Set B Questions:
-What are your initial perceptions of UPOU students based on your observation of their online behavior? Have your perceptions changed as you interacted with students at the comm site?
I started to work on the site with a firm belief that UPOU people were not just more Net-savvy, but also generally more interested in online interaction compared to those from other constituent units. I had never been more wrong about anything else since I started working here.
My own DCS students were a collective disappointment as I had expected them to be more interested than the rest. I mean, computer science right? I didn't expect to have everyone on board, but 3 or so out of about 70? I didn't see that coming.
My perception has not changed since then. There is a small set of active people now, just like before, and later on they move on to other things and will be replaced by others, then in time they will be replaced... One can only hope that it is a cycle that will see more people coming in than going out.
-Do you find the exchanges/ interactions among site users as meaningful compared to other exchanges which happen in sites upou students/facs are engaged in? Why so? (and maybe what specific threads / responses attest to that)
Well, that depends. If by other sites you mean things like Facebook or Friendster, then definitely yes. But when compared to something like MyPortal or, to a certain extent, Multiply, it's hard to say. I think academic discussion is very meaningful and both sides have ample amounts of that. But as far as non-academic related discussions and information are concerned, right now, nothing can top the Community Site.
-What have you learned from these online/offline experiences with site members, in terms of making students feel that they're part of a larger community?
These site members, especially the ones who stick around long enough, are a different breed of UPOU students, in contrast to the ones who can't be bothered to log in to MyPortal for more than a couple of hours in any given week, which sadly comprises the majority. These community site members are determined to find a deeper meaning for being part of UPOU. Those who are not full time students do not see their day jobs as a hindrance they cannot overcome in order to find their meaning. And that is why I believe they will bear more resemblance to the archetypical UP student than the others -- intelligent and with a passion for greater worthwhile causes. Just as students from other CU's have organizations, UPOU students have the Community Site
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