How can instructors make the most out of social media as a teaching tool? Check out these strategies. 

Students and teachers alike can benefit from using social media as an extension of the classroom. But it’s important to maintain professional boundaries while making effective use out of the networks.

Here are three tips from Dan Klam, Marketing & Communications Coordinator at Syracuse University:

1. Survey students. Ask students which platforms they’d be most interested in integrating into class. If they’re not comfortable, they won’t buy in, dooming the experience from the start.
2. Set up communities. Whether it’s a private class group or page on Facebook or a class hashtag students can find on Twitter, encouraging group discussion is key. Whatever you use, make it clear that it’s for class interactions only, to distinguish it from private student and instructor accounts.
3. Establish boundaries. Some teachers readily accept friend requests from students, while others insist on privacy. Teachers must set down clear ground rules about the ways students can and can’t communicate with them online.

What else would you add? Offer your advice in the comments section, and don’t forget to follow us on Twitter.

Tags: college social media use, Dan Klamm, social media, students and social media, Syracuse University