Degree Name

MA in International Education

First Advisor

David Shallenberger

Abstract

Social Media programs at World Learning in the Washington, DC office have been a major untapped resource until recently. Participants across the world, and from every program administered by World Learning, have access to some type of social media. Utilizing this market would ensure a smoother transition for participants before they arrive in country, during their program, and also when they return home. One way to alleviate this problem is to create not only social media for every program, but also to produce best practices surrounding them. The two questions directing this study are: What social media are best for World Learning programs, and what best practice techniques can be established to ensure they are utilized in, not only the most efficient, but also the most helpful ways possible? The researcher surveyed six World Learning staff members all Program Officers or Program Associates in charge of or involved in social media platforms for their individual programs. Staffers took part in a 45-minute interview with consisted of short answer questions. The results revealed that social media platforms, while new at World Learning’s DC office, have been a welcome addition to each program, but they have also created problems. Staffers expressed that their supervisors viewed social media as a superfluous task, and often took control over them without developing best practices. By using this data, more programs at World Learning in the Washington, DC office will have the required information to create successful social media platforms and staff procedures for how to best administer them.

Disciplines

Advertising and Promotion Management | International and Comparative Education | Marketing

Download

Share

 
COinS