Date of Award
Spring 2015
Degree Type
Capstone - Open Access
Degree Name
Master of Education (MEd)
Department
Education
First Advisor
Susan Marine
Abstract
The purpose of this study was to examine how student affairs professionals, primarily those working in student involvement, utilized various social media technologies to increase their engagement with undergraduate college students. This study utilized Astin’s (1984) theory of student involvement, as well as a collection of literature surrounding the impact of social media on college students and their engagement in order to understand the influence social media can have when engaging with students. Since there is a limited amount of literature and research surrounding the subject of social media and its role in student engagement, a study was done that involved interviews with the staff in Merrimack’s Office of Student Involvement (OSI) to better understand how social media can be used to connect with students. In addition, an online audit of other institution’s social media platforms was conducted in order to compile recommendations for best practice. The literature examined, as well as the research study that followed, suggest that social media can be an engaging platform that allows for strong, digital engagement between professionals and students.
Recommended Citation
Moquin, Matthew, "Logged in and Engaged: Examining How Social Media Can Develop, Maintain, and Increase College Student Engagement" (2015). Higher Education Student Work. 8.
https://scholarworks.merrimack.edu/soe_studentpub/8