Social media strengthens the contact with students

Social media strengthens the contact with students

More and more business schools are using Facebook to reach students both academically and socially.
Quality Patrol has, on his tour of the country's vocational schools, seen many examples of how Facebook is used in everyday life. As an active learning tool, as part of the social interaction between the school and the students and between students in the respective classes in the students' practical training.

Internships at Facebook

TietgenSkolen in Odense uses Facebook in the work to find internships for students. When students at TietgenSkolen must have information on new apprenticeships, they can go into Facebook. Here, the school's internship service its own page, where students can find internships, ask questions and find other information about the internship. Placement consultants are online during the week, so they can answer students' questions and provide information about available internships. Facebook page has been around for just over a year, and with more than 450 friends denotes the school since as a success. "Our experience is that students do not use their e-mail, and therefore we have created a page on Facebook, where students can find information instead. Here we can create a quick contact and it allows you to be in regular contact with many of our students, "says Claus Øgendahl as trainee consultant at school. Since becoming not only used by students must apply for an internship. Students in the main scenario also uses the website diligently. Work on the Facebook page is a supplement to the traditional school internship work. But the combination of social network allows placement consultants reaches out to a wider group of students. "Students who are out of work experience, has been a place where they can quickly and easily find answers to various questions about, for example working conditions. In this way, we help to prevent any conflicts between the student and the company, "says Claus Øgendahl.

Facebook can be used for the hard contact

Varde College and Business College is part of a municipal project with other schools where students with different problems can get help and support of a municipal social worker. They use Facebook from the idea that they can reach more students there. "Many of the students we cater to, is very uncertain, and it may be easier for them to take the first contact via Facebook. We want to be visible in an arena that young people already are in. We know that they spend much time on Facebook, and although I'm around in class and send SMS, there is thus some students prefer a more anonymous contact, "says social worker Susanne de Vries. Students can not have conversations with her on Facebook, so the page will only be used to create the first contact. Subsequently, students participate in an agreement on a personal interview.

Interconnection between theory and practice

Århus Social and Health School use Facebook when students in the basic course is out of teaching in enterprises. "When students go out on a job in teaching takes, I create a closed group on Facebook. Since used to maintain student engagement in each other's experiences academically and socially, "says teacher Julie Haldrup Franck. On discussing the pupils solutions to the various problems, in addition to the social aspect going on academic debates. All students were invited to ask reflective questions that other students answers. "It may be, for example about problems they have experienced in their everyday work and they are not quite sure they are handled properly," she says. When students come back to school again, the various questions and answers in an educational class discussion. In this way, the school linked theory and practice more together, which is a great advantage for many students. Source: UVM