Student experience is critical to student retention, reducing attrition and enhancing success. University students are changing with more widening participation and students from non-traditional backgrounds. Students do use social media but the project set out to see what they use it for. Mudrack and Farrell (1995) said there were 3 types of informal roles that students undertook which were advice, task and maintenance.

The project team looked for first year foundation students to participate and 133 students did mostly women of 700. The approach used was netnographic study which is an adaptation of ethnography.

The roles that students played were explored but the key results were that students used it to give logistical support around the university, informal peer support, results comparison, arrange social events and stress relief.

Implications of this research are in terms of how this advice can be provided to students who don’t use Facebook.