Using social media to increase student engagement with career services
Date
2019
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Publisher
University of Delaware
Abstract
The goal of this project is to increase student engagement with the career center. The research indicates social media platforms hold a great deal of potential for building relationships with students and boosting interactions with the career center. This project develops a strategy for using social media to increase student engagement with the career center informed by best practices gleaned from the research literature and applied through the lens of analysis of locally collected data from interviews. Traditionally, university faculty and staff, specifically career center professionals are not trained in social media best practices, which would assist with amplifying the career center messaging and meeting students “where they are” thereby increasing overall engagement in career activities. This study reviewed existing research about university career staff, student engagement, and social media trends through an extensive literature review and analysis of data from the Pew Research Center. Data about University of Delaware student communication, activity participation, and review of career services previously collected from Universum and the National Survey of Student Engagement were synthesized and added to the study. A digital platform assessment was conducted to look at the functionality, strengths, weaknesses, cost, and analytics associated with the current most popular social media platforms. A student survey was conducted that assessed University of Delaware student motivation. Colleagues from comparator institutions were interviewed regarding best practices for student engagement and social media. This resulted in the creation of a series of documents that covered best practices when it comes to social media marketing for career services offices. A set of specific brand guidelines was created for the University of Delaware Career Center to set the stage for a strategic plan for implementing these social media best practices and creating a strong brand representation for moving the University of Delaware Career Center forward in engaging students through social media. Feedback from focus groups was collected on the best practice compilation and strategic plan for implementation. Once the guidelines and strategic documents were updated to reflect the stakeholder commentary, a six-section training module for career professionals was created and piloted in the UD Career Center office. The research for this project highlighted the importance of cross campus partnerships, peer influencers, early messaging to students, advanced planning of content, and a digital paradigm shift to the way career services are offered.