty Teaching and Learning Conference April 17, 2009. Chicago Quarter classes. Course content

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Enhancing Community among Discover Chicago Students Using Facebook

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  1. Enhancing Community among Discover Chicago Students Using Facebook Amber Settle (CDM) DePaul 2009 Faculty Teaching and Learning Conference April 17, 2009

  2. Chicago Quarter classes • Course content • Academic subject with a strong connection to the people, communities, and institutions of Chicago • Common Hour: Co-curricular component designed to facilitate students’ transition to the college experience • Important characteristics • Traditional and experiential pedagogy • Strong emphasis on mentoring and advising • Discover Chicago • Immersion Week prior to the start of the quarter (5 days and 35+ hours) • Teaching team: Faculty, student, and staff

  3. Discover Chicago: The Digital Divide • Developed by Gian Mario Besana • Textbook for the course • Technology and Social Inclusion: Rethinking the Digital Divide • Mark Warschauer • 2003 (primarily written in 2001) • Digital divide: “The gap between those who do and do not have access to computers and the Internet” • Supplementary reading • Government reports on the digital divide • Information about the Community Technology Center movement • Popular press articles on technology access and training

  4. Facebook • Breadth of use • Online social networking community • 85% of students at participating institutions have accounts; 60% of students log into the site daily (Arrington 2005) • Study at CDM (Mittleman) shows that 68% of undergraduates use social networking sites weekly • Mixed reactions/results • N. Ellison, C. Steinfield, and C. Lampe, 2007: Strong association between use of Facebook and the three types of social capital • A. Hewitt and A. Forte, 2006: 30% of students did not believe faculty should be on Facebook • M.J. Bugeja, 2006: Negative faculty reaction to Facebook (and technology) use by students

  5. Digital Divide Facebook group • Created in 2007 • Inspiration of the student mentor (Julie Hardesty) • Open to all DePaul students • Created as a page for current students and alumni • Students from 2006, 2007, and 2008 were all invited to join the group • Group usage • Photos • Typically from Immersion Week, posted by both students and Teaching Team members • Wall posts about course work and questions (limited) • Links related to course topics • Messaging used for group communication

  6. Benefits • Creates a sense of community • Sharing photos from Immersion Week • Inspired independent photo albums • Incorporate new classmates into existing social structures • Postings to each other’s wall • Spontaneous lunch reunion • Discussion of social events and plans • Excellent example of a resource unavailable to those on the other side of the digital divide

  7. Obstacles • Not all students are on Facebook • Distance between faculty and students • Buy-in is better when the student mentor actively participates • 2007 group members: 75% of class • 90% of students were “friends” with student mentor • 2008 group members: 55% of class • 44% of students were “friends” with student mentor • (retroactive) 2006 group members: 60% of class • 50% of students were “friends” with student mentor • Students are accustomed to peer-to-peer interactions • Discomfort “friending” a faculty member • Faculty comments can kill socially-oriented threads (even for the student mentor)

  8. Issues to consider • Faculty member must balance: • Personal touch with students • Interests: Books, movies, music • Maintaining neutrality • Political affiliations (NO) • Religious beliefs and group membership (Carefully) • Comments to colleagues and friends • Success of early vs. later invitation • Percentage of class who “friend” faculty instructor • 2006 (post quarter): 75% • 2007 (mid-Immersion Week): 65% • 2008 (first day of Immersion Week): 55% • More interaction in person means more comfort online • Be supportive but not intrusive

  9. References • Arrington, Michael, “85% of college students use Facebook”, TechCrunch, Sept. 7, 2005. • M.J. Bugeja, “Facing the Facebook”, Chronicle of Higher Education, 2006. • http://www.vpss.ku.edu/pdf/PSDC%20Facing%20the%20Facebook.pdf • N. Ellison, C. Steinfield, and C. Lampe, “The Benefits of Facebook ‘Friends’: Social Capital and College Students’ Use of Online Social Network Sites”, Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication, Blackwell Publishing, 2007. • http://www.mvirtual.com.br/midiaedu/artigos_online/facebook.pdf • A. Hewitt, A. Forte, “Crossing boundaries: Identity management and student/faculty relationships on the Facebook”, Computer Supported Cooperative Work, 2006. • http://www.cc.gatech.edu/~aforte/HewittForteCSCWPoster2006.pdf

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