Academic advising via Facebook: Examining student help seeking

• Examines how students seek help for academic advising through Facebook
• Draws connection between student/academic affairs and Facebook
• Demonstrates promise for continued Facebook integration in academic advising

The influx of technology into institutions of higher education has demanded changes to the traditional support structures at colleges and universities. Higher education students are using technology as a means to communicate with, and seek help from, university personnel, including academic advisors. This study focuses on how six university students used and understood an electronic social network to seek help from an academic advisor. Results indicate that participants used the social network site to seek prescriptive academic advising help and acquire information about university academic matters. Findings indicate that participants considered use of the electronic social network beneficial for seeking help and were receptive to interacting with higher education personnel electronically.