Having a high-quality internal communication network plays a key role in enabling educational institutions to work up to their corporate missions. It is also extremely important to increase visibility and to create a connection to the institution. So, what can be done to strengthen in-house communication in education?

Communication management stands out as an extremely important requirement, especially in educational institutions. As a matter of fact, both internal and external relations in these institutions are formed according to the way communication is established. While internal communication takes place between academic management, staff and students; external communication involves academic stakeholders as well as potential students.

In today’s world where communication is gradually moving into the virtual environment, there can be no doubt that educational institutions are expected to introduce some innovations in order to keep up with the times. Especially in communities such as universities etc. where socialization is at the forefront, internal communication applications can come to the rescue when it comes to both accessing the students and preventing potential gaps in communication.

Internal communication applications are capable of meeting requirements such as student admission, interaction with students and stakeholders, fundraising, strengthening communication between students and lecturers; ensuring social communication, solidarity and commitment among students, as well as enhancing the institution’s competitiveness in the sector. So, why don’t we take a closer look at all these and other benefits that internal communication applications bring about?

1. What are the Advantages Provided by Internal Communication Applications in the Field of Education?

Developing a unique corporate culture can be much more challenging for educational institutions, and especially large organizations with a long-standing and deep-rooted past, such as universities. Within this context and in order to create a corporate identity and a distinctive sound for the school, any potential gaps in communication must be detected and rectified in advance. This allows students to settle in and to feel that they belong to educational institution in which they are studying.

The way to create an environment where students can make their voices heard and discuss different perspectives is to ensure that internal communication is built correctly. Digital internal communication platforms that come into play at this point present a powerful option to meet expectations for corporate culture, strategies and values. However, they also enable higher education institutions to adopt an interactive approach and to create a higher-quality educational environment by encouraging a more dynamic learning environment.

1.1. Strengthening the Bond Between Students and Academic Staff

It is a well-known fact that young people often make use of the internet and especially social networks to connect with each other in today’s world. Therefore, institutions for students must also keep up with such technological means in order to strengthen the bond between the institution and the students. Internal communication applications are used as a result of developments in this field in order to make students and academic staff find and meet on common ground. As a matter of fact, researches show that the use of social networks increases the level of communication between students and other members of an institution.

1.2. Sharing Information and Facilitating Access to Information

Another important deliverable of research on internal communication management is that information shared through social networks promotes the creation of a better learning environment. At the same time, this flow of information can be extremely useful in terms of access to information sources that will facilitate collaborative learning. Because internal communication applications not only encourage the self-learning model but also contribute to the efficiency of teamwork through information sharing.

1.3. Forming Groups by Fields of Interest

The potential for internal communication applications to be used as both a source of information and pastime turns them into an unparalleled tool for higher education institutions. These applications allow students to form a variety of groups to create a space where they can feel free and connect with each other.

In-app groups can be formed not only by department and course, but also for the students’ hobbies and interests. This increases socialization within the institution, enabling students to develop affinity both within themselves and with the culture of the institution to which they belong. These applications also allow users to conduct surveys by sharing only with a specific selected community or individuals. Thus, any steps planned by the institutions while going forward can be taken more accurately on the basis of the survey results.

1.4. Ensuring Students Establish Partnerships

Internal communication applications allow for the posting various content about courses or fields of interests, making personal comments about those posts, and establishing one-to-one or intergroup conversation environments. This turns these applications into a great opportunity for the colleagues to interact with different stakeholders. Moreover, the fact that all these posts can be overseen by authorized persons ensures that potential accusations of intellectual assault are also excluded.

1.5. Preventing Communication Gaps in Emergency Situations

Under extraordinary circumstances such as epidemics, disasters, etc. that affect not only institutions but also life in general, applications built on a powerful infrastructure to prevent losses in education are getting more and more important every day. Internal communication applications prevent communication gaps as much as possible and help keep the uninterrupted flow of information between students and teachers.

1.6. Increasing Participation in Events

Universities and similar educational institutions are not only home to education and training; they also form a living space for their members. From this point of view, the importance of creating a corporate culture becomes even more significant. Promoting participation in the events organized by the institutions contributes greatly to reinforcing this corporate identity.

Internal communication applications play quite an important role in planning announcements and events and communicating them to those involved. Thanks to these applications, it is possible to monitor whether students have seen the posts and to re-announce the events for those who failed to do so. This allows institutions to enhance information sharing and to strengthen their communications end-to-end.

Are you in need of an application that gathers all these benefits provided by internal communication applications and much more under a single roof? You don’t have to go far! Thanks to the innovations and privileges provided by intouch, you can open the doors of a whole new era of communication that will take you and your institution into another dimension!

References:

• Jenni Kampf. ‘‘Internal Communications in Higher Education’’. CIPR. 2022. (online).
• Matthew Lynch. ‘‘6 Best Practices for Internal Communication in Public Schools’’: The Tech Edvocate. 2016. (online).
• Alexander Lacayo-Mendoza, Carmen de Pablos-Heredero. ‘’Managing Relationships and Communications in Higher Education Efficiently Through Digital Social Networks: The Importance of the Relational Coordination Model’’. SciELO. 2016. (online).
• Emanuela Maria Avram. ‘‘Internal and External Communication in Higher Education Institutions’’. SEA – Practical Application of Science, Volume III, Issue 2 (8). 2015. (online).