Academic Administration Division Student Communications Dan Selinger Head

Academic Administration Division Student Communications Dan Selinger Head of Communications, AAD

Academic Administration Division Who am I and why am I here? - Head of Communications, Academic Administration Division - Just completed a review of current student communications - We need your help to improve things

Academic Administration Division But first. . . …. a quiz

Academic Administration Division 1. How many communications channels at Oxford have students as a core audience? a. 1 -99 b. 100 -199 c. 200 -299 d. 300+

Academic Administration Division 2. Which social media platform do Oxford undergraduates most commonly use? a. Facebook b. Snapchat c. Instagram d. Twitter

Academic Administration Division 3. Which of the following do current students say they don’t receive enough information about? a. Gardens and museums b. Sport c. Fees and scholarship information d. IT Services

Academic Administration Division Student communications review

Academic Administration Division About the student communications review - Conducted during the Long Vacation 2017 - Managed by Kira Brayman, Ambitious Futures - Involved surveys, focus groups, communications audit and competitor analysis - Focused on offer holders and current students only

Academic Administration Division Many people from across the university are communicating with students through many channels, inconsistently. Some communicate a lot, others very little. Minimal coordination or collaboration. Over 350 channels used, with potentially hundreds more. • • • Predominantly rely on websites and email, but also use social media, print and face-to-face. AAD Communications Careers Service Language Centre Proctor’s Office Sport IT Services Estate Services Divisions Bodleian Libraries Gardens and Museums Department teaching staff • • • Departmental communications officers Department facilities Departmental programme administrators Departmental IT teams College communications officers College IT teams • • • • College facilities College catering College nurses College library College tutors Welfare officers and deans Chaplaincy Oxford SU Research groups Research centres JCRs and MCRs Clubs and societies Scholars groups

Academic Administration Division Huge breadth of content communicated to students. • A wide range of operational and academic messages • Not targeted to specific student audiences • Not timed to fit with the student’s journey Visa regulations and guidance, certificates of sponsorship, vaccinations Orientation – arrival, getting around, first week activities Registration – student cards, accessing IT systems, building access, immigration requirements IT system access, logins, resources, instructions, rules, outages, developments Fees – payment instructions, hardship funding, future changes to fees Accommodation – moving requirements, building updates, codes and regulations, advice for living out Living – safety, security, sustainability, catering menus and hours Welfare – health notifications, nurse hours, counselling and disability resources Facilities disruptions and updates (to department, to college) Procedures for applying for readmission, deferring, suspension of studies, etc. Matriculation and graduation booking and procedures Assessment requirements, deadlines, procedures, results Milestones, thesis submission, viva procedures and booking, examiners information, results Exam regulations, special adjustments, results Degree requirements, degree conferrals, transcripts Other policy and regulation changes Course materials and lecture content Changes to classes – times, places, people, content Department, college, university, library, group/society news Celebrations of successes of academic staff, and sometimes of students Seminar and lecture events, related academic events Updates and schedules from clubs, societies, sports Other events – museums, research engagement, orientation, information fairs, job fairs, etc. Training opportunities, workshops, conferences Scholarship and funding opportunities (internal and external) Job opportunities, internships, career guidance Social events (in departments, in colleges, for clubs and societies) Requests to participate – volunteering, speaking, representing, as research participants Requests to feedback – surveys, focus groups, through representatives

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Academic Administration Division Students prefer formal channels formal content. Platform Preference by Topic 50% % of total responses to question 20% Development and support 10% Community sit e w cia eb lm s ed ite ia ch Te St a. xt ud. . m en e ss tn ag ew Un e sp ive e Vi ap rs sio er ity pr s an n in tp dw e. ub. . lic at io ns eb ou ge lle JC R M /M ai n CR Un Co ive rs ity w cc la ai m le na so Pe r Opportunities to feedback so ia ed nt lm ou So cia cc la ai rs ive Un • Social media used, for informal news nt 0% ity • True for all content, but especially educational information Service and facilities disruption 30% em • Email is the most frequently checked and preferred channel Educational 40% t ha W e. C st re Pi n te le + og Go m bl r Tu at ap ch r Sn itt e Tw d. I n ke Lin m In st ag ra p Ap ts be W ha Tu Yo u ce bo ok 100 80 60 40 20 0 Fa • Facebook the most used social media % of Respondents Regularly Used Social Media Platforms

ity • Two-way dialogue; reply to queries and feedback Selection of sufficiency as % • Informative yet supportive and personable tone Un ga of total responses for topic ive rde Ac rsit ns a co y n nd m ew m m W od s an use or at d um ks ho G ion res s ps rad an ea rc , c d on es a ho h fe nd us i re nc fee ng es db Fe , ne ack W es tw el fa Clu an or re bs d f ks an a in d nd an su ce s o Co ppo cie Jo ur rt tie bs se se s , in or rvi Lib tern ga ce ni s ra sh sa ry ip tio s an a n n d ac d p Sp ad la o r c Ev emi em t en c r en ts es ts an ou r d ac ces tiv IT itie se s rv ice So s cia Exa la m ct s ivi tie s rs ive Un Academic Administration Division Students want more than just operational notices. • Educational, professional, personal and social opportunities • Sense of community with ‘the university’ and students • Elements of student voice Sufficiency of Information Received 120% 100% 80% 60% 40% 20% 0% Too much information About right Not enough information

Academic Administration Division Other universities have more sophisticated students communications activities. • Portals, intranets and mobile apps • Sharing student data with students to improve learning • Organising and segmenting content around the student journey • Adapting their tone to the student mood

Academic Administration Division What happens next?

Academic Administration Division Strategy Holistic approach Student-centricity Collaboration Technology Student voice

Academic Administration Division Student communications – overview Current students (offer-holder to graduation) Audience Outreach tools Recognising our diverse mix of students – UG, PG, UK, international, part-time, full time etc. Email Regular, targeted and relevant e-newsletters to offer-holders and current students that inform and inspire. Content hub Dynamic, engaging, and responsive core Facebook and Twitter channels Web Oxford Students website: a gateway for student information throughout the student journey Planning Foundations Social Advance and responsive content planning to ensure relevance. Collaboration Working together to reduce duplication and increase impact across the collegiate University Technology Using data to target and evaluate communications. Evaluating new technology. Tone Issuing guidance and templates to ensure communications resonate with students. Student voice Increasing engagement by telling the story in our students’ voices.

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Academic Administration Division How you can help

Academic Administration Division 1. Help with our planning - Content planning sessions in December – opportunity to get involved 2. Support our core channels - Help to consolidate our communications by working with us as we develop our website, social media, and email channels. 3. Join our Student Communications Coalition - Opportunity for those with a passion for student communications to help shape the future

Academic Administration Division Get in touch 01865 284847 Dan. selinger@admin. ox. ac. uk