The Current Rate Of Adoption - 3094 Words

CHAPTER I INTRODUCTION TO THE STUDY An oft-heard phrase in education has become both a directive and a duty for educators: â€Å"We must meet students where they are.† This phrase refers to an obligation to meet students’ needs by matching instructional methods to their levels and preferences. In this era of rapid technological innovation and change, many students have embraced the use of Social Networking Sites (SNS) such as Facebook and spend much of their time in its virtual spaces. Despite its popularity with college students, it is unclear if university faculty educators feel that SNSs are appropriate places to go to meet their students’ needs. This study seeks to explore this question by comparing faculty and students as to their†¦show more content†¦211). While many SNSs are in the early stages of development, the adoption of the concept has been rapid. The study proposed here focuses specifically on the adoption of SNSs by students and faculty in higher education. Though SNSs have attained remarkable popularity, Facebook has become the most popular, particularly among people of ages 17 to 25 (Melber, 2008). Recent studies indicate that the number of older users is increasing rapidly (Kirkpatrick, 2009), but currently more than 90% of college students have a Facebook account (Haywoode, 2010; Loveland, 2011). Thus, the substantial number of college students using this technology has compelled many educators to wonder if there are potential benefits for the use of Facebook to support education. According to Santovex (2006), colleges and universities can use Facebook to â€Å"engage students academically and build relationships with faculty† (p. 5). As retention has become a focal point for many universities, several studies have suggested methods for universities to manage retention more effectively. John N. Gardner, founder and senior fellow of the National Resource Center for The First-Year Experience and Students in Transitions, has visited many campuses, proposing to student-affairs professionals that involvement and sense of connectedness