Can Facebook, MySpace help new students settle into university?
Washington, May 13 (ANI): Facebook and MySpace might have become the hottest communities in existence, but now an initiative is being made to find out if such online networking sites can become a way of helping new students to settle into their universitys social and academic life, as well as minimise the chance of them withdrawing from their courses. A team of researchers at the University of Leicester are looking for first-year students who use Facebook to help their pioneering research into this issue. The use of online networking site Facebook by students is running at a phenomenal level, with almost 10,000 present and past students and staff participating. Presently, 95 per cent of 16-18 year olds intending to go to university are using social networking sites like Facebook and MySpace. Yet we know little about how this phenomenon impacts on the student experience and, in particular, if and how it helps them integrate into university life, said Jane Wellens, Education Developer in
