Beyond the Filter: Instagram as a Tool for Student Engagement and Support

Abstract

This presentation focuses on Instagram as a tool for student counselors to connect with and support students, in particular during their first year of higher education, but also throughout their academic career. With a substantial amount of followers among our students, our aim is not to merely exist online on social media, but to also foster a dynamic, easily accessible and safe space for engagement, community building and mutual support.  We started our Instagram project during the pandemic in 2020, to establish a virtual bridge, providing accessible and immediate support to students who got lost in the information overload online, because the traditional means of support were limited. When the new academic year in September 2020 started, there were still with limited options for student to meet in real-life. That is why we further explored how to use our account for community building. During our show-and-tell presentation, we will give practical examples on how we managed to do so.  In 2024 our account remains a vibrant and appreciated hub, integrating with both online and real-life activities, embodying the evolution of student support to a blend of virtual engagement and tangible, in-person connections.    At the heart of our approach is the recognition that social media, in our case Instagram, serves as a powerful tool for meaningful student-to-student interactions but also for connections between students and us, as student counselors. We don’t want our online appearance to be static, we want to create an environment where academic guidance and emotional support seamlessly intertwine. Our presentation will also include ideas and opinions from our own students, conducted through focus groups and/or survey.   As we unravel our experiences and insights, we invite fellow student counselors to explore the potential of social media, and recognizing the potential pitfalls. We want to open the discussion on navigating the balance between professionalism on the one hand, and relatability and accessibility on the other. Between workload management for us, and self-sustainability for students, as we encounter increased student interaction.

Key take aways

Participants will have gained insights in using Instagram as an extra tool to connect with students, while navigating the balance between professionalism and accessibility. We will share practical examples so participants can experiment and/or incorporate Instagram in their own educational environment.