Using social media to enhance learning outcomes, engagement, and retention
Although research shows that most of today's college students adopt and use social media at high rates, many higher education professionals are unaware of how these technologies can be used for academic benefit. Author Reynol Junco, associate professor at Purdue University and fellow at the Harvard Berkman Center for Internet & Society, has been widely cited for his research on the impact of social technology on students. In Engaging Students through Social Media: Evidence-Based Practice for Use in Student Affairs, he offers a practical plan for implementing effective social media strategies within higher education settings.

The book bridges the gap between a desire to use social media and the process knowledge needed to actually implement and assess effective social media interventions, providing a research-based understanding of how students use social media and the ways it can be used to enhance student learning.
* Discover how social media can be used to enhance student development and improves academic outcomes
* Learn appropriate strategies for social media use and how they contribute to student success in both formal and informal learning settings
* Dispel popular myths about how social media use affects students
* Learn to use social media as a way to engage students, teach online civil discourse, and support student development

The benefits of social media engagement include improvements in critical thinking skills, content knowledge, diversity appreciation, interpersonal skills, leadership skills, community engagement, and student persistence. This resource helps higher education professionals understand the value of using social media, and offers research-based strategies for implementing it effectively.

Foreword ix

Preface xvii

Acknowledgments xxix

About the Author xxxiii

1 Introduction 1

2 Research on Social Media 51

3 Social Media and Student Identity Development 95

4 Informal Learning Using Social Media 129

5 Formal Learning Using Social Media 171

6 Planning, Implementing, and Assessing Social Media Interventions 207

7 Using Social Media for Professional Development 247

8 The Future of Social Media in Student Affairs 269

Name Index 303

Subject Index 309