UNDERSTANDING FIRST-YEAR UNDERGRADUATE STUDENTS SAFETY, SAVVINESS, AND SOCIAL ETIQUETTE ONLINE

Student’s engagement and interaction online continue to grow as technological advancements increase. The ability to engage and connect is endless today compared to two decades ago. This mixed methods action research study examines the digital citizenship knowledge of first-year students at a private liberal arts work college. The study focuses on student’s understanding of digital citizenship through the lens of safety, savviness, and social engagement online. Additionally, the study seeks to explore students, staff, and faculty perceptions around more education about digital citizenship at the undergraduate level. This study discusses the problem of practice, methodological framework, and study plan in detail. Results from this study have the potential to help first-year undergraduate students better understand digital citizenship to increase their awareness of best practices of online engagement