Weibo used to boost student participation

Each morning, students at Communication University of China, Nanjing (CUCN), in East China's Jiangsu Province, greet the new day with a round of exercises - for their voices.

Despite the arrival of the cold air, students' passion for vocal exercises has not cooled down one bit, particularly now that Sina Weibo, China's Twitter-like site, has been used to encourage them to participate in the voluntary activity for the last two weeks.

Hundreds of students at the School of Broadcasting and Hosting at CUCN voluntarily practice vocalization at 6:40 every morning, and they are photographed by group leaders and teachers as a way of tracking attendance.

The photos from the morning exercises are then posted on Weibo.

Those who attend sessions all week are congratulated on the school's Weibo page, while absentees are given a gentle reminder to make up for it in the coming week.

For the broadcasting and hosting majors, the 50-minute vocal exercises in the morning are a crucial part of their studies. Students work in groups of 12, and one teacher leads one or two student groups in the exercises.

Ding Jie, a counselor at the school, told the Global Times that the management team of teachers introduced the new practice two weeks ago in an attempt to encourage more students to participate in the morning vocal exercises.

Educators got the idea to photograph the students who gathered on the playground each morning, which both allowed them to note who attended the sessions and promoted a sense of pride among participants.

The photos are then posted by the group leaders on Weibo every day.

At the end of each week, teachers meet together to discuss which group had the most dedicated participants of the week, using the photos as a guide. The group that had the best attendance record receives a heartfelt congratulations on Weibo.

"Weekly stocktaking: the best performers were teacher Jin Ge's group, with full attendance regardless of the weather. The student who needs to work harder is Meng Xiangzhu. Catch up next week!" a posting on Weibo said on November 16.

The posting was shared and commented on by students.

Freshman student Liu Xiaochang recalled on her Weibo that her group has performed vocal exercises with umbrellas, but added that they are a must for their studies.

Wu Xiaojie, another student, expressed her excitement that her group was praised online. "I am so happy!" she wrote on Weibo.

Meng Xiangzhu, who was singled out as an absentee during the morning exercises, explained on her Weibo that she had been sick that week and promised to work hard to catch up.

Ding told the Global Times that more students have been taking part in the morning vocal exercises since the incentive measure was put into practice two weeks ago.

"Last week, all the freshman, totaling 175, and 80 percent of sophomores practiced vocalization," said Ding, adding that it is not an easy task for students who grew up in North China and are used to indoor heat in winter.

Ding noted the major motivation for using Weibo was that students would feel more encouraged to participate, adding that they appreciate their efforts being recognized.

"It also contributes to students' team spirit when they are photographed and to display a positive image of the school which embodies progress and hard work," added Ding.

The new measures have been warmly welcomed by students, with many saying that they are more motivated to practice their vocal exercises.

Song Xiangde, a freshman, told the Global Times that recent days have seen a noticeable increase in attendance.

Song said that arts majors need countless hours of practice off the stage, so online photos and weekly evaluations on Weibo are a good means of supervision and guidance.

"More importantly, it is a good way to record our university life. We will recall our school memories when we review the Weibo postings after several years," said Song.

Freshman Dong Jianwen told the Global Times that Weibo helps to encourage students to practice vocal exercises because it is so widely used among young people today.

"If an absentee who used excuses to avoid exercises notices the photos or receives a kind reminder on Weibo, the student will feel guilty when he or she realizes other students are all working hard to practice in the early morning," said Dong.

The freshman also noted that the students are quite satisfied with the new measure, adding that many of them even like posing for the camera.

"The instructors have been bridging the gap between teachers and students, offering guidance with tender care so as to encourage more students," said Wang Guihua, the secretary of the Party Committee at the school.