How Can Higher Education Benefit from Social Software Platforms? Higher education institutions thrive on shared knowledge. More and more, social software platforms provide colleges and universities with highly efficient ways to connect their own communities and networks with other institutions. Taking the lead from their students, administrators, faculty members, researchers, associations and organizations are finding new solutions and technologies to connect securely and share best practices, research, technology trends and expert content. A social software platform provides the foundation and means to move information in a multidirectional exchange. Contributors, experts and all professionals who work with Internet technology solutions for higher education can connect and share news, questions, updates and more. Imagine the value of a network that connects faculty, students and staff in an environment that is both secure and social. Social network software enables community members to generate microcontent, as professors use blogs, for example, to post a course syllabus, conduct seminars or accept assigned student posts. Students can network among themselves, share experiences and resources, and dialog with faculty, all without the risks associated with the open social environment. The nature of communication in higher education is changing faster than ever imagined, as generations of students raised in a “Web 2.0�1 world prepare to enter their college years, expecting to network freely and easily. They arrive on campus ready to continue communicating as they are accustomed, creating their own digital content and primed to adapt with lightning speed to every new development in their virtual world. At the same time, they are looking for ways to succeed in the challenging academic world, and a social networking system will connect them to the resources and information they need to do so. Community is at the core of the educational enterprise, and social collaboration software supports the need of its many intersecting communities to connect. Communities can be both within the institution and outside it, encompassing other institutions of higher learning. Linking these already dynamic networks in a collaborative framework based on gaming mechanics will engage people to achieve improved outcomes. Community members contribute profiles and build a tremendous resource that is quickly accessed and searched by all. Most colleges are part of a larger network, whether state or private, forming a natural hive of communities that can use social software platforms to seamlessly share access and collaborate across all levels of participation. Networked colleges and universities experience increased student retention, as students themselves enjoy improved learning outcomes. Institutions in larger networks (such as state systems) can benefit at all levels of their enterprise and from all kinds of campuses, whether urban or rural, two-year or four-year. In addition to student collaboration, technology experts share access and expertise for maintaining support systems. Administrative staff share business knowledge statewide. Faculty share current research, access other experts in their field and find future collaborators, as well as inspiration.
All this functionality sounds complex, and likely to demand excessive administrative time and cost. Fortunately, there are social networking programs, such as HiveSocial from Enterprise Hive, designed for use in higher learning institutions that offer easy implementation and personalized project managers to assist in start-up and training. Once established, the proper software package requires a minimal commitment of staff hours weekly for administrative upkeep. For more information about HiveSocial for your educational community, contact Enterprise Hive at www.enterprisehive.com. Company Bio Enterprise Hive creates social business software solutions including its flagship community platform, HiveSocial. Using cloud-based technology, HiveSocial delivers a secure, private online experience that empowers all faculty, students, staff, alumni and community to connect and collaborate. It offers a dynamic mix of social business features, including content management, game mechanics and advanced communication and collaboration tools. 1.
“Social Networking in Higher Education,� Alexander, Bryan; Educause