effective use of social software report & case studies now available

This JISC funded report, and collection of 26 case studies, which examined the effective use of social software in the UK further and higher education sectors in enhancing student learning and engagement is now available for download at www.jisc.ac.uk/whatwedo/projects/socialsoftware08.aspx.

This very readable report provides insights about the:

• educational goals of using social software tools;
• enablers or drivers within the institution, or from external sources which positively influence the adoption of social software;
• benefits to the students, educators and institutions;
• challenges that may influence a social software initiative;
• issues that need to be considered in a social software initiative.

It also includes a very useful 'recommendations' section aimed towards anyone considering implementing a social software initiative to support student learning and engagement.

I'd like to end this blog post with a quote taken from the study:

"When I thanked an educator, associated with one of the initiatives investigated in this study, at the end of a long day of interviews with her and her students, she said: ‘my heart is with the learners; if I know that something works for them, I want to share it with others so that other learners can also benefit; that is what we are here for - to help our learners’. This statement embodies the spirit of this study: the willingness of colleagues to share their experiences with the wider community."

Quote from study author