Changing Students Perceptions of Facebook.com Orientation Program and Online Tutorial

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Changing Students Perceptionsof Facebook.com
Orientation Program and Online Tutorial

• Amanda Droste
• John Graves
• Jeffrey Ruder
• Henry Wendel
• Indiana University - Bloomington

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Campus Needs

• Immediate Issues
• Students on campus have recently experienced
  threats and hate messages as a result of the
  inappropriate usage of Facebook.com and other
  online communities.
• Diversity College (DC) must address these
  concerns and work diligently to promote a healthy
  and safe online community.
• DC needs to teach students how to utilize the
  positive aspects of Facebook.com instead of the
  negative.

• Future Goals
• Using concepts highlighted in Chickering and
  Reissers Education and Identity, create
  technology education programs to aid in the
  development of students identity and mature
  interpersonal relationships.
• Decrease the number of campus judicial cases
  involving the Facebook.
• Develop effective strategies for incorporating
  technology into the both the classroom and social
  environments of the college.
• Continue research and evaluation of student
  technology uses and its impact on both cognitive
  and social student development.

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Faculty and Staff ConcernsQuestions and Points
For Discussion

• Should faculty and staff join these online
  communities?
• Possible benefits to classroom learning
• Ability to inform students about campus events
• Possible loss of privacy for faculty and staff
• Enhanced connection to and communication with
  students
• If so, what information should they present to
  other members of these communities?
• Blurring between personal and professional
  information
• How should faculty and staff respond to student
  misconduct within the context of online
  communities?
• DCs recently developed computer use policies
• Desire to avoid snooping on students

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DCs Response to Campus Needs

• DC will devise an orientation program to make
  students aware of issues associated with internet
  and technology usage as well as to foster the
  growth of a positive and engaged online community
  on campus.
• By constructing an online tutorial and quiz, DC
  will test student knowledge about these issues
  and foster accountability about acts of
  computer-related misconduct.
• A permanent workgroup - the DC Facebook Committee
  - will be established to provide ongoing
  assessment and modification of these two
  programs.
• The DC Facebook Committee will also solicit
  faculty and staff input about online communities
  and be responsible for future training and
  development sessions.

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Assessment and Revitalization

• In order to ensure the continued effectiveness of
  both the orientation program and online tutorial,
  active assessment of the programs must occur.
• The DC Facebook Committee will be charged with
  the responsibility of developing a timeline for
  assessment and reorganization. This team will
  also determine what type of changes should be
  made.
• Due to the constantly changing student
  constituency, the programs should be evaluated
  each year.

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How will the DC Facebook Committee ensure that
their efforts are worthwhile and educational?

• Orientation Program
• Design and implement a survey for students to
  take at the conclusion of the orientation
  program.
• Employ the use of student focus groups for the
  purposes of re-evaluation and revision.
• Track the number of judicial cases involving the
  misuse of technology and make adjustments and
  revisions based on judicial/student concerns.
• Consult with campus stakeholders, such as DCPD,
  DC IT Services, faculty, and student affairs
  professionals. Respond to their feedback about
  the orientation program to ensure that their
  concerns are adequately addressed.

• Online Tutorial
• At the conclusion of the tutorial, there will be
  a short satisfaction survey.
• The data retrieved from the tutorial (i.e. number
  of correct/incorrect responses, length of time
  needed to take survey, demographic differences in
  results, etc.) will be analyzed by the DC
  Facebook Committee.
• The collected data will then be used to make any
  needed changes to the tutorial.
• Track the number of judicial cases involving the
  misuse of technology and make adjustments and
  revisions based on judicial/student concerns.

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DC Orientation Program

• The following slides will be used as part of a
  program during DCs new student orientation.

• The program begins with a darkened auditorium.
  Student orientation leaders in the audience will
  stand, be spotlighted, and shout provocative
  phrases that real students have included in their
  Facebook profiles. The purpose of this
  introduction is to grab attention and spark
  discussion.

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Opening Discussion

• How did those statements make you feel?
• Would you wear the quotes on your shirt?
• What sort of impression do you think they create?
• What sort of impact would they have on you and
  your friends?

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Facing the FacebookPut Your Best Face Forward

• Julie Cockrell, OL
• Eduardo Hernandez, OL
• Hayley Anderson, Residence Life Staff
• Ryan Covey, Residence Life Staff
• Eric Crowley, DCPD
• Courtney Davis, DC IT Services

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Enter the Facebook

• Facebook.com is an online community where
  students, faculty, staff, and alumni share
  information about themselves and communicate with
  others
• Individuals can create profiles and online
  identities to represent themselves within this
  community
• Originally developed as a way to connect with
  other students in ones courses, it has developed
  into a powerful social networking tool
• Facebook shares many traits with other online
  communities, such as Friendster and My-Space

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Finding Yourself on Facebook

• Meet students and staff with similar educational
  and social interests
• Building relationships with others aids in your
  process of self-discovery
• Gain exposure to diverse people and multicultural
  groups, experiences, and events on campus
• Stay connected with friends and family

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Finding Yourself On FacebookWhats in Your
Profile?

• Your profile identifies who you are. Facebook
  can often be a students first glimpse into your
  personal information, interests, friends, and
  class schedule.
• The groups you join and the personal information
  you post influences others perceptions of you.
  When people first meet you, how much information
  do you typically divulge? What do you want
  people to know about you?

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Finding Yourself on FacebookMaking Connections

• You can learn about other students on campus both
  in and outside of your classes.
• You can become friends with students at
  campuses across the nation.
• Student groups can post advertisements for their
  organizations.

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Finding Yourself on FacebookGetting to Know You

• Learn information about faculty and staff
  interests that you may not know initially
• Become friends with people you might not have
  regular interaction with such as the Dean of
  Students
• Faculty members can post information that is
  helpful to students, such as when they host
  virtual office hours

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The Facebook Has Issues . . .Visibility

• Who can see what you post on the Facebook?
• Anyone with a _at_dcohio.edu e-mail address who
  registers with the Facebook
• This includes current students, prospective
  students, professors, staff (including DC
  police), and DC alumni in the workforce
• Anyone who steals the account information of a
  member of the previous groups

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The Facebook Has Issues . . .Visibility

• Like almost all Internet use, information posted
  on the Facebook can be traced to a specific
  computer and specific time using IP address
  tracking
• It is DC policy to gather such information when
  necessary to protect the safety and welfare of
  the DC community
• Anecdotal evidence suggests that more employers
  are scanning the Facebook

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The Facebook Has Issues . . .Visibility

• Facebook gives users security options that let
  you control how information is seen to an
  extent
• Many students do not use these safety features
  because they want to be able to meet anyone

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The Facebook Has Issues . . .Cyberstalking

• Cyberstalking is using the Internet to harass or
  dig up private information about people
• Several colleges and universities, including DC,
  have reported cases of cyberstalking involving
  the Facebook
• The case of Taylor Behl at Virginia Commonwealth
  University
• Think carefully about what contact information
  you post on the Facebook

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The Facebook Has Issues . . .Identity Theft

• Criminals could misuse personal information
  posted on the Facebook or similar websites to
  assume a persons identity
• As with all login information and passwords, if
  Facebook passwords are not kept secret someone
  could assume another persons identity on the
  Facebook

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The Facebook Has Issues . . .Perception

• People treat each other differently based on
  perceptions.
• Your profile on Facebook is a part of who you
  are. How will you be perceived based on your
  Facebook profile?
• Could someone be hurt if they read your profile?
• How would you perceive someone who had one of the
  statements from the beginning of our presentation
  in their profile?

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The Facebook Has IssuesReal Life Situations

• From The Chronicle of Higher Education
• Two members of Louisiana State University's swim
  team were dismissed from the squad and stripped
  of their scholarships after creating a Facebook
  group, called the Fantastic Four Coaches, and
  complaining about poor coaching at last year's
  Southeastern Conference championships.
• Three students at the University of Mississippi
  were punished for creating a Facebook group whose
  name made it all too clear that they wanted to
  have sex with a professor at the university. The
  professor informed campus police officers, who
  ordered the students to shut down the page.
• The student-government president at Fisher
  College, in Boston, was expelled in October for
  using Facebook to try to rally students to take
  action against a campus police officer. The
  student, who accused the officer of antagonizing
  students, wrote on the site that either we get
  a petition going or we try and set him up.

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Final ThoughtsThe Facebook is NOT

• A place to discriminate against others.
• An environment where racial slurs or derogatory
  speech are accepted.
• Where you solve problems or disagreements with
  your peers.
• A venue in which you may threaten, stalk, or
  harass others.

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Final ThoughtsOn the Facebook You CAN

• Make connections with classmates, faculty, and
  staff.
• Explore your current interests and develop new
  ones.
• Become engaged with the campus community.
• Stay in touch with high school friends.

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Next Session Preparing to register for classes!
Meet in Old Erie Hall 33A. This is the final
slide used in the proposed orientation program.
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DC Online Tutorial

• Todays presenters have created a working
  prototype of the proposed online tutorial
• Students will need to complete the tutorial and
  score a B or higher on the accompanying exam
  before receiving DC network access
• Students will have the ability to retake the exam
  should they not receive a B
• The working prototype can be accessed at
  http//www.iub.edu/iuspa/case/index.htm
• Viewers please click on the above link to access
  the prototype of the tutorial, which also
  includes the online exam and assessment survey

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Selection of Orientation Content and Online
Tutorial Questions

• Orientation
• We desired to improve DCs online campus culture.
  By introducing students to positive and negative
  aspects of online communities, we sought to
  empower them to create a welcoming and healthy
  online environment.
• In order to retain the interest of students and
  improve their learning outcomes, we sought to
  create an engaging presentation with several
  opportunities for discussion.
• By introducing students to the idea that online
  communication is an important part of their
  identity development, we hoped to enable students
  to think critically about this aspect of their
  college experience.
• The orientation programs content is grounded in
  statistical information about student technology
  use.

• Online Tutorial
• Since student safety is our top priority, we
  sought to ensure that students were aware of
  online safety issues and relevant campus
  resources.
• Questions included in the exam serve to remind
  students of DCs policies related to
  discrimination, harassment, and hate speech.
• If students need to be held accountable for
  violations of DC policies, the exam questions can
  serve as points of conversation for DC judicial
  officers.

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What did we learn?

• We gathered specific information about the ways
  students, faculty, and staff at higher education
  institutions utilize online communities.
• Current research focuses on the impacts of
  technology on students cognitive development.
  More research needs to be conducted on the
  impacts of technology use on other aspects of
  student learning and development.
• Like most technological tools, Facebook.com and
  similar websites have the potential to initiate
  positive contact between students, faculty, and
  staff.
• Colleges and universities must consider online
  communication when developing computer use and
  student conduct policies.
• By completing this project, the team was
  introduced to current campus policies and ideas
  regarding Facebook.com and similar web sites.
• The team learned about the requirements of making
  a presentation utilizing asynchronous
  computer-mediated communication.

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