For Professors, 'Friending' Can Be Fraught

Chronicle of Higher Education by Sara Lipka | Dec. 5, 2007 (Special Report)

For all its pitfalls, Facebook can prompt meaningful exchanges. Some professors look up students who e-mail them with questions or are scheduled to come to office hours. What the professors learn, they say, makes them better advisers. Comments that students have posted -- concern over a bad class presentation, for example -- can provoke a thoughtful conversation. One professor knew to go easy on a student when he saw his status change from "in a ... Full Story »

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by Tish Grier - Dec. 5, 2007

Lipka tries to show how Facebook "friending" between students and professors could be a boon or a bane--yet fails to fully explore the issue of student privacy outside the classroom. This is an important issue, as how we treat students at this level may affect their perceptions of privacy and the right to privacy into their adulthood. Think about it: How much *should* a prof delve into the personal lives of his/her students--if those students are not approching the prof for help? And ... More »

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