Building Cohort Identity, and Social Media

I am delighted to have a small chapter in Social Media in Higher Education: Case Studies, Reflections and Analysis, Chris Rowell (ed.) The book is a free download/online read if you want the pdf, or you can pay for a physical copy. It features a lot of really valuable material – as the blurb states:

How does social media affect working life in Higher Education? How are universities harnessing its power to aid student learning? This innovative collection brings together academics and those working in professional services to examine these questions and more. The diverse and expert contributors analyse the many ways social media can be used to enhance teaching and learning, research, professional practice, leadership, networking and career development. The impact of social media is evaluated critically, with an eye both to the benefits and the problems of using these new forms of digital communication.

My chapter is tiny, and starts with “What I want to focus on here is the ‘social’ aspect of social media, and the way we can, in higher education, leverage human tendencies to network, connect, and interact. I also want to devote a little thought to ensuring that doing so doesn’t replicate or further reinforce social inequities, and avoids imperilling students’ safety, self-esteem, and focus…”