How To Apply Social to Education and Learning

Do you work in the Education department?

Why do busy professionals turn to social media? For professional development, of course. Social tools make it possible for you to increase participation in your learning programs, actively engage learners, and make your learning programs more effective. Your job will be more rewarding when you transition your learners from passively listening to actively engaging through social channels you intentionally design as part of the learning experience.

Having social tools is just the start. You have to know how to apply them to instructional design. That’s where your expertise in learning and education is invaluable. You now have the tools to apply the principles of adult learning to your programs–whether face-to-face or online. You’ll be a Social CRM hero by creating the most engaging learning programs available for your industry or profession, and your social skills will be important for your career and your success. Your work enhances the reputation of your organization as the place to learn and grow. You’ll be instrumental in helping professionals in your community connect with experts and peers. Given all of that, what can the education team actually DO with social? What can YOU do to help your association get the most out of social? Everybody says you should be using social, but nobody tells you how. This is how.

DOWNLOAD THIS GUIDE NOW – PART OF THE “BE A SOCIAL CRM HERO” SERIES.  This is just part of the series, which are designed to be short, checklist-style handy guides that take you step-by-step through the steps to rock your social media activities for your particular department.  

Here’s a teaser:

1. Make social a part of the instructional design of your programs. For adult learners, passive listening is not the most effective teaching method. Luckily, social tools give you the chance to design more engaging, effective programs.  Plan collaborative activities like an internal online chat or note-taking through a Twitter hashtag. Ask questions of the audience that they can respond to in the chat. Ask them what they hope to learn. Or schedule additional post-event Q/A time.  Most importantly, pair your subject matter experts with a facilitator who can run the backchannel activity.

2. Nurture informal learning channels. You spend most of your time delivering formal education programs, as you should. But for your learners, informal learning channels are just as important. By nurturing those channels and contributing resources there, you can connect with folks who value learning. When they’re ready to spend their training dollars, they’ll turn to you.  Always promote a Twitter hashtag, and monitor for any tweets.  Connect the dots between formal and informal channels – your private community, or groups on Facebook and LinkedIn. Preview and discuss educational content in your social spaces – not just for promotion, but for collaboration and engagement. Think about what content (like video or audio clips, a slide or full deck, or a great question/answer) could be reimagined for social sharing. And recommend archived content that is relevant to the topic at hand.

3. Research emerging topics and experts. Social media moves fast. Really fast. Social communities–especially in a professional context–are driven by people who want to be at the very forefront of their field or industry. The topics your community discusses, and the people discussing them can both be invaluable resources for program planning. Watch for new voices, too, who could serve as facilitators for your formal programs.  Pay attention to what and who gets shared the most – invite the person behind that member-generated content to become an SME (subject matter expert) for you. Track your competition – what other organizations are doing with social learning.

DOWNLOAD THE REST OF THE GUIDE NOW to read the full spread of tactical goodness.

It’s never too late to start applying social media to education and learning. You may already be doing some of this. And with a little planning and collaboration with your colleagues, you can use social to drive better results for your participants, and greater member engagement for your entire association. Good luck, and have fun getting to know your learners in all new ways.