It’s hard to think of an industry that hasn’t been impacted by the astronomical rise of social media – and higher education is no exception. As an academic, you may already be sharing your research, professional interests, or teaching tips on your preferred platform, or perhaps you’re still not sure where you fit into this space at all.
Whilst news headlines highlight the need for caution when ‘big tech’ has too much power, social media can also be a valuable tool that can help you connect with like-minded people, showcase your teaching excellence, and find novel ways to engage students in learning. Read on for some quick tips on getting started (or starting again!) with social media to increase your teaching impact.
Choose your platform
If you’re starting from scratch, the hardest step might be deciding which platform to focus your time on. Unless you’re a full-time social media influencer, it would not be wise to try and take on every platform, so just pick 1 or 2 that are most relevant to the audience you are trying to reach. In my view, LinkedIn and Instagram have the most potential for engagement, but if you can’t resist TikTok, by all means give it a go!
LinkedIn for professional content and industry links
LinkedIn is a well-established platform suitable for academic discourse and establishing professional connections. Earlier this year, we identified some key benefits of using the platform if you’re an academic or a professional working in the higher education industry. In general, LinkedIn may be the right choice if you’re looking to establish professional connections and stay up-to-date with industry news. With a professional focus, it allows you to write detailed text-based posts or share links from other sites, which is great if you have your own blog or website. It is also a platform you can introduce to your students if they are seeking career advice or want to find jobs in their field.
Instagram for visual impact
You might think Instagram is just for holiday pics and brunch snaps, but there are numerous benefits for an educational context – and it’s still one of the most popular platforms for young people. At a time when many students lack a sense of belonging, having a personalised and genuine presence on Instagram can help students feel connected to you and your subject content.
See how UNSW academic Joyce El-Haddad used the platform to engage her students (recording from UTS Video Meetup):
Build community and connection
Once you’ve established a profile, don’t stop there! Building your online presence and creating a welcoming community doesn’t happen overnight, but take it a step at a time and you’ll be off and running.
For starters, you can follow relevant accounts in your field. Find industry leaders, organisations and groups that align with your research and professional interests. Keeping an active presence is also essential when building your profile, but it doesn’t have to be a daily chore. Most social media platforms allow you to schedule posts in advance, so if you’re more of a planner, you can write a few posts in one go and then schedule them to be published throughout the week.
If you struggle with writing short, sharp posts for social media, don’t be afraid to use Generative AI to get past that initial writer’s block. Tools like Microsoft Copilot can summarise large pieces of text (e.g. research papers or a website page) and suggest a suitable tone for your chosen social media platform. All that’s left to do is edit, personalise and post!
Social media at UTS
In 2024, UTS published social media guidelines for staff using official UTS-branded channels – a good source of advice if you need support on using social media appropriately.
If you’re looking for #inspo for your personal page, there’s plenty of content and other pages that can help guide you in the right direction on your social media journey. Your colleagues and peers from other institutions can be great sources of inspiration and knowledge, along with influencers in the higher education space. Wherever you decide to start, you can also follow official UTS pages (most faculties have them too) and of course, catch all the latest learning and teaching blogs via LX at UTS on LinkedIn.
We’ll see you out there. Let us know how you get on!