With Covid-19 keeping prospective students away from campus,听universities are using听digital storytelling听to communicate their听values and听maintain a sense of community
Universities have no shortage of stories to听tell.听Many want to share their achievements, others will relay the institution鈥s academic mission and core values, and some place the students and faculty at the heart of their narrative.听
At the听探花视频听Leadership and Management Summit 2020, industry leaders discussed the power of digital storytelling and how it has been used during the Covid-19 pandemic to promote the university experience and听foster a sense of community during the crisis.听
Tania Rhodes-Taylor, vice-principal of external relations听at the听University of Sydney, said the most effective stories were not about the university itself but rather about its students and staff.听鈥The story is really about a shared experience,鈥澨she said. At the University of Sydney, students were given control of its social media channels to tell their story. This grassroots approach presented university life with a degree of authenticity that a dedicated marketing and communications team might struggle to replicate.
The results had a profound impact on how the university was perceived.听鈥Our sentiment tracking increased 31 per cent over that period,鈥澨Ms听Rhodes-Taylor said.听鈥We听know that it made people feel more warmly towards the听organisation.鈥听
The National University of Singapore took a similar approach, encouraging students and faculty to use digital storytelling to share their experiences via the university鈥s intranet and online platforms. Chief communications officer听Ovidia听Lim-Rajaram听said it was often the case that the more informal the video, the more successful it was in communicating what the university was really like as an institution and community.听
鈥For the first time,听I saw universities just being less corporate, being less about the brand but more about speaking to the brand values,鈥听Ms听Lim-Rajaram said.听Covid-19 has presented many challenges, she said, not least of which听is disinformation, but having nursing students publish videos on basic public health measures has had a huge impact online.听鈥We saw videos like this going viral,鈥澨said听Ms听Lim-Rajaram.听鈥People didn鈥t care if the lighting was bad or if it was a little bit longer than it should have been听鈥撎the message was there.鈥听
The panel discussed how the Covid-19 pandemic has听accelerated听the evolution of digital communications in higher education. More risks were taken, with fresh approaches yielding impressive results. Rachel Sandison, vice-principal of external relations at the University of Glasgow, hoped this听signalled听a new era in communications.
Using the听Unibuddy听platform, the University of Glasgow鈥s digital student ambassadors offered prospective students an unvarnished听look at campus life, addressing their concerns and promoting the institution鈥檚 community feel. 鈥淭hat has been so powerful,听really impactful, because it is also authentic,鈥澨Ms听Sandison said.听鈥We are not moderating anything with that discussion. Honesty and transparency are so important at this time.鈥听
The panel spoke of the risk of information saturation, but听Ms听Lim-Rajaram听noted that having a diversity of voices and stories help maintain engagement. Mayan Scharf, who works on corporate global strategic partnerships at听TikTok, said platforms such as听TikTok听offer a user experience that can support higher education鈥s innovation in storytelling.
Because content is recommended based on user interest, creativity is rewarded.听鈥There is no magic trick,鈥澨Ms听Scharf said.听鈥There is no formula. It is about being authentic. This is what our users like. They like creativity. They like joy. That is the essence and the heart of the platform.鈥澨罢颈办罢辞办鈥檚听applications are diverse. It could be used to raise awareness about issues surrounding mental health.
Alternatively,听Nobel laureate professors could share cooking tips and cocktail recipes听鈥撎a campus-culture moment that delighted听Ms听Lim-Rajaram, demonstrating that digital platforms can reveal the human side of faculty and听鈥build that sense of belonging鈥.
about TikTok and higher education.
