One of the biggest challenges at community colleges is the lack of engagement between students and students and faculty. Two-year colleges attract students who often have family and work commitments outside of academe. As a result, community college is often described as a parking-lot-to-classroom-to-parking-lot experience. However, some educational observers think that social networking has the potential to change this situation.

A recent survey of over 400,000 students from 663 institutions indicates that students who use social media to engage with their peers, faculty and other staff, and participate in campus-based activities are more likely to succeed in their classes. Social networking tools like Face book and Twitter are offering students the ability to connect with faculty and form peer relationships like study groups.

The study, a project of the Center for Community College Student Engagement, seems to indicate social networking has great potential benefits for two-year college students, but also cautions that many institutions are not taking advantage of this potential. Says Center director, Kay McClenney; “…colleges are not taking advantage of that particular set of tools for making connections with students to the extent that they could.”

The study also revealed the differences in the use of social networking between older and younger students:

•Among students 18 to 24, 95% use social-networking tools, including instant messages and texting, 64% multiple times a day. However, only18% use these tools for schoolwork. 5% of this population never uses any type of social network.
•Among older students, 68% used social networking, 41% multiple times a day. Only 10% use networking for academic purposes; 49% do not use social networking for any school purpose.

The positive application of social networks in on-line college programs is well documented. Using networks like Skype, professors and students in distance learning degree programs are able to have conferences, and students are organizing study and discussion groups with excellent results.

The report does not recommend a universal use of social networks to build community and foster academic engagement in two-year colleges. However, it does urge colleges to “find the right match”.

Social networking seems a perfect fit for Phillips Community College of the University of Arkansas, located in rural Helena. Says the school’s chancellor, “A lot of our students do not have computers at home, or broadband Internet access, but they all have cell phones with the capacity to text, and access Twitter and Facebook.”