Student Communications Policy and Good Practice Guidance

Student Experience Committee

September 2009

Introduction

This document sets out our policy relating to communications with students of our University.

This policy was revised by a subgroup of theStudent Experience Committee in September 2009. Participants of this group can be seen in the minutes which are available at J:\Services\ISMS\Student Communications

The Group’s terms of reference focused on institutional communications with our current students, rather than those communications targeted to potential or prospective student populations. It considered general principles of ensuring excellent communications with our students.

Given the rapid development of technology available within the higher education sector, changing student expectations, and planned advances in our own IT infrastructure, VLEs, and the use of other i-media for learning and teaching, it is anticipated that student communications will be an on-going topic of exploration within our University, and that this policy will require regular review.

This policy should be read in conjunction with the University document ‘EmailPolicy and Practice’ produced by ISMS. This is available to view at

Principles

In order for any communication to be successful, there are a number of basic considerations:

  • Understanding the message to be imparted and the best time for the communication to take place
  • The identification of the ‘target’ audience for that message
  • The most appropriate medium for delivery
  • Where the responsibility for ensuring that the message is received lies

In relation to student communications, these considerations are explored in the good practice guidance, below, with particular reference to the university environment.

For advice and guidance on choosing the most appropriate communication channels please see the Communicating With Students leaflet, available at

Policy

Face-to-face contact remains the primary method of establishing a relationship of communication with our students, and of enabling the exchange of information in both directions. However, we also communicate with our student body in a number of other ways which are detailed in the Communicating with Students document.

This document assumes that staff are not solely responsible for communication between ourselves and our students. However, all student-facing staff should have access to appropriate customer service training.

We expect our students to keep their personal contact details up to date, and to know where to look for, and how to find, information relevant to them. However, in order to do so, academic departments and support services should ensure that key information is made available to prospective students prior to joining and that Welcome information covers the use of: email, notice boards, information screens, and SMS text messaging, where appropriate. The StudentCharter, and the Student Communication Charter, give information on all student communications at Anglia Ruskin, and outlines the responsibilities of students to manage their communication with us, as well as our responsibilities towards them. These documents can be found on the ANet:

Information about the way we communicate with students should also be available during Welcome.

All Anglia Ruskin communications should be clear, courteous, accurate, appropriate, and timely and, whatever the media chosen, the content should be jargon-free, without the use of colloquialisms, unexplained acronyms or complex phraseology.

All communications should conform to guidance regarding Anglia Ruskin’s corporate identity, and should state the author’s name and job role, or give details of the responsible department. All written communications should be dated.

Email Communication

The Student Charter informs students that it is their responsibility to check their Anglia Ruskin email account at least twice a week during teaching periods. Students are also informed that, should they choose to set up mail forwarding on their email account, they are responsible for ensuring that mail forwarding is set up correctly and that they are able to receive emails sent to their Anglia Ruskin email account.

Staff should use always use students’ Anglia Ruskin accounts when communicating with students by email. If a student emails you from a non-Anglia Ruskin email account you should reply to their Anglia Ruskin account where possible.

Staff should always use their own Anglia Ruskin accounts when communicating with students by email.

Student Experience Committee

September 2009
Student Communications Policy

Good practice guidelines

The nature of the message

To ensure excellent communications with our students, our Faculties and Support Services need to take consideration of the following:

  • The most important information that we can give our students about communication is ‘what we are going to tell them, how we are going to tell them it, and when’. Our surveys suggest that students do not always know what information/communication is available to them, or how to access it. Students are more likely to use email, for example, if they understand that it will be used to deliver key information.
  • What messages students need and, importantly, when these should be given. Asking continuing students to tell us what information they felt they needed, and when, should inform future practice and can be managed through consultation with the Student Representation system. Key messages should be reinforced by repetition, particularly if they are first given during the busy Welcome period.
  • Our students are keen to tell us what they think about their experience at Anglia Ruskin. However, too much evaluation- of the Welcome experience, for example- can lead to ‘survey fatigue’, particularly if we fail to feedback to our students what they told us, and what action we will taking as a result.

Our target audiences

  • Colleagues should give consideration to whether messages are intended for new and/or returning students and the differing needs of these and other more discrete groups, e.g. particular cohorts, seminar groups, or campus residents/those that travel in to campus. Our surveys have indicated that students are sensitive to mail that they perceive as having no value to them as individuals. For example, mass emails regarding sport on one campus will be of interest to some students, but not those studying at our other sites, as distance learners, or off-shore; these students are more likely to experience the same message as ‘spam’.
  • All student communications should take account of issues relating to accessibility, equality, and diversity. See our equality and diversity web pages at: Further information about accessible student communications is also available from our Learning Support and Disability Resources Teams, based in Student Support. Please contact Cambridge ext: 2298 and Chelmsford ext: 4240.

The most appropriate medium for delivery

  • Ours is a large and diverse student body. Our students’ different modes of attendance: part-time, full-time, off-shore, distance/online learning impact significantly on the sort of communication media that they experience as helpful. Our surveys have indicated that those studying online may have very well-developed communication systems within their cohorts; the use of ‘First Class’ by our Ultraversity students, for example. This may mean taking our messages to these students’ virtual environment, at the same time as encouraging them to use the other information and communication systems – such as the Anglia Ruskin web pages, and the student email account – that operate outside it.
  • Students at partner institutions will have particular communication needs. Further information about the student experience within our regional partner institutions is available from Student Services
  • We need to consider whether messages are intended for campus residents or students travelling in? The vast majority of our students live off-site and want key information, about class changes or cancellations, for example, to be available to them before they leave home and in a format that they can access anywhere. Messages posted on the Information Screens are accessible via the ANET web pages at There are also RSS feeds available for the info screens to enable them to be accessed via any rss feeder, including ones on mobile phones. For generic information on what an RSS feed is the BBC web site has a useful explanation: .
  • The communication needs of disabled students; is the message accessible? See ‘target audiences’, above.
  • Keep material on notice boards up to date, change regularly, and ensure students are aware of what sort of messages they can expect to find on specific boards/ where important messages will be posted.
  • Posters can be useful; in halls of residence, on classroom doors, and at entry points to buildings, posters can get important/emergency and time-critical messages to those residing on/ attending campus.
  • Departments should give consideration to whether a planned student information ‘cascade’ would be of value to particular student groups, e.g. those on placements.

Student Experience Committee

September 2009

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