I will be presenting at the Alt-C 2009 Conference in Manchester, UK on Thursday, September 10th.

Title: Social Media and the Need for Peer-Support: student attitudes towards study and the impact of web 2.0 on student study habits

Time: 10:50 – 11:50

Location: Room 2.219

This paper will present our segmentation model for the collective “student voice” on course work and students’ beliefs about technology in their studies. I will be discussing how web 2.0 is impacting student behaviors and methods. I will conclude with the need for peer-assisted, collaborative learning tools to help students intuitively translate their social-technology skills to their education.

Our ethnographic student research included:

• Video ethnography: students “thinking aloud” about decision making and motivations
• Study journals: activities (social, work and study) and use of technology over three days
• Study environments: photographs of physical study tools and contexts
• On-campus observation: interactions in study and recreation areas
• Individual and group interviews: mapping study methods and tools
• Social media: cataloging all study-related conversations on blogs and social media

We will also share salient cross-group behaviors, e.g.:

• Anxiety/ lack of confidence due to unclear “rules for success”
• Peer support through social media for building confidence
• Anomalies in sophistication levels with technology in different contexts. E.g. basic skills with search and tagging for research, despite expert use for social purposes
• Sources/ research: “build the skeleton” using online sources (Wikipedia), “put meat on the bones” with academic sources (published)

Feel free to email me if you’re attending the conference and would like to connect emily_sawtell@mcgraw-hill.com

Already seeing some interesting tweets from today’s sessions!