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Social Media for International Students Outreach. Lessons from Scandinavia

Mardar, Svetlana LU (2014) SIMV05 20141
Graduate School
Master of Science in Global Studies
Department of Communication and Media
Abstract
Social media have been around for over a decade and many institutions have
incorporated them into their communication strategies for some time now. However,
despite numerous studies on social media in the US universities, there is a wide
knowledge gap regarding the use of these communication platforms in the European
higher education sphere, with only a handful of studies in the UK and Netherlands.
This research project aimed to fill this gap by surveying the use of social media for
international student outreach at higher education institutions in Scandinavia. Using a
mixed-methods research design and a digital ethnography methodological approach, I
collected and analyzed 45 self-completion online questionnaires and five... (More)
Social media have been around for over a decade and many institutions have
incorporated them into their communication strategies for some time now. However,
despite numerous studies on social media in the US universities, there is a wide
knowledge gap regarding the use of these communication platforms in the European
higher education sphere, with only a handful of studies in the UK and Netherlands.
This research project aimed to fill this gap by surveying the use of social media for
international student outreach at higher education institutions in Scandinavia. Using a
mixed-methods research design and a digital ethnography methodological approach, I
collected and analyzed 45 self-completion online questionnaires and five semistructured
interviews with the universities’ communications staff. The results
provided with a detailed image of the social media practices at the surveyed
institutions, with particular emphasis on the channels used, the institutional costs and
benefits and best practice advice for similar institutions. This study brings original
contributions to the knowledge in two separate fields wed by globalization: social
media communications and international higher education. The implications of the
findings go beyond the initial research goal and indicate important internal
institutional changes in connection with wider global processes and market realities. (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
author
Mardar, Svetlana LU
supervisor
organization
course
SIMV05 20141
year
type
H2 - Master's Degree (Two Years)
subject
keywords
Europe, globalization, higher education, international students, marketing and recruitment, Scandinavia, social media.
language
English
id
4460786
date added to LUP
2014-07-01 10:08:44
date last changed
2015-10-01 04:16:02
@misc{4460786,
  abstract     = {{Social media have been around for over a decade and many institutions have
incorporated them into their communication strategies for some time now. However,
despite numerous studies on social media in the US universities, there is a wide
knowledge gap regarding the use of these communication platforms in the European
higher education sphere, with only a handful of studies in the UK and Netherlands.
This research project aimed to fill this gap by surveying the use of social media for
international student outreach at higher education institutions in Scandinavia. Using a
mixed-methods research design and a digital ethnography methodological approach, I
collected and analyzed 45 self-completion online questionnaires and five semistructured
interviews with the universities’ communications staff. The results
provided with a detailed image of the social media practices at the surveyed
institutions, with particular emphasis on the channels used, the institutional costs and
benefits and best practice advice for similar institutions. This study brings original
contributions to the knowledge in two separate fields wed by globalization: social
media communications and international higher education. The implications of the
findings go beyond the initial research goal and indicate important internal
institutional changes in connection with wider global processes and market realities.}},
  author       = {{Mardar, Svetlana}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  note         = {{Student Paper}},
  title        = {{Social Media for International Students Outreach. Lessons from Scandinavia}},
  year         = {{2014}},
}