Previous research has emphasised social media adoption by students and the implementation of social media by educators, yet few studies have explored whether students are using it to facilitate engagement in offline environments with peers within university communities. Studies suggest engagement in educational communities and extra-curricular activities can reduce student attrition. This study surveyed 106 undergraduate students to investigate whether students using social media to interact online with their university felt: (i) connected to the broader university community, and (ii) social media helped them engage offline by meeting up with peers and attending university events. The results indicated that the majority (82%) never or rarely used the technology to facilitate offline engagement within their academic communities. Fourth year students were most likely to use social media to engage offline (66.7%). However, more than half of students (52.8%) felt that university social media profiles helped them to feel part of their academic community.  

The social media phenomenon of the amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) Ice-Bucket Challenge attracted more than 3 million donors to upload 1.2 million Facebook videos and give more than US$115 million. In fundraising terms, it was a social media anomaly. This article applies Kent and Taylor’s dialogic theoretical component of propinquity (immediacy of presence, temporal flow and engagement) to explore how the ALS Ice-Bucket Challenge leveraged a propinquital loop (and subsequent chain), to enable participants to move between social media and offline spaces, while creating relational elasticity between participant and cause. Propinquity and its function within a social media context is an area of research that has not yet been greatly considered in the literature, yet may have the potential of informing public relations professionals from the non-profit sector and more widely about social media practice.

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to explore undergraduate student attitudes towards the inclusion of social media training within higher education pedagogy, student perceptions of social media proficiency as professional expertise and its impact on graduate employability. Design/methodology/approach In all, 81 undergraduate students studying medicine, law, science and arts volunteered to complete an online survey. Questions examined student attitudes towards the delivery of social media pedagogy at university and the perceived benefits of social media proficiency. Findings Participants stated that social media skills should be taught in optional classes (85 per cent) covering generic competencies (56 per cent). The majority (91 per cent) of respondents reported that social media skills and training were valuable for employability. Research limitations/implications This was a pilot study and was therefore limited by the self-selection of participants, sample size and geographic location. Practical implications This study identifies that undergraduates across a range of disciplines are receptive to developing professionally relevant social media skills within higher education pedagogy and identify a link between social media proficiency and graduate employability. Originality/value Despite the increasing necessity for social media skills in professional environments, few studies have examined the teaching of social media skills as a core competency in higher education. Instead, social media is largely examined in relation to curriculum delivery and student engagement. This study explores attitudes towards the delivery of social media pedagogy at university and the perceived benefits of social media proficiency exclusively from the viewpoint of undergraduate students, to provide an alternative insight rarely explored in the literature.

Highlights 396 employers were surveyed exploring their preferred graduate social media skills. Public relations and customer service were the most preferred social media skills. The results further legitimizes public relations scholarship in Higher Education. Social customer service skills are a recommended addition to university curriculum.

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