Presentation to the
Division of Student Affairs
McApple College
________________________________
Leigh Featherstone, Heather Matthews and Tricia Davis
Indiana University
“Today when we think about the impact of technology on our habits of
mind, we think primarily of the computer” (Turkle, 2004).
We need to think beyond the computer, and understand how people interact with technology.
We should not merely react to technological advances, but learn to develop student affairs in
conversation with advances and new ways of understanding human dynamics.

Marketing

Resources



Community
Building
Security and Privacy
Role of the
Professional
McApple has a tradition of utilizing
technology effectively throughout the
institution.
This presentation provides an overview of
five areas in which technology has
changed student affairs. For each, we will
address the following:
1.
What is this area?
2.
How has it changed student affairs to
date?
3.
What are examples of best practices?
4.
What are challenges we face?
5.
How do we effectively move forward?
With the help of technology, the public message that you send
as a professional about the service you can provide to students
– whether about a campus-wide event, a new counseling group,
or a leadership retreat – can reach the target audience
instantaneously. Technology has transformed the ways you can
reach your audience.
(Piled Higher and Deeper
by Jorge Cham)
Reaching a Larger Audience:
By using a combination of mediums,
you can reach a much larger
audience by creating a publicity
campaign to reach diverse facets of
campus. No matter if they live on
campus, commute, primarily use
educational building, work out in
the recreational center– they
can/will see your message.

Examples of media:






Online communities
E-mail listserves
Text messages
Televised announcements in
common areas
Websites
e-Newsletters
Targeting Niche Populations:
Search for a specific group on an
internet community site like
Facebook that might be interested in
your program.

Example of Targeted Marketing:
If marketing a discussion group
for GLBT allies, search for
students that list GLBT,
supporters, friends, or other
modifiers that might indicate
interest. You simply have to
message that group as a whole
or start your own
“group”/create your own
“event” and invite the members
to your discussion group.



Penn State – PSUTXT program hits both broad and niche
audiences depending on the message: Alerts and reminders sent
to your mobile phone by text message can update you on campus
programs or services that the individual wants to know about.
 For example, if a students subscribes to receive information
about multicultural programs, you can automatically clue him
or her in to an announcement for Black History Month
(Lombardi, 2006).
Collegewebeditor.com helps you create Facebook “applications.”
When students activate the use of an application, you can send
notes, reminders, and info to them with one click! The application
appears on each profile to serve as a PR tool for any person that
browses their site. This website offers webinars to help you create
your own application to really reach students in a new way.
 The University of Michigan library informs students of their
weekly workshops utilizing a Facebook application.
The Facebook Marketing Toolbox gives you 101 ways to use this
community to your marketing advantage (Inside CRM, 2008).




A growing number of college students are not utilizing their
institution-based e-mail accounts  Messages or
announcements may not be received (Carnevale, 2006).
Students post personal information on online communities
like Facebook and MySpace which makes them targets for
online stalking (Govani & Pashley, 2005).
Marketing outlets such as Facebook are often cheap or free
and are therefore great resources for departments finite
funds.
As a university administrator on an online community with
your own profile, you will be “friended” by students, which
could create privacy issues. Understanding McApple’s
policies about electronic media can inform addressing
concerns recognized in Facebook photos, comments or
postings.
Any information offered by the institution to assist students
in their daily endeavors , including campus administrative
needs, life skills, research, and education.

What used to be pamphlets, handouts, and verbal
information has largely become internet accessible
by anything with the capacity to connect to the
internet, including PDA, cell phone, and computer.

Resources moved to 24 hour accessibility:






Libraries
Office information
Admission applications
Instructional information for policies, procedures, forms, etc.
Departments have specific websites with tailored
information.
Academic units have moved to the internet in
Distance Education Courses, online forums, and
project sites.

University of California-Irvine
Career Center





Educational podcasts
Extensive online career resources
Online job search and
application forum
Capital University Student
Activities Office



Campus organizations
Direct information on how to get
involved
 Forms and event planning
guidelines
University of Kansas
Multicultural Resources Office
Organization involvement
opportunities
 Upcoming presentations and
workshops
 Academic resources


Campus organizations
Multicultural affairs
Dining on campus
Willamette University Student
Activities Office



Pace University Office of
Multicultural Affairs



Workshops
Grant opportunities
Oklahoma State University
Health Center


Health and wellness podcasts
Information on health questions
More Ways to Share
Information:

E-books: books sold
exclusively online are often
more cost-effective for
students.

Wikis: common knowledge
sharing spaces that can be
used for collaborative work.

Blogs: open forum for any
subject easily accessible from
anywhere.

Podcasts: can be used in
lecture format to deliver
information on specific topic,
again, accessible from
anywhere.
Challenges:

Information may be
misunderstood, and there is
often no forum for
immediate clarification

Impersonality of services
delivered. It is difficult to
treat students as individuals
if we cannot identify those
using or in need of resources.

May discourage students
from speaking with a
professional.
(Reynolds, 2005)
To build community is to “create a sense of belonging, of
continuity, of being connected to others and to ideas and
values” (Sergiovanni, 1994). Through online communities like
Facebook, students are able to connect with others who share
similar interests, values, or backgrounds.





An online community occurs when people find a “shared purpose that provides a
reason for the community” (Preece, 2000). Students are seeking to make connections and
find common ground with others.
More than 85% of students on campuses with Facebook networks participate (Arrington
as cited in Eberhardt, 2007). For entering college students, online communities like
Facebook provide an “initial sense of connection and community” (Eberhardt, 2007, p.
20) before they even enroll.
Where residence halls once provided the main source of community-building on
university campuses, with the invent of blogging, online communities, forums, and
other online venues, students are able to connect to others without leaving the comfort
of their rooms (Gergen, 2005). The consistent growth of technological capabilities will
“dramatically expand and intensify the domain of social connection.”
Students are asked to identify their interests, political views, religious views, hobbies,
gender and sexual preference and more as they create their Facebook profiles. This
reflection activity helps them explore and commit on a level to pieces of their identity.
Further examination exists as they join groups and find others with common interests.
Such exploration is integral to identity achievement (Marcia, 1980).
Women and students of color are two large populations of individuals who engage
more frequently on Facebook. These populations, as well as students in the GLBT
community, feel that through this network they make social connections that they
cannot in person (Boogart, 2004).




When practitioners create profiles for themselves and their departments,
students can learn about services for them through these virtual
connections they view as less intimidating (Boogart, 2004).
Student Activities professionals and student leaders can “meet” students
in online communities who might enjoy organizations and services they
are providing because of things students identify as interests. For
example, students at Indiana University looking to start a book club could
search for groups on Facebook and would find more than five groups
dedicated to that interest.
Service Learning professionals could create an “event” for an servicegeared spring break trip. After the trip, students could reflect on the
experience by posting notes, updates, photos or videos for all to see.
Practitioners could also use blogging for reflection, as well as to connect
other students with the experience.
Programming boards, like the one at Slippery Rock University, are asking
for feedback for speakers, bands, movies, and more to be posted on their
Facebook and MySpace pages, using these profiles as a hub for
communication
(http://indiana.facebook.com/group.php?gid=7006986540).




With online communities, students foster interaction that is not
face-to-face, which is “critical for establishing social bonds.”
Online interaction does not fosters the same sense of
understanding and commitment that occurs when you are
interacting with someone physically. This could set students back
in their development of social skills (Goldstein, 2007).
Students utilizing computer-mediated communication take longer
to “create bonds of friendship, community or camaraderie than
they might have in face-to-face associations” (Brown, 2001).
Students are likely to make judgments about their peers before
they meet them, which could be costly if they look up their newly
assigned roommates and find that they have different interests
(Eberhardt, 2007). This behavior can rob students of cultural and
social learning opportunities.
If students use online communities to stay in touch with friends
from the past and do not actively seek out new connections, they
may have difficulty adjusting to the institutional culture.
Many students are willing to share personal information in
very public online spaces. Many are unaware of the concept
of ‘electronic traces’ or that someone may take advantage of
personal information.
(postsecret.com)

Student Information
Technology has transformed how we manage and share
student information. Many institutions no longer utilize
social security numbers.
 Data and information leaks from an institution are often
the result of individual error rather than from hackers
(Young, 2008).
 Email through an institution’s domain is subject to the
rules of the institution and may be subpoenaed.


Student Behavior in Cyberspace

Professionals are learning to navigate how to treat
evidence of behaviors that appear on social networking
sites or other web portals not affiliated with the
institution.




The University of Kansas Medical Center hired a director of
information security several months after a hacker gained access
to computer servers housing medical data and other confidential
information in November 2004.
“Maintaining a personal account not only helps you avoid ethical
transgressions, it also can protect you from unexpected legal
trouble. A common legal tactic nowadays is to obtain someone's email messages through a public-information request. Those
messages can be easy to obtain because public universities often
archive e-mail traffic for a given amount of time” (Olson, 2007).
University of Missouri at Columbia formed a panel to educate
students about Facebook content that may violate student-conduct
policies or local laws.
In response to fears about harassment and cyberstalking, Purdue
University has trained police officers to handle incidents of
harassment and cyberstalking on Facebook.




Identify how Millennial students understand
privacy and use this information to create
educational programming.
Incorporate discussions about protecting
personal information and abiding by the
student code of conduct in cyberspace into
orientation programs.
Define the role of the campus judicial system
with respect to e-violations.
Continue to find balance between student
autonomy and institutional liability.
(Olson, 2007; Read & Young, 2006;
Young, 2008)
The job description, roles, responsibilities, as well as the
ways in which professionals interact with students.
(Piled Higher and Deeper
by Jorge Cham)

Access for Students


Style of Delivery of Information


Online portals allow students to conduct business from any location with
internet access, including with the bursar, registrar, and housing office.
Continual Professional Development of Technology Skills


Traditional programming models may be obsolete for many topics.
Delivery of Services Alterations


Many resources are available 24 hours a day on the internet. Students often
expect immediate service from professionals by email.
In order to communicate and work effectively with students, it is
necessary for professionals to remain fluent in contemporary technological
issues and media.
Outsourcing of Resources

Because many services and most information can be delivered
electronically, professionals risk being made redundant. Institutions can
consolidate resources and personnel when physical location is moot.




Incorporation of technology into graduate
preparation programs.
Continuing education about technology in
student affairs by participating in knowledge
communities and webinars.
Departmental support of relevant hardware
and software.
Professional role-modeling about time
management and resource utilization.
(Dare, 2006)
Wade (1997) anticipates three ways in which
campuses and professionals will change:

Least Change Model

Sharing between universities will increase as
instructors share classrooms across the internet.
Professionals will become more aware of the
needs of students. Information will be more user
friendly and materials instructionally-focused.
Most Change Model


The residential campus will become non-existent,
and the central campus extinct. The student body
will expand beyond a specific geographic region.
Certain functional areas may no longer be
relevant, including housing, student activities,
recreational programming, fraternity and sorority
life, judicial affairs, and health services
Combination Model


The traditional campus will not become obsolete,
but academics will move toward online
classrooms and forums. Students will meet on
campus briefly for supervision or experiential
learning opportunities. Professionals will
anticipate the mode of delivery shifting and will
accommodate accordingly .
Challenges:





Student expectations have mirrored the
24 hour accessibility of the internet for
professionals (Amey & VanDerLinden,
2003), which may result in professionals
entering an infinite workday.
As more information moves to the
internet, jobs become endangered
(Rhoades, 1999).
Expenses of training professionals in
skills needed to complete newly altered
tasks as technology changes (Rhoades).
As new skills are gained by
professionals, is there enough funding
to support the higher trained
professional? (Rhoades).
Professionals interacting consistently
with technology begin to lose
autonomy as their work and daily
movements can be monitored more
easily (Rhoades).
In small groups, reflect upon the following:
1.
How does your functional area utilize technology?
2.
Which resources are appropriate for you to make accessible
through the internet? Which are not?
3.
How should student affairs professionals interact with
students through different forums such as Facebook, or on
an institutional wiki?
4.
How do you address security and privacy concerns with
students?
5.
How do you view your professional role in light of
technological changes and advancements?
Remember, this is the “Year of the Personal Computer” here at
McApple. How do you incorporate this into your work?
We hope this has helped you to consider how technology has
changed our field, and how to continue to improve our work with
students.



International Society for Technology in
Education: http://iste.org/
“Study Raises New Privacy Concerns About
Facebook”:
http://chronicle.com/free/2008/02/1489n.ht
m
“10 Trends to Watch in Campus Technology”:
http://chronicle.com/weekly/v53/i18/18b007
01.htm
Amey, M., & VanDerLinden, K. (2003). The use of technology: Institutional issues. National Education Association: 2003 Almanac of Higher
Education. Retrieved February 11, 2008, from http://www.nea.org/he/healma2k3/a03p85.pdf
Boogart, M.R.V. (2004). Uncovering the Social Impacts of Facebook on a College Campus. Unpublished master’s thesis, Kansas State University,
Manhattan, KS.
Brown, R.E. (2001). The process of community building in distance learning classes. Journal of Asynchronous Learning Networks, 5(2).
Carnevale, D. (2006). E-mail is for Old People. Chronicle of Higher Education, 53(7), A27.
Dare, L. (2006, Summer). Technology in student affairs: Seeking knowledge, craving community. Student Affairs Online, 7(2). Retrieved
September 17, 2007, from http://studentaffairs.com/ejournal/Summer_2006/TechnologyinStudentAffairs.html
Eberhardt, D. M. (2007). Facing up to Facebook. About Campus, 12(4), 18-26.
Gergen, K. J. (2005). Technology, self and the moral project. Unpublished manuscript. Retrieved February 13, 2008, from
http://www.swarthmore.edu/SocSci/kgergen1/web/page.phtml?id=manu30&st=manuscripts&hf=1
Goldstein, E.R. (2007). Swimming alone? Chronicle of Higher Education, 53(38), B2.
Govani, T. & Pashley, H. (2005). Student awareness of the privacy implications when using Facebook. Unpublished paper presented at
the “Privacy Poster Fair” at the Carnegie Mellon University School of Library and Information Science, December 14, 2005.
Retrieved February 14, 2008, from http://lorrie.cranor.org/courses/fa05/tubzhlp.pdf
Inside CRM (2008). The Facebook marketing toolbox: 100 tools and tips to tap the Facebook customer base. Retrieved February 13, 2008,
from www.insidecrm.com/features/facebook-marketing-toolbox-012308
Lombardi, C. (2006). Penn State live offers mobile news service. Retrieved February 14, 2008, from http://www.news.com/2100-1039_36106302.html
Marcia, J. E. (1980). Identity in adolescence. In J. Adelson (Ed.), Handbook of adolescent psychology. New York: John Wiley & Sons.
Olson, G. (2007, October 19). The ethics of technology. Chronicle of Higher Education, 54(8), c1.
Preece, J. (2000). Online communities. designing usability, supporting sociability. Chichester, England: John Wiley & Sons, LTD.
Read, B, & Young, J. (2006, August 4). Facebook and other social-netowrking sites raise questions for administrators. Chronicle of Higher
Education. Retireved February 17, 2008, from http://chronicle.com/weekly/v52/i48/48a02901.htm
Reynolds, R. (2005, August 22). Back to school: Three technology trends to watch. XplanaZine. Retrieved February 11, 2008, from
http://www.xplanazine.com/2005/08/back-to-school-three-technology-trends-to-watch
Rhoades, G. (1999). Technology and the changing campus workforce. Thought and Action, 15(1), 127-138.
Sergiovanni, T. J. (1994). Building community in schools. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.
Wade, A. (1997). The role of student affairs in the virtual university. Paper presented at the annual meeting of the American College Personnel
Association, Chicago, IL.
College Web Editor. (2008). Web marketing & PR in higher ed. Retrieved February 13, 2008, from http://www.collegewebeditor.com
Young, J. (2008, February 8). Mistakes, not hackers, are to blame for many data-security glitches on campuses, report says. Chronicle of
Higher Education, Retrieved February 17, 2008, from http://chronicle.com/free/2008/02/1609n.htm