Changes in the Usefulness of Communication Channels for Prospective Undergraduates about University Studying: Afore and during the Pandemic

Autor/in	Ng, Annie W. Y.
Titel	Changes in the Usefulness of Communication Channels for Prospective Undergraduates about University Studying: Afore and during the Pandemic
Quelle	In: International Journal of Educational Management, 37 (2023) 2, S.361-372 (12 Seiten)Infoseite zur Zeitschrift PDF als Volltext Verfügbarkeit
Zusatzinformation	ORCID (Ng, Annie W. Y.)
Sprache	englisch
Dokumenttyp	gedruckt; online; Zeitschriftenaufsatz
ISSN	0951-354X
DOI	10.1108/IJEM-04-2022-0154
Schlagwörter	COVID-19; Pandemics; Information Dissemination; Undergraduate Students; Student Attitudes; Foreign Countries; Marketing; Admissions Counseling; Web Sites; Social Media; Summer Programs; Student Recruitment; Hong Kong + Suchen Sie Ihr Suchwort? Informationsverbreitung; Schülerverhalten; Ausland; Web-Design; Soziale Medien; Sommerkurs; Hongkong
Abstract	Purpose: This study investigated the usefulness of various communication means for providing university study information with prospective students before and during the pandemic for three consecutive academic years. Design/methodology/approach: Students who had recently taken undergraduate program admission indicated how useful communication channels were in providing the information about university studying. Seven communication channels were examined: open/information day, admission talk, campus visit, education fair, admission website, social media and summer activities. The students were asked to complete an online survey at the beginning of an academic year. In the survey, they were asked to indicate the usefulness of each of the communication channels using a five-point Likert scale with the descriptors: 1 = not useful, 2 = slightly useful, 3 = somewhat useful, 4 = useful, 5 = very useful. If students did not have any usage experience with a communication channel, they were asked to choose "no experience." There were 1798, 1735 and 1961 students at a university in Hong Kong participating in the study in academic years 2019/20, 2020/21 and 2021/22, respectively. Findings: The pandemic has transformed the landscape of the university's ways of marketing channels to communicate with prospective students. The top useful channel of information for students during the pandemic was admission website, followed by social media and then open/information day. Before the pandemic, open/information day was the most useful channel of information for students and then admission website; the least useful one was social media channel. Significant differences were revealed in the usefulness rating on open/information day and social media channel among the three academic years. Originality/value: The findings facilitate educational managers to determine the appropriate marketing and recruitment strategies for connecting with prospective students under dynamic context in the era of new normal. They helped identify where to focus the marketing efforts to achieve the most impact in particular under budget constraints. (As Provided).
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Erfasst von	ERIC (Education Resources Information Center), Washington, DC
Update	2024/1/01