4 Best Practices for Excellent Digital Communication

Most colleges and universities spent spring 2020 rebuilding the plane as it flew,¹ adjusting their educational model to a world in which face-to-face classes were not possible. But it wasn't just in-person classes we lost. Many, if not all, of the in-person connections that keep students engaged with and successful in college also suffered. While much of higher education focused on the transition to remote instruction, academic professionals in areas such as tutoring, advising, and financial aid were left to figure out remote forms of student support. Meanwhile, plans and details were shifting on a daily basis, and keeping students in the loop was yet another challenge posed by the pandemic.

Now that summer has arrived, colleges and universities nationwide have turned their attention to how higher education will look in the fall…and beyond. Regardless of whether your college resumes face-to-face classes, remains fully online, adopts a hybrid model, or turns to block scheduling, you will need an effective communication plan to keep students both informed of and involved in these critical decisions. Furthermore, students' connections to both faculty and academic support staff will be more distanced than in the past, requiring strategies for engaging students with minimal, if any, personal contact. Successfully addressing both challenges will require a savvy understanding of the power of digital communication.

Many institutions undervalue digital communication—email, text message, app, or social media—for capturing student voices and demonstrating care. When written thoughtfully and strategically, something as simple as a text message can get students to open up about food insecurity, lack of transportation, medical issues, mental health challenges, and general fears and anxieties around higher education. These messages can not only help improve or reconceptualize your campus support services but also let students know that their institution really cares about them.

So as we plan for the fall, I share here four best practices for effective digital communication and support. While my focus is on enhancing how you connect with students who are distant in the short term, you can build these practices into how you interact with those students in the months and years to follow.

#1: Let students know how much you care. We often think of digital media in very narrow terms—mostly as a way to disseminate information at scale—but those transactional messages run the risk of feeling cold and uncaring during a highly stressful period. Begin to use texting, social media, and even email in a conversational way. Reach out to ask students how they're doing. Let students know you've got their backs. Check in on their plans for the fall and why they may have changed. Offer support absent any other reason for communicating. Remember, a lot of goodwill can be gained (or lost) during a crisis. These efforts will build a digital rapport with students, which will be key to achieving the next strategy on the list.

#2: Remember that communication is a two-way street. We no longer have the luxury of sitting down with students for meaningful discourse, but don't let the lack of face time sever the social connections that we know keep students going in college. Provide a digital space for students to share, lament, and vent. Ask them how they've coped with leaving campus, remote learning, and other big changes in their lives. You'll be surprised how much students will say in a text message or app that they might not be ready to say in person. Know that many students will express challenges in nonacademic areas, such as family struggles, difficult employment situations, financial shortfalls, and mental health. If those topics fall outside your role or expertise, be prepared to make the appropriate referrals.

We also need to open avenues for students to share with us their concerns about their education. Many students were left angry and embittered this spring because they felt left out of some pretty big decisions. Solicit their opinions about what they would like to see in the fall and about how things could be better if remote or hybrid courses are still necessary. Listen to their voices and let them tell you what they need to survive now and thrive in the future.

#3: Nudge wisely. Students continue to be bombarded from all sides with information, and we all have constrained cognitive capacity under duress. Limit messages to what's most important at the moment, and simplify what students need to know and do by using checklists, bullet points, and graphics. As much as time and technology allow, personalize your messaging to students: don't expect them to filter what information is and is not relevant. Blanket messages create confusion and reinforce students' feelings of being uncared for and unheard.

In addition, behavioral science is tailor-made for a situation like this. Students need to make optimal decisions under suboptimal conditions, and targeted use of behavioral principles can make that process easier. For example, use digital media to help students commit to specific plans² for participating in online courses, renewing financial aid, or registering for fall classes. Provide exercises that mitigate stress and renew focus, like expressive writing³ and self-affirmation.⁴ These "wise interventions"⁵ will help students build skills and resiliencies that will benefit them beyond the end of this pandemic.

#4: Celebrate small victories. It's abundantly clear that people crave good news these days. Many students feel like their spring term was a disaster, so remind them that simply getting through it was an accomplishment unto itself. Ask students to consider what's going well right now (in college or otherwise), and nudge them to express gratitude for the people who are helping them through this trying time. Balancing the bad news arriving via digital media with some good will help students rebuild their confidence in themselves…and in their institution. Moreover, breaking up the litany of student problems you've been tackling with some positivity will make you and your colleagues feel a whole lot better.

Even before the pandemic, student support was increasingly happening through digital media, and that transition will accelerate regardless of how colleges and universities reshape themselves in the coming months. Integrating those channels into the larger conversations we have with students on campus will be imperative to their success, as well as to your ability to fulfill your institutional mission. As you refine your communications during this unprecedented time, consider the long-term value of these strategies to improve the overall student experience.

Notes

1. Malcolm Brown, "Education in the Time of the Virus; or, Flying the Plane While Building It," Transforming Higher Ed (blog), EDUCAUSE Review, April 6, 2020. ↩
2. Angela Lee Duckworth, Heidi Grant, Benjamin Loew, Gabriele Oettingen, Peter M. Gollwitzer, "Self-regulation Strategies Improve Self-Discipline in Adolescents: Benefits of Mental Contrasting and Implementation Intentions," Educational Psychology 31, no. 1 (2011): 17–26. ↩
3. Mark A. Lumley and Kimberly M. Provenzano, "Stress Management through Written Emotional Disclosure Improves Academic Performance among College Students with Physical Symptoms," Journal of Educational Psychology 95, no. 3: 641–49. ↩
4. Geoffrey L. Cohen and David K. Sherman, "The Psychology of Change: Self-Affirmation and Social Psychological Intervention," Annual Review of Psychology 65: 333–71. ↩
5. Gregory M. Walton and Timothy D. Wilson, "Wise Interventions: Psychological Remedies for Social and Personal Problems," Psychological Review 125, no. 5: 617–55. ↩

Ross E. O'Hara is a Behavioral Researcher at Persistence Plus, LLC.