As a professor and researcher who studies how college students use social media, I read Jenn DeLuca’s post about not accepting Facebook friend requests from her professors with interest. Jenn’s view is one along a possible continuum of how students feel about Facebook use by faculty members. Faculty members could read Jenn’s post and conclude that all students share her views regarding their presence on Facebook, or they can take a more measured approach to social media use.
For me, education is about engaging students. Over three decades of research shows that engagement is related to many of the desired outcomes of a college education (such as critical thinking skills, educational attainment, intellectual development, and psychosocial adjustment). Some indices of engagement are academic—such as participating in class discussions; while others are social—interacting with peers and with faculty members. I believe that we must meet students “where they are” along a developmental continuum whether that be in the real world or through social media. Indeed, we have research evidence to show that there is a positive relationship between student engagement in social media like Facebook and student engagement and success in the classroom and beyond. Social media provide us the unique opportunity to extend engagement beyond the classroom using technology relevant to many of today’s students.
How faculty use Facebook certainly makes a difference. “Friending” students just to friend them is the digital equivalent of showing up at a house party and doing keg stands with students from class. In addition to having educationally-relevant reasons for using Facebook with students, faculty should have rules about how they use Facebook. For instance, I don’t ask students to be my friend; however, if they send me a friend request, I will accept. I don’t make reference to the fact that I have a Facebook account in my classes. My students go into a special friend group that limits some of what they can see (mostly the content that others post about me). Lastly, my Facebook page is sanitized for mass consumption. I don’t post anything on my Facebook that I wouldn’t say in any other public forum, including my classroom. In fact, I’d take that a step further to say that I’m even more outspoken in my classroom and other public forums, where there is more ability to interact with others and explain where I’m coming from. My students learn more about me from being in my classes and visiting my office than from my Facebook page. By modeling acceptable Facebook behavior, I seek not only to engage with students, but also to set an example of how to create a Facebook profile that will help, rather than hinder their career prospects.
But on a more personal level, connecting with students on Facebook allows faculty to demystify the professorate. Putting more distance between us and our students does a disservice to our goals as educators—to support student curiosity not only about ideas but about people as well. So go ahead and accept that friend request. You might just learn something new. But if you don’t, you can always click the “Remove from Friends” link.
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[...] issues that could be at play here. Here is a good article that further addresses this issue: http://www.usatodayeducate.com/staging/index.php/blog/friend-request-from-your-professor-this-one-ho…. Some students might wrongly use Facebook to cheat by sharing test and quiz information and or [...]
[...] Friend Request Your Professor: this one hopes you will accept. USA Today College [...]
[...] social spaces– they give students a low-stress way to see what you are like. I’ve said elsewhere that my Facebook page is “sanitized for mass consumption” and that while I don’t [...]
[...] My policy on friending students is similar to Rey’s [Rey Junco, that is -- I was referring to a piece he'd published in USA Today] — I will not initiate a request (for the same reason I don’t send [...]
[...] Would you friend your professor? [...]
[...] Friend request from your professor? This one hopes you accept … [...]
[...] at the USA Today College blog, there is a conversation taking place about whether professors and students should be Facebook [...]
Rey! Thanks for these insights. It really summarizes where the higher ed community is in terms of understanding the importance of Facebook etiquette.
For over three years now, we’ve been enabling colleges and universities to engage with incoming students and current students on Facebook, without “friending”. Each user inside of our Facebook application has a campus-specfic Facebook profile (students, faculty, and staff), where they can engage with others on campus around activity and information solely-related to campus.
If anyone wants to take things to the next level and become Facebook friends, there is a link on their campus profile that says “Add as Facebook friend”. But again, that’s if you’d like to do more than post on their wall, send a private email, see their class schedule, or other school-related info (dorm, major, hometown etc.). Main point: Schools on Facebook allows everyone on campus to connect on Facebook without becoming Facebook friends.
Rey, great post. I think if every professor had your philosophy on social media, then I might have a bit of different perspective than what I wrote about in my blog.
And, admin….
http://www.thebostonchannel.com/news/24670937/detail.html
Does anyone have the link to the story that Cathy mentions? Sounds like required reading…
You and Jenn are providing great discussion for the start of a school year! Your approach to accepting versus offering “friendship” is my approach with students (and staff I might add). Your privacy advice is a great lesson to all of us in light of the story about the Cohasset teacher in today’s Boston Globe!
Great post Rey, and one that should be shared with Faculty around the country for an honest discussion about the use of new media in the classroom. Bravo!
@EdCabellon
This sums up my philosophy on facebook/social media use for faculty and staff perfectly.