I have always wondered why the students don’t read the emails that we send. I hadn’t realised about how many emails our students receive until I enrolled myself in PGCert…
Perhaps, we send too many?
I think in higher education, the importance of effective communication cannot be underestimated because it can play a crucial role in student engagement.
Students might not reading our emails due to the high volume of messages they receive. This could make it difficult for them to prioritize which emails to read and may result in negative effects on their academic performance and well-being.
Are emails an effective way of building relationships and fostering a sense of community within the university?
Should we use other channels that are more sympathetic to their lifestyles?. As shown in a research project at The University of Manchester, “despite the popularity of social media and new media among our student audience, it is highly questionable whether it is appropriate for the University as a corporate body to suddenly start using Facebook or other social networking channels to communicate with its current students” I agree, I don’t think that using other channels like social media can be a way of communicating in HE. Some argue, that because we want to promote diversity, we need to send information through different channels because not all the students have the same preferences. Maybe that’s correct, but what type of information are we talking about? Is it essential and important information?
I think we should make an effort to send less emails and be clear and concise, providing clear instructions or information.