I have been thinking about the debate about social media in higher education. I appreciate the concerns about individual versus group assessment. But I wondered about something else.
Alumni Development
Does participating in professional communities of practice while a student lead to improve alumni connections, networking, and relations?
I could see this benefitting the university and its members in a few ways.
1) Students can connect to alumni and practitioners on a regular basis for authentic learning. Also they can continue those connections in a separate space if agreed upon.
2) Students see how they can remain connected to the university, or find their way back.
3) Stronger connections may lead to improved job placement.
4) Practitioners can be connected with some of the latest resources or research.
5) Alumni who are connected may be more likely to make financial contributions to the university.
I am thinking about the possibility of this type of activity for my produsage assignment. Stay tuned.
HI Cariann! This is an insightful thought indeed! Conceptualizing how professional CoPs can be harnessed to improve alumni networking is definitely an avenue worth exploring. However, one important consideration is also that there is a significant number of people who do not go into the industries that they majored in during their studies. How then, can these people be reached out to and effectively networked?
ReplyDeleteHi, great question. Is this where produsage comes in? If you empower alumni to start and share their new CoP, does this allow them to build new networks? Definitely something I need to think about more. Thanks
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