Technology and Engagement

by Heather T. Rowan-Kenyon (Author),‎ Ana M. Martínez Alemán (Author),‎ Mandy Savitz-Romer (Author)

Technology and Engagement is based on a four-year study of how first generation college students use social media, aimed at improving their transition to and engagement with their university. Through web technology, including social media sites, students were better able to maintain close ties with family and friends from home, as well as engage more with social and academic programs at their university. This ‘ecology of transition’ was important in keeping the students focused on why they were in college, and helped them become more integrated into the university setting. By showing the gains in campus capital these first-generation college students obtained through social media, the authors offer concrete suggestions for how other universities and college-retention programs can utilize the findings to increase their own retention of first-generation college students.

Review
"The timing of this book could not be better with its focus on first generation college students and social media. It is an empirically-driven and worthwhile read for administrators, faculty, and staff at institutions of higher education in the U.S.”

(Kim Nehls executive director of the Association for the Study of Higher Education (ASHE))

“Increasing college completion, particularly among first-generation, low-income, and minoritized students is critically urgent and Technology and Engagement provides 'scalable' ideas. That is the good news. The bad news is that faculty and administrators have not figured out the many ways in which technology can be leveraged to increase retention. This book shows that technology can be a 'best practice' that can lessen the alienation minoritized first generation students experience in campuses that are not structured for their success. This book offers practical and culturally responsive strategies. It should be required reading for all staff and faculty associated with special programs."

(Estela Mara Bensimon professor and director, Center for Urban Education)

About the Author
HEATHER T. ROWAN-KENYON is an associate professor of education at Boston College in Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts.

ANA M. MARTÍNEZ ALEMÁN is associate dean for faculty and a professor of education at Boston College. She is the author and editor of several books including Online Social Networking on Campus: Understanding What Matters in Student Culture.

MANDY SAVITZ-ROMER is a senior lecturer in education and faculty director of the Prevention Science and Practice Program at Harvard University in Cambridge, Massachusetts. She is the co-author of Ready, Willing, and Able: A Developmental Approach to College Access and Success.



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