Architecture, Planning and Landscape Newbies 2010 Facebook Group
Karen Johnson - Business Development Officer, APL. Creator of APL Facebook groups for students.
Starting from my profile page I created Facebook groups, firstly for new starters but also for students on a set programme. I gave each group a small description to explain what the group was created for and posted a profile picture for the group. Once created I added a few posts to relevant websites and posted a few photos. I asked students to contact each other and ask any questions they might have. It is very easy to set up and very easy to secure your settings so students can't access your personal profile information. I have not been hassled by students and have found the groups very easy to maintain and keep an eye on.
The main Facebook group was set up to allow new students to interact with each other before they arrived. The programme specific group will allow the DPD to interact with her students and potential future students. We felt that introducing facebook groups would be a good way to get students to communicate using a popular medium.
The newbies groups are very successful at getting students to communicate with each other before they arrive, they tend to introduce themselves, saying which course they will study and where they will live. They don't tend to use the site much once they are here, perhaps because they now have their own groups of friends. I do occasionally get asked questions but not very often. The programme specific group was set up at the request of the DPD and is a lot more active. Students on the course are communicating with each other through the site and the DPD actively gets involved. I think over time this will be a great platform of information for new students to learn from. It is worth noting, students can be removed from groups should they need to be so they are very easy to police! I have to say after doing this for almost 2 years I have not yet had to remove anyone.
APL Facebook Groups
Student Engagement, Student Induction
Undergraduate (all Stages)
Architecture, Planning and Landscape
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