Rene Couture, Student Life, Indiana State University, Terre Haute, IN 47809
Pam Costello, Residential Life, Indiana State University, Terre Haute, IN 47809
Shaun Harkness, Residential Life, Indiana State University, Terre Haute, IN 47809
Amber VanLue, Student Life, Indiana State University, Terre Haute, IN 47809
Using existing campus software and servers, on-line communities were developed as an experimental one-year program to integrate on-line and the residential communities in a first year hall. With the mission of enhancing interpersonal interaction, web pages, chat rooms, discussion boards and more have been used to enhance interpersonal community building. Participants will learn how staff developed the virtual communities and how students used these communities during this academic year. http://blumberghall.indstate.edu and http://wbarratt.indstate.edu/e-res
Keywords - Housing and Residential Life
About the Blumberg Hall Site - http://blumberghall.indstate.edu/about/about.htm
Other presentations on this project - http://blumberghall.indstate.edu/SA/
The purpose of this program is to educate student affairs professionals on the development and use of on-line or virtual communities on campus, and particularly in a first year residence hall. Further, integrating on-line communities with residential communities has application as a student development and learning tool.
The rationale for this program is the small number of student affairs offices, and residential life offices that provide on-line communities for students, and the large number of students who precipitate in on-line chats, discussion boards and other interactive Internet media.
The on-line communities described in this program were developed as a one-year experimental program in a first year student residence hall. A second residence hall, of identical design, acts as a ‘comparison group’ to learn the effects of on-line communities on students. Difficulties in developing the communities, difficulties with software, and difficulties with legal and ethical issues will be covered. Success with the program will be central to this presentation.
The number of research articles on integrating on-line and physical communities is very small, and there is no literature on accomplishing this work in a student development context. The literature on virtual communities will be described, as will the benefits and barriers of integrating technology into an interpersonal environment.
The quality and quantity of student participation in the on-line communities and the quality and quantity of student participation in the residence hall and floor communities will be the central conceptual principle for this project. Evaluations of student use, and of the comparison group will serve as much of the content of this presentation.
The program presenters will use examples and graphics to illustrate issues in developing the on-line communities and demonstrating how students use the communities. Opportunities for questions and discussions occur throughout the presentation.
Developing the initial concept and goals.
Getting permission.
Selecting software.
Designing the look and feel.
Integrating the communities with campus software.
Integrating the communities with residential life.
Launching the communities.
Using the communities.
The effects of the communities on residents.
The history and nature of on-line communities on the Internet
Difficulties in developing on-line communities on campus.
Software opportunities, software difficulties.
How students used on-line communities this year.
Effects of on-line communities in a first year residence hall.
This project will extend to all residence halls on campus next year.
Student Affairs and Higher Education Graduate Program
University Learning Outcomes Assessment