The greatest influencers for prospective students are your existing students. This session looks at the impact of working closely with students on content creation and how abandoning a ‘one-size-fits-all’ approach to channels has led University of Limerick to find it’s authentic (and award-winning!) voice on TikTok.

In this session The Open University (OU) in Scotland will share insights from our strategic communications initiative aimed at increasing student retention in a complex, open access, online university. With retention challenges linked to the nature of no-entry requirements online education, our approach emphasises the importance of communicating with strategic purpose. Operating within multifaceted organisational structure, made particularly complex due to the 4-Nations nature of the OU, the challenge was to identify a specific niche where the OU in Scotland could add meaningful value for students. This involves being crystal clear on our objectives and role in the wider context of all communications students receive from across the institution, for creating a supportive, relatable and engaged community without overwhelming them with excessive information. We will explore how tailored, student-centric messaging and streamlined support signposting empower students to access help and connect when they need it most. Essentially this is about creating meaningful engagement while respecting students’ communication capacity.

Learn how segmented email content fosters student belonging from day one. This interactive session spotlights the ‘Welcome to King’s’ campaign, sharing insights and practical advice for delivering student-centred communications tailored to diverse student experiences. 

How do we navigate the relationship between students and their university when communicating on difficult topics? This session brings together case studies from the central Student Communications team at the University of Sheffield and from the University of Manchester Students’ Union to explore best practice and make practical recommendations on how we centre student voice and experience in our communications during times of crisis. Following the presentation, a short Q&A will facilitate broader discussion on the theme of communicating difficult messages to students.

In 2021, through large student surveys such as the NSS, student feedback highlighted some student dissatisfaction with mental health and wellbeing services and support, especially during the pandemic. This session looks at how we collaborated with key stakeholders at the University of Birmingham, including current students, to address issues and concerns through our new Time to Talk? campaign, and the impact it has made four years on.