UK universities employ Twitter staff

UK universities are employing members of staff just to deal with Facebook and Twitter messages from students. The institutions need to employ the social media staff in order to communicate effectively with students who are using email less than ever before.

Reportedly, Exeter University have a social media team on call 24 hours a day to respond to inquiries from students.

Other British institutions are adopting similar set-ups as tech-savvy youngsters opt to tweet for help or advice rather than resort to slow and outdated email.  

Professor Sir Steve Smith, Vice-Chancellor at Exeter University, told The Times: ‘There is no point in emailing students any more. 

‘They get in touch with us by social media especially Twitter and we’ve had to employ people to reply that way.

‘Students will tweet a question about requirements for a course and expect an immediate response’.

The rise in the use of the Smartphone is said to be the main reason that Facebook and Twitter are the preferred methods of communication.

Other institutions, like the University of Greenwich, have been using Twitter as a tool for students to keep up to date with the syllabus.

The social media tool has been compulsory for PR students for a number of years.

Birmingham University has responded to the trend by creating a virtual learning environment called Canvas.

Canvas offers digital quizzes and recordings of lectures which students can access using their phones.