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UNIVERSITY OF CUMBRIA
SOCIAL MEDIA POLICY FOR STUDENTS
Policy Schedule
Policy title Social Media Policy for Students
Policy owner Library and Student Services (LiSS)
Policy lead contact Margaret Weaver
Approving body
Date of approval 25 July 2012
Date of implementation 1 August 2012
Version no. 1.0
Student Procedures
Related Guidelines,
Student Code of Conduct
Procedures, Codes of Practice
etc. Health Faculty Fitness to Practise Policy
Education Faculty Professional Values
Policy
E-Safety Policy
ITServices Regulations for the Use of
University Computing Facilities
Data Protection Policy
Intellectual Property Rights Policy
Copyright guidance
Corporate brand guidelines
Staff Social Media Policy
Review interval Annual
NB. This policy is available on the University of Cumbria intranet and it
should be noted that any printed copies are uncontrolled and cannot be
guaranteed to constitute the current version of the policy.
Social Media Policy for Students
Contents Page
1. Introduction 3
2. Aims and Objectives 3
3. Scope 3
4. Definitions 3
5. The Policy Principles 4–7
5.1 Responsibilities
5.2 Responsibilities of students on personal internet presence
5.3 Links to other policies and university guidance
5.4 General guidelines for students
5.5 Encouraged practice for official University of
Cumbria use
5.7 Other potential uses
6. Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (with particular 7
Reference to disability reasonable adjustments) and
Equality Assessment Statements
7. Records Management Statement 8
8. Risk Management Statement 8
9. Roles and Responsibilities 8
10.Contact Details 8
1.0 Introduction
Social Media is a fast growing phenomenon and popular sites include: Facebook,
Twitter, LinkedIn, Google+. This communication medium has created increased
opportunity for media communications that have an impact upon the university.
The university has clear guidelines and policies regarding other aspects of its
operations. However, these do not explicitly cover the usage of social media.
A series of guidance notes have also been developed and should be read in
conjunction with this policy.
It should be noted that this policy will be reviewed periodically and may change at
any time without notice, in line with technological updates. University staff and
students can access the latest version of the policy on the university website.
2.0 Aims and Objectives
The purpose of this Social Media Policy and guidelines is:
to encourage good practice
to protect the university, its staff, students, partner organisations and clients
to clarify where and how existing policies and guidelines apply to social
media
to promote effective and innovative use of social media as part of the
university's activities
In particular any official or unofficial Students’ Union or Students’ Union Volunteers
social networking site/group must be approved by the Students’ Union who will keep
a central record of all approved sites.
3.0 Scope of Policy
This policy has been developed in conjunction with the Students’ Union (UCSU) and
applies to all students at the university. It also applies to visitors and guests of the
university where they may be using the university infrastructure or facilities in the
capacity of a student.
The scope of this policy does not specifically cover staff use of social media. A
separate Staff Social Media Policy exists and is available from the University of
Cumbria website:
http://www.cumbria.ac.uk/Public/HR/Documents/HRHandbook/SocialMediaPolicy.pdf
4.0 Definitions
The term 'social media' is used here to describe dynamic and socially-interactive,
networked information and communication technologies by which personal
information or opinions can be presented for public consumption on the Internet.
Examples include: blogs, micro-blogging, websites, Web 2.0, SMS text messaging
and social networking sites.
5.0 Policy Principles
5.1 Responsibilities
5.1.1 It is the responsibility of students to read and act in accordance with the
principles of this policy and guidelines and should regularly check the website
for any minor updates to documents.
5.1.2 It is the responsibility of students to read and act in accordance with the rules
and guidelines set out by individual Social Media, Social Networking and
Website Hosting companies and providers.
5.1.3 The university will ensure this policy and guidelines are accessible to staff and
students and incorporate in induction information. The university and
Students’ Union will periodically review and update the policy and guidelines
and any other associated policy and guidelines. Staff and students will be
notified of any significant changes.
5.1.4 The university will monitor references to the university on Social Media and
the Internet.
5.2 Responsibilities of students on personal internet presence
5.2.1 Breaches of the Student Code of Conduct and/or the Code of Conduct
of your Professional Body (i.e. NMC, Teaching Agency, etc.) can directly
affect your future career. Breaches of these Codes of Conduct can also affect
your ability to progress to the next level of study and your suitability to gain
professional accreditation.
5.2.2 You must not use your site to attack or abuse staff, students or clients. You
should respect the privacy and the feelings of others. You must not include
contact details or pictures etc. of other students, members of staff or clients
without their prior permission. Remember that if you break the law on your
site (for example by posting something defamatory), you will be personally
responsible.
5.2.3 Students must abide by the relevant Fitness to Practise / Professional Values
policies as provided by their Faculty (see 5.3 below).
5.2.4 You should not use your site or pages in any way that may compromise your
current or future fitness to practice. Any content that you post about yourself
or others could be brought to the attention of the university, future employers
or professional bodies and may be detrimental to your studies and/or future
career.
5.2.5 You must abide by all anonymity and confidentially guidelines and rules; as
set out by the requirements of your course and the professional standards set
out by the governing body for your professional studies. If you think
something on your site gives rise to concerns about a conflict of interest and
in particular concerns about confidentiality this must be discussed
immediately with your Personal Tutor and/or the Students’ Union.
5.2.6 Students need to exercise caution when considering social interaction or
personal engagement with staff, clients or parents from a placement setting.
Inappropriate contact may breach the conditions of Codes of Conduct or
Fitness to Practise policies. Students are advised to notify their Course Tutor,
Personal Tutor or Practise Supervisor for clarification.
5.2.7 Don't reveal confidential information about the university or its staff,
students, partner organisations or clients. This might include aspects of
university policy or details of either internal or private discussions. Consult
with your Personal Tutor or the Students’ Union if you are unclear about what
might be confidential.
5.2.8 Where Social Media is utilised as part of a research study or project; all
ethical considerations and requirements of the university, Faculty and course
of study should be adhered to.
5.2.9 University groups may use the university logo but in accordance with the
brand guidelines.
5.2.10 If someone from the media or press contacts you about posts on your site
which relate to the university you should discuss it with the Students’ Union
before responding.
5.2.11 You must avoid bringing the university into disrepute in any way, as
this may constitute a breach of the Student Code of Conduct.
5.2.12 If someone offers to pay you for site content on your university or Students’
Union affiliated site; this could constitute a conflict of interest and you must
consult the Students’ Union.
5.2.13 If you already have a personal social networking site or intend to initiate; you
should not declare, imply or indicate that your content or views are
representative of the university. If in any doubt, you may want to discuss
your site content with the Students’ Union or a representative from LiSS. You
may also want to include a simple and visible disclaimer such as "these are
my personal views and not those of the university”.
5.3 Links to other Policies and University Guidance
All existing University of Cumbria policies concerning students also apply to
the use of social media. These include codes of conduct, professional course
policies, corporate branding policies, acceptable use of IT and disciplinary
procedures. The following policies and guidelines are of particular importance
and run in parallel to the listed Policies and guidelines which is not
exhaustive:
Student Procedures
Student Code of Conduct
Health Faculty Fitness to Practise Policy
Education Faculty Professional Values Policy
E-Safety Policy
ITServices Regulations for the Use of University Computing Facilities
Data Protection Policy
Intellectual Property Rights Policy
Copyright guidance
Corporate brand guidelines
Staff Social Media Policy
5.4 General guidelines for students
5.4.1 A series of guidance notes have been developed to read alongside this policy
and include the following:
University of Cumbria Social Media sites
What is Social Media
Good reasons to use Social Media
Do’s and Don’ts tips
Online monitoring and Social Media
Personal Safety and Identity Protection online
Intellectual Property Rights and Social Media
How to set up unofficial Students’ Union Volunteers Social Media accounts
How to Guides for Facebook and Twitter
5.4.2 Students should take effective precautions when utilising social networking
sites to ensure their own personal safety and to protect against identity theft.
5.4.3 Students need to be aware that many of our prospective students are minors
(less than 18 years of age) and that interactions with these persons should
not only be approached with some caution, but also that the content of
conversations / responses is suitable for members of this age group.
5.4.4 Any group which wishes to actively engage with prospective students should
seek the advice and approval of External Relations
(http://www.cumbria.ac.uk/AboutUs/Services/ExternalRelations/Home.aspx)
in the first instance. Any posts/ queries from prospective students in relation
to application processes should be forwarded to the university recruitment
Twitter or Facebook accounts.
5.4.5 Students need to consider intellectual property rights, copyright and
ownership of data when using social media.
5.4.6 Individuals should exercise caution when interacting with, and responding to,
potentially contentious posts on social media sites.
5.4.7 The university will continually review the use of social media and may modify
its policies should the status of particular social media sites change e.g. if
charges are introduced, changes made to the way content is used, terms of
use are changed, if a site closes down or a new service begins.
5.5 Encouraged practice for official University of Cumbria use
Academic uses – the university recognises that social media has the
potential to support and advance learning opportunities and encourages
its use in this way. Where existing supported learning technologies offer
equivalent functionality e.g. Blackboard, consideration will be given to the
most effective medium.
Collaborative uses – the university supports both internal (cross
Faculty/ Service) and external collaboration and acknowledges that social
media can provide opportunities to support this work
Communications and External Relations uses – the university
recognises the opportunity to communicate with prospective and existing
customers through social media.
Student uses – prospective and existing students, along with others who
have an interest in the university, are active in social media, e.g. setting
up Facebook groups and blogging. University Communications and the
Web team will monitor these sites to get further insight into the needs of
its customers. Possible responses to any contentious issues identified in
unofficial social media sites should be referred to the Web team
(mailto:Webteam@cumbria.ac.uk) / Communications team.
Alumni uses – the university recognises the opportunity to communicate
with existing students and alumni through social media to develop an on-
going relationship with them.
Students' Union uses – the university understands that the Students'
Union will want to use social media to maximise the exposure of its
services and the associated societies to existing and prospective students.
These uses are the responsibility of the Students' Union.
5.6 Other potential uses
The university will not refer to social networking sites when assessing
student applications and job applications unless such sites are specifically
highlighted in the application. The university will assess all applications
only on the information provided.
The university may refer to social networking sites when investigating
breaches of discipline, eg cheating, harassment, anti-social behaviour.
The university may monitor forums and blogs to gain indirect feedback on
university services and facilities. The university may post replies on
forums or blogs to answer queries or address factual corrections, but
would generally take a cautious approach before getting involved in
contentious issues.
The university reserves the right to take any necessary steps to protect its
facilities, staff and students from malware (malicious software) including
blocking sites where this is an issue.
If a complaint is received that a student or staff member is being bullied
or harassed then actions may be taken via appropriate procedures.
6.0 Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (with particular reference to
disability reasonable adjustments) and Equality Assessment
Statements
6.1 The Equality Act 2010 covers the “protected characteristics” of age, disability,
gender reassignment, marriage and civil partnership, pregnancy and
maternity, race, religion or belief (including lack of belief), sex and sexual
orientation. The university has developed a Single Equality Scheme and
Equality Objectives to implement the Equality Act within the university
practices and procedures.
6.2 Within the Equality Act it remains permissible to treat a disabled person more
favourably than a non-disabled person. It remains lawful to make reasonable
adjustments in relation to employment, education and services to ensure that
there is true equality of opportunity for disabled people.
6.3 This policy and its implementation will be monitored, as appropriate, in line
with relevant legislation for its impact on different equality groups. This
process will provide a check on whether there are any differences and allow
the university to assess whether these differences have an adverse impact on
any particular group such that appropriate action is taken.
6.4 These are important issues and further information should be sought from the
university’s Equality, Diversity & Inclusion Manager, as required.
7. Records Management Statement
7.1 The records associated with this policy are controlled by The Vice Chancellor’s
Office and will be created, stored and disposed of in line with the university’s
Records Management guidelines and procedures.
7.2 The university is committed to complying with the requirements of Data
Protection legislation and regulations and any personal data created as part of
this policy will be processed in accordance with the university’s Data
Protection Act procedures. This includes ensuring that data is held securely, is
not disclosed unlawfully and is destroyed when no longer needed.
7.3 The university also aims to ensure that users of this policy are aware of Data
Protection, Freedom of Information and Records Management issues
associated with this policy.
8. Risk Management Statement
8.1 Failure to comply with this policy could lead to:
The university being brought into disrepute
Students contravening the Student Code of Conduct
Inappropriate posts online leading to students compromising their
programme, professional accreditation and employment outcomes and
in worse case scenarios students facing legal action
Cyberbullying (students or staff)
9. Roles and Responsibilities
It is the responsibility of:
The University Board to oversee the Policy via Governance structures
Senior Management Team to endorse and support the Policy’s
implementation
Staff members to be aware of Student Social Media Policy and how this
relates to the Staff Social Media Policy.
Students to adhere to the Policy and seek necessary permissions and
guidance as found in the Policy.
10. Contact Details
For further information regarding any of the issues covered by this policy
please contact:
Post Head of LiSS
Faculty/Service Library and Student Services
Address College Main, Lancaster campus
Tel: 01524 384238
Fax:
E-mail:
The Policy and associated documents are on StaffNet.
UNIVERSITY OF CUMBRIA
POLICY DOCUMENT CONTROL SCHEDULE
All University of Cumbria Policies must include a completed Policy Document Control
Schedule consisting of the Policy Schedule (see front cover), Review Schedule and
Drafting Schedule (see below) which should be completed as appropriate.
REVIEW SCHEDULE
Review no. Due date Reviewed by Approved by Completion
date
01 31/07/13
DRAFTING SCHEDULE
Draft no. Date
Eg 0.1 13/06/12
0.2 14/06/12
0.3 19/06/12
04 19/07/12
Final Version
1.0 25/07/12
