Course Overview:
Do you know that Facebook is a verb? What about learning all you can know about someone on MySpace? Are student relationships with one another not official nowadays unless they claim they are in a relationship on Facebook? Online communities such as Facebook, MySpace, Xanga, etc are an integral part of how students in college today communicate with one another. Their membership is part of their identity. It is the way they can track exactly what their friends are doing on a daily basis.
As a university professional do you have an account on Facebook? On MySpace? If so how do you use your account? What are the liabilities of having an account, if any? Do you educate your students on the safe uses of on line communities or is it something you just ignore? This course will discuss online communities: issues involving them such as security, professionalism; how online communities can affect an institution of higher education and its employees; using online communities when it comes to issues of student conduct and hiring procedures; and how to use online communities to benefit your institution.
Participant Expectations:
Participants should plan to spend approximately 3 to 4 hours per week in this course. This will include time to read materials, complete on-line exercises and surveys and participate in asynchronous on-line discussions. Participants will need to log on for course content that will be posted weekly. In addition participants will need to respond to questions posted on the discussion board each week. As the discussion board is asynchronous, students may check in and post at their convenience. This learning tool will be an important part of participant's learning experience.
Course Outline:
Topics to be covered:
Background information on online communities and the scope in which they affect this generation of college students.
Security issues surrounding online communities
Today’s student and the uses of online communities
Real campus issues surrounding online communities.
Online addiction
How can being a member of an online community affect our students and do they know this?
Legal issues surrounding online communities
What are the responsibilities of university officials and student affairs when it comes to online communities
How do online communities affect Greek life and other student organizations?
A discussion about should we be using online communities to be doing background checks on student leaders and student employees.
Learning Outcomes
Upon successful completion of this course, participants will be able to:
Understand online communities and how they are used.
Understand the needs of today’s student in using online communities as part of their social network.
Foresee issues surrounding online communities and raise awareness on the safety issues surrounding online communities and students who want to share too much.
Understand how to use online communities to the benefit of the institution.
Understanding of the legal issues that can affect how professionals use online communities.
Assist in the education of our students on how online communities can have a lasting impact on our students lives both personally and professionally.
Instructor Bio: Maureen “Moe” McGuinness Clouse is the Associate Director for Student Leadership & Judicial Affairs in the University of North Texas Housing Department.
Moe has been at UNT since 1998, and has served as a University Judicial Officer for the past 7 years and has advised the Residence Hall Association for 9 ˝ years.
Moe has presented at the Texas Higher Education Law Conference; the Southwest Association of College and University Housing Officers Conference a number of times and serves as an adjunct faculty member for the Program in Higher Education at UNT teaching in areas of programming in Student Development; and an adjunct faculty member for the Psychology department teaching Psychology 1000 for the past 8 years. Areas of interest for Moe are Parental Notification, Binge Drinking, Underage Alcohol use, Suicidal Students and Memorializing Students who have passed away while they are students at the University, student organizations, student leadership, service to students and leadership programs. Moe is a single mother of three wonderful children: Kevin (9), Reilly (7) and Regan (3).
