Social Media for Educators and Administrators

Alicia Baudais, University of Calgary | EDER 631.06

Abstract Social media attracts billions of users across the worldsome of whom are likely your students, colleagues, direct reports, parents, other stakeholders, and more. Our sample of educators expressed the need to utilize social media for fear of missing out. However, improper use of social media in both a personal and business sense can lead to catastrophic results. This program, to be offered by Continuing Education at the University of Calgary, has been designed to help educators navigate the complex world of social media. Learning Objectives The objectives, which were developed based on feedback and research, of this program are: To provide educators and administrators with an introduction to social media. To discuss recent social media research, and the positive and negative implications of using social media. To provide learners with ideas on how social media can be successfully used to connect with stakeholders. To outline the legal ramifications of improper social media use. By the end of this program, learners will have developed a holistic view of social media, and become aware of the benefits and disadvantages of social media in the education sector. Feedback We welcome your feedback to improve this course for our learners! Please post your suggestions via Blackboard.

Method Educators and administrators who attended our Social Media 101 program expressed a desire to learn more about social media usage in the education sector1. This course, Social Media for Educators and Administrators, was developed using Caffarellas Interactive Program Planning Model. We surveyed Social Media 101 participants and a sample of educators to support the creation of this course; drew upon existing academic research in developing our learning objectives; and secured internal funding to support course delivery, marketing, and enrolment. Learners will be surveyed postdelivery to determine if learning objectives were met, and if delivery can be improved upon.
1

This is hypothetical data that was created to support this program development project.

Acknowledgements We would like to thank the learners from Social Media 101 for providing us with the evidence needed to develop this program. We also acknowledge the International Center for Media & the Public Agenda at the University of Maryland for their research that informed the development of our program. Finally, we thank Mr. Harry Potter, Q.C., for his input and information around the legal implications of social media use.

For More Information Our full study on the development of this course will be published on April 17, 2013. We hope to deliver this course in September 2013.