Aundrea, I agree. The LinkedIn Group we formed is strictly for IT students and we have established guidelines for its use. Students know that it is a community for them to bond in a way that they cannot in the classroom and contribution to this forum is not assessed, but they also know that they are responsible for what is posted there. As a result their converstions are civil. We have gleaned useful information that has helped to enhance their classroom experience. Paulette

Dr. Crews, Two of them confirmed that they are more comfortable with social media that with the school's forum. They are used to collaborating with friends and family on social family and find it more natural. Paulette

Dr. Crews, The students who joined the group are equally as excited. They seem to share information related to the course and the university more freely within this group than they do in the school's forums. I am very curious about this. I have posted this question to them and I am awaiting their answers. Paulette

Hello Dr. Crews and class, I am excited to be a part of this class. My Program Chair just started a LinkedIn IT group for our IT professors and students. I was surprised at the level of participation within the group by students. They use it to re-connect with classmates with whom they shared past classes and share ideas both academically and professionally. Our classes are all online. I have garnered many insites from their online conversations in the forum. Dr. Paulette Stephens