Podcast Series: Innovations in Education

Explore the full series of eCampus News podcasts hosted by Kevin Hogan—created to keep you on the cutting edge of innovations in education.

College political leaders, social media prove to be dangerous combination

Experts say student politicians should treat tweets like press conferences.

After a tweet and a viral video ended the campus political careers of two Texas college students, higher-education politicos have advice for their brethren: Adopt an official social media policy, and be more careful about what you post on Facebook and Twitter.

Concern over how up-and-coming campus political activists are using social media comes after a high-ranking Texas college Republican was caught on video using a gay slur, and two University of Texas (UT) Republican officials dispatched a message on Twitter about assassinating President Obama and another deemed racist by campus Republicans and Democrats alike.

Cassandra Wright, president of the UT Republicans, was the latest college political leader to draw national ire when on Dec. 18 she posted on Twitter, “My president is black, he snorts a lot of crack. Holla! #2012.”…Read More

Students expelled after campus fight video goes viral

Thousands have watched the Dean College fight on various sites, including YouTube.

Nine students were expelled from a small private college in Massachusetts after they were seen in a viral internet video that showed a student assaulting a fellow student in a dispute over shoes. Even students who observed the beating were dismissed.

The video, posted to several websites Dec. 2, shows students at Dean College in Franklin, Mass., following a student down a sidewalk until he is approached and punched repeatedly.

The victim, woozy and bloodied after a flurry of blows to the face, then has his shoes ripped off his feet. The perpetrator beats the victim over the head with the shoes, then walks away while others laugh and cheer.…Read More

Professor’s ‘yawn’ rant offers a lesson in viral video

Even if lecture capture technology isn't used in a classroom, a student could record an embarrassing moment on a cell phone.

Cornell University Professor Mark Talbert’s search for a student who yawned during class was first seen by about 200 students. The recorded rant had been viewed 218,000 times on YouTube as of press time—and educators say it’s a reminder that anything said in a lecture hall these days can be held against you in the court of viral video.

Talbert, a senior lecturer in Cornell’s School of Hotel Administration, was recorded in a late October lecture searching the hall for a student who had yawned loudly in the middle of Talbert’s presentation.

Talbert asked the more than 200 students to identify the person who had yawned, adding that the “overly loud” yawning had become too frequent.…Read More