La comunicación universitaria. Modelos, tendencias y herramientas para una nueva relación con sus públicos

Abstract

This article reviews the different models of Communication at the University and its evolution over time. As a proposal, it analyzes the main European trends regarding academic and communication strategies using a sample of 30 European universities. Also discussed the availability of some of the new technological tools used in these universities and analyzed the use of social networks in five Spanish universities.

Non-Financial Information versus Financial as a Key to the Stakeholder Engagement: A Higher Education Perspective

“…Larger organizations are generally exposed to greater public scrutiny as they have greater visibility and suffer from more pressure from the environment in which they operate [66]. According to legitimacy theory, larger universities would be more interested in offering content with relevant and demanded information in order to improve their reputation, image, and the commitment of their stakeholders [31]. In this regard, social media could be a channel to help develop the correct strategies of open government [82].…”

“…To meet the expectations of different social and legal issues, universities must set and maintain strong and lasting relationships with their key stakeholders and seek their engagement [30]. Therefore, universities strongly need to be present on the Internet in order to reach a certain level of stakeholder engagement, which allows them to receive relevant feedback for their continuous improvement in accountability and governability [31,32]. Thus, the use of bidirectional communication models between the university and its main stakeholders is the key to engaging the latter in an effective and efficient manner [31].…”

“…Therefore, universities strongly need to be present on the Internet in order to reach a certain level of stakeholder engagement, which allows them to receive relevant feedback for their continuous improvement in accountability and governability [31,32]. Thus, the use of bidirectional communication models between the university and its main stakeholders is the key to engaging the latter in an effective and efficient manner [31]. In this regard, social media allows participation, open dialogue, engagement, and connectedness [33].…”

Comunicación online de las universidades de Ecuador. Estudio de la estrategia en Facebook

“…A pesar de que anteriormente se creía que existirían fuertes dificultades para implementar las redes sociales en la comunicación institucional de las universidades, éstas cada vez se comprometen más con su uso, siendo Facebook la red más utilizada por los estudiantes universitarios (Rodríguez-Vázquez, Teijeiro-Álvarez y Blázquez-Lozano, 2017). Las universidades deben usar los canales de comunicación que más usen sus públicos (De Aguilera et al, 2010). Además, las redes sociales son consideradas por muchas sociedades como el canal oficial de comunicación e información (Díaz, 2011).…”

“…Un punto clave es que hay que considerar a los estudiantes como embajadores de las marcas, mas no como simples consumidores (Bélanger et al, 2014). De hecho, la comunicación estratégica en la universidad consiste en emitir y recibir información con la audiencia interna y externa; empoderarlas con el desarrollo de la institución, velar por la imagen de marca y la reputación y transmitir responsabilidad social (De Aguilera et al, 2010). Por ejemplo, en Estados Unidos, los estudiantes universitarios tienen una alta predisposición a utilizar Facebook para fines educativos, pero el personal académico prefiere mantener el uso de Facebook como una red para fines sociales, mientras que para fines académicos prefiere medios tradicionales como el correo electrónico institucional (Roblyer, McDaniel, Webb, Herman y Witty, 2010).…”