Student attitudes and preferences towards communications from their university – a meta-analysis of student communications research within UK higher education institutions

Article


Gilani, D. 2024. Student attitudes and preferences towards communications from their university – a meta-analysis of student communications research within UK higher education institutions. Journal of Higher Education Policy and Management. https://doi.org/10.1080/1360080X.2024.2344234
TypeArticle
TitleStudent attitudes and preferences towards communications from their university – a meta-analysis of student communications research within UK higher education institutions
AuthorsGilani, D.
Abstract

Whilst the practitioner field around current student communications has developed in recent years, most published research still focuses either on prospective students, theoretical benefits of student communications or usage of individual channels of communication. This paper contributes to policy and practice by providing the first UK-wide look at current students’ communications preferences and behaviours through a meta-analysis of 17 student communications surveys (total students surveyed 20,134). Results show that students expect their universities to utilise a range of channels (including email, social media and student portals) – i.e. an integrated marketing theory approach. Most students feel that they receive the right level of information; however, overall satisfaction with communications has decreased in recent years. This paper provides recommendations for practice, as well as a template to improve consistency in future institutional student communications evaluations.

KeywordsStudent communications; Meta-analysis; surveys; student engagement; social media
Sustainable Development Goals4 Quality education
Middlesex University ThemeCreativity, Culture & Enterprise
PublisherTaylor & Francis (Routledge)
JournalJournal of Higher Education Policy and Management
ISSN1469-9508
Electronic1360-080X
Publication dates
Online17 Apr 2024
Publication process dates
Submitted23 Aug 2023
Accepted04 Apr 2024
Deposited10 May 2024
Output statusPublished
Publisher's version
License
File Access Level
Open
Copyright Statement

© 2024 The Author(s).
Published by Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group. This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/), which permits non-commercial re-use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited, and is not altered, transformed, or built upon in any way.

Digital Object Identifier (DOI)https://doi.org/10.1080/1360080X.2024.2344234
Web of Science identifierWOS:001204904700001
LanguageEnglish
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