On July 7th 2010, I will be co-presenting with Andy Coverdale on the topic: Using Social Media in Academic Practice at the University of Greenwich Future Landscapes conference. The presentation is an overview of a student-led Initiative which is a presentation on our work on a number of student-led sessions on social media to academics at the University of Nottingham. I am posting the abstract the we presented to the conference.

Abstract (for presentation)

The effective use of social and participative media is seen as a key requirement in 21st Century academic practice and professional development. This case study describes a collaborative, student-led initiative which, identifying a gap in existing Doctoral training provision, engaged in delivering a series of interactive sessions to PhD students and Early Career Researchers at the University of Nottingham. With an emphasis less on the technologies and more on their social, participatory and collaborative affordances, the sessions were designed and presented by two PhD students to raise awareness of social media and provide an opportunity for discussion and shared practice. Hosted and supported by one of the University Graduate Centres, the sessions were supplemented by an online resource. In this presentation, we will summarise the initiative with key observations, perspectives and feedback from the organisers and attendees, discuss implications for practice within training and professional development contexts, and outline future plans in this area.

We welcome your suggestions and comments on how you think your university should aim towards helping research students understand the challenges and issues presented by social media.