3 Nya Martinez – Student Outreach Through Social Media Posts
Goal: The goal of this student outreach project is to create engagement with students in the form of recognizing OER and its benefits to the student body by helping them achieve their individual academic goals while also maintaining their personal needs (rent, bills, groceries, etc.).
SMART Goal: To reach out to students in the form of social media posts, specifically Instagram Feed and Story.
Specific Steps I Can Take:
- Generating eye-catching and thoughtful content.
- Ensure information is informative and true.
- Push to post on the PCC Instagram account.
Potential Collaborators & Resources:
- Other OER Interns
- OER Libguide
Potential Barriers:
- PCC social media restrictions
Questions/Issues I need to Resolve:
- Point of Contact within Social Media posts for students to get more information from if they so desire.
Desired Outcome:
- Students to have some recognition of OER and their cost value and use this information to positively affect their educational out-of-pocket spending.
Instagram Story Post 1
Instagram Story Post 2
Instagram Feed Post
Notes on the process:
To create engaging and effective social media content, I adopted the perspective of a Pima Community College (PCC) student, considering what might catch their eye and be easy to understand as they scrolled through their social media feed. Using my Canva Pro account, I designed two Instagram story posts and one general feed post. I wanted to generate the This or That Game posts to encourage critical thinking about what student’s spend on textbooks, and what they could have used that money on instead. The colorful inspiration for the posts stemmed from the colors of the Arizona desert, fostering a visual connection to PCC and its student body. Warm, inviting tones were incorporated into the design to align with this aesthetic and appeal.
To develop the content, I sourced information from the PCC OER LibGuide and rephrased it into approachable, student-friendly language. The average cost of the textbooks used within the This or That Game story posts came from a resource given to me by another OER intern (Megan Ashcraft) that stated,
- Hard copy books can cost as much as $400, with an average price between $100 and $150. (Average Costs of College Textbooks)
I aimed to make the story post relatable by comparing the average costs of textbooks for common subjects like English, Math, Business, and Sociology to real-world expenses, such as groceries, gas, or personal items like a Disneyland ticket, video game, or headphones. This approach was intentional, recognizing that while fulfilling basic needs is essential, students also value personal wants that contribute to their self-esteem and mental health.
One challenge I encountered was determining an appropriate point of contact for students interested in learning more about OER. Initially, I considered including a direct link to the OER LibGuide in the posts, but Instagram’s platform limitations prevented embedding clickable links within Canva-generated images. Furthermore, since PCC’s social media coordinators would handle the final posting, adding a link in the caption would have required additional coordination.
The OER director also preferred not to publicize her email on social media, which is understandable. My next thought was to direct students to the library for more information. However, the OER director raised concerns about potentially overwhelming library staff if a large number of students sought assistance. Ultimately, we opted to guide students to their professors for further information about OER. This solution not only provides students with a clear path to explore OER but also helps raise awareness among faculty, potentially encouraging them to integrate OER resources into their courses in the future.
This project emphasized the importance of thoughtful design, clear communication, and strategic collaboration to ensure the content was both visually appealing and practical for the intended PCC student audience.