Social Media and employability - creating new resources with students

Vanessa Jackson, Dave Harte, Mark Ashfield

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceedingChapter (peer-reviewed)

Abstract

This chapter outlines the approach taken in developing new learning resources to support Media Studies students who wish to make better use of social media as a professional networking tool. Staff and students at Birmingham City University’s School of Media collaborated on a project which culminated in the creation of a website offering guidance on social media use (socialmediatutorials.co.uk). Through qualitative and quantitative research we discovered how Media students were using social media in a professional context to develop a network of contacts useful in their future career. The project has been carried out over two academic years, the first year concentrated on the research phase whilst the second has focussed on the creation of a set of openly accessible learning resources. A postgraduate student in Social Media was recruited to collaborate with lecturers on the research phase and a larger group of both Web & New Media and Television undergraduate students were chosen to help build the resources. The chapter draws on the experiences of all involved, through testimonies, and finds that students were motivated to participate in the projects by a desire to enhance their own professional profile, to engage with lecturers outside of the context of assessment and by the nature of the subject matter itself – a desire to better understand their own and their peers’ use of Social Media.
Original languageEnglish
Title of host publicationStudent Engagement
PublisherLibri
Number of pages17
Publication statusIn preparation - Apr 2013

Keywords

  • Social Media, employability, relationships

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