In a recent article of the Chronicle of Higher Education, Kim E. Schatzel – the current leader of Towson University – stated that she uses social media to check in with the student climate on campus in light of racial tensions that have been brought to the forefront in the last year. Students at Towson University use hashtags on Twitter to collectively present their thoughts not only to the university community, but to the world, and Twitter isn’t the only place the conversation is happening. The article cites Instagram and Yik Yak as well, but virtually all social media platforms are potential goldmines for getting student input about their experiences on campus. Then again, there’s bound to be a lot of noise in between useful comments, and taking every tweet seriously could put a campus in jeopardy.
Do you think using social media as a way to check in with students about campus climate is a good idea, or are standard surveys – even with their low rate of return – still preferable for a campus looking to enhance the student experience?
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