1 Social media can create a sense of belonging
The transition into university can be a stressful and lonely time (Drouin et al., 2019). Settling into university typically involves developing a sense of connection to the university and to student life.
The importance of belonging and community in student life is reflected in the fact that they are considered as national measures of how universities are doing in the National Student Satisfaction or NSS survey. However, the main reason for you to develop a sense of belonging and community as part of your university studies is that it has been identified as a key area which supports student retention in Higher Education (Thomas, 2012, cited in Challen, 2019). In other words, feeling a sense of connection to the student community can improve the chances of you completing your studies. It can make time at university more enjoyable, and although connecting with others may seem time away from your studies, particularly for commuter and distance learners, it can be very worthwhile.
Here you will learn about the role that social media can play in creating social connections in HE. As you discovered in Session 1, while there is a great deal of debate about social media, it is widely accepted that one of the many benefits of social media in the educational setting is that it can provide excellent tools for socialising.
In this session, you will consider some the ways in which social media can help you to develop a meaningful sense of engagement with the HE community so you can make informed choices about your engagement. In Session 3, you will also consider some of the drawbacks and common reasons why social media may not provide you with the sense of community you were hoping for.