Social Media Engagement and High-Impact Immersion Experiences : An Examination of Facebook as a Platform for Assessment in Higher Education

Abstract

This study is a continuation of research conducted last year and it analyzes the extent to which social media engagement on Facebook enhances high-impact immersion trip experiences. Dumford and Miller (2018) examined students’ use of social media as an assessment of student learning outcomes and found it is efficient and convenient. While there is research in the literature related to the advantages of using social media as an assessment of student learning outcomes, there is a paucity of studies pertaining to social media as an assessment tool for immersion programs. The purpose of this study was to contribute to existing literature with a focus on social media usage to assess students who participated in the Civil Rights Pilgrimage (CRP) at the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire. Data was collected via a closed (by invitation only) Facebook group of students registered for the winter Civil Rights Pilgrimage. Students were instructed to create posts in response to daily prompts related to what they did throughout the trip. Data was analyzed via content analysis with thematic analysis as a secondary form of examining data. Results revealed that most students enjoyed using Facebook as a means of achieving the liberal education outcomes associated with the trip.