In the last couple of blog posts, I have discussed how social media is changing the public relations field both in practice and in research. Social media has also been changing how we as PR professionals are teaching and interacting with our students in our education programs. But – what will be the impact of social media on educational institutions? Well, there was a recent article that appeared on Mashable that discusses how social media could possibly make the cost of education at zero. Sure, social media in many ways is changing how education is being taught and marketed – from sharing information to other professors, students, and even alumni, to teaching in the classroom.
New “universities” are coming up that are completely online, but there is an important element that we all have to consider – what is the reputation of these institutions. These social media “universities” are not in the same class and prestige as colleges such as Harvard, Princeton, Yale, or USC to name a few. What are future employers going to say if they look at a resume and it says that you got a degree from the University of the People, when others applying for the same job have degrees from other established and credible institutions? Hmm – yes, it makes you think.
So, how do we make these institutions credible and have a good reputation? Well, it is going to take some time. Social media is rapidly changing, and it is very hard for academic professionals and institutions to keep up with the technology. Universities that already have an established reputation (ex. USC, Harvard, etc.) are already having classes online and through social media (ex. Second Life and Harvard) – so these institutions can see what these universities are doing and adapt their programs.
In other words – social media has indeed made an impact on education, and if colleges that are established take the opportunity to develop classes that use social media in the classroom and have online classes – they would definitely be adapting to the changing information and education environment that we are finding ourselves in.
Hope you all are having a great day! 🙂
Best Wishes,
Karen
0 Comments