Digital Tools for Learning, Engagement, and Research: An Argument for Student Affairs and Academic Libraries
The higher education landscape is changing rapidly, challenging academic professionals to think critically about their roles in the field. Digital tools can promote innovation, learning, and student engagement throughout such institutions and offer specific opportunities for the promotion of student learning outside the classroom. Moreover, digital tools provide ready-made research projects for faculty and staff in nontenure track fields, such as student affairs and academic libraries, which often are overlooked in the academic environment due to fewer required implicit or explicit expectations of scholarly productivity. This comparative discussion considers the use of social networking by student affairs and virtual reference by academic librarians in hopes of promoting additional student engagement and enhancing the respective roles of these professionals through academic output and opportunities.
