by Erato Ioanna Sarri. Staff support webinar. 21 September 2020

1. Communication Strategies
during the covid-19
outbreak
Erato Ioanna Sarri
International Relations, Development & Communications Coordinator
Open University of Cyprus

2. Covid-19 changed everything
Our lives, our social connections, our work
environment, our financial prospects, our
studies ...
↘
• Valuable lessons to share to help us get
through any future crises
• Crucial role of networks like EADTU in sharing
experiences/lessons/best-practices

3. Covid-19 may have changed everything
but it did not disrupt the education of students
in open & distance universities, like the Open
University of Cyprus, which continued to
operate smootlhy at all levels: education,
research, administration, social contribution.
↘
Virtual classes, virtual events, online
examinations

4. Goal: Re-positioning OUC building on its
reputation as the country’s only DL HEI
• Corporate ID: public university, the only HEI in
Cyprus dedicated to distance education,
15years of know-how & experience,
recognised degree titles in the EU
• Competitive Advantages / Product & service
Differentiation
• Content Management

5. Effective Communication with Students
❶ At the beginning of the lockdown: All
communications dedicated to the ‘emergency’, telling
students how / covid-19 would not affect their
studies / they would continue their online lessons /
the administrative services would provide support
with electronic means, etc.
❷ To provide additional support: Online
workshops/sessions were conducted by OUC’s
Counselling Office to help students (and the general
public) to cope with the stress & anxiety

6. Communication Strategies for Prospective
Students & the general Public
During the lockdown, OUC had an open enrollment
application period for the 2020-2021 academic year
↘
• Due to the outbreak, many prospective students
doubted their willingness/decision to pursue higher
education in the near future
• Their needs were shifting as a result of covid-19,
and were looking for HEIs that would address their
concerns

7. Communication Strategies for Prospective
Students & the general Public
↘
• Our goal in regard to effective communication was to
engage with prospective students & retain their interest
during those uncertain times
• Our ‘traditional’ marketing tools, e.g. educational fairs,
open days, billboard advertisements, video walls in malls,
were no longer as effective or even feasible
• Thus, there was the need to look for alternative tools,
and to change our communication & marketing
strategies, leveraging resources we already had or
developing new ones

8. What we did …
a) Communication Tools
• Shifted to online communication with
students & prospective students: Social
Media, Email, Instant Messaging
• Used our website as a) a unified source for
information & b) as a marketing tool to
communicate effectively the benefits of
distance education (esp. in view of the
lockdown & social distancing needs) and
OUC’s competitive advantages

9. What we did …
a) Communication Tools
• Shifted our marketing budget to digital campaigns:
reallocated budget to online advertising, organic
growth, social media marketing & content mkg
• Boosted our video content, esp. on YouTube
• Promoted ‘human stories’ with testimonials of
students/alumni (different personas) who shared
their experiences with online education / how OUC
programmes met their educational/professional
aspirations & need for flexible learning

10. What we did …
a) Communication Tools
• Created virtual experiences & ‘moved’ our events
online to increase interactivity & engagement:
– Virtual Open Days
– Online live streaming presentations of Programmes
of Study
– Online scientific talks open to all
– Online open workshops organized by OUC’s
Counselling Office on topics related to coronavirus,
stress & anxiety management
– Series of webinars / video podcasts

11. What we did …
a) Communication Tools
• Used more effectively online tools to promote
‘science communication’ to inform and raise
awareness on eLearning science-related topics. E.g.
promotion of OUC’s contribution to the
implementation of eLearning in schools in Cyprus,
publications on educational technology, etc.
• Public interventions in traditional & new Media on
the benefits of online learning, how OUC responded
effectively to the covid-19 outbreak (e.g. success of
carrying out the final examinations 100% with
electronic means)

12. What we did …
b) Frequency
• Sought the right balance + timing in
communicating effectively with students &
prospective students regularly to retain
engagement but resisting the tempation to
bombard them daily
• Scheduled online events in a timely manner
• Responded to all emails/telephones within 24-
48 hours to help smooth increased anxiety &
to create trust and resilience

13. What we did …
c) Tone
• Important to tailor ‘messages’ to the needs of
each (prospective) students
• All communication needs to be sensitive to
the difficulties (prospective) students might be
facing
• Brought our Rector & professors ‘online’ to
help build trust

14. What we did …
d) Key Messages
• Distance education no longer preference, but
necessity
• Distance education allows people to fit studies
around personal & professional commitments
• Start with stand-alone DL courses, continue later
to a full degree
• Financial support, scholarships, flexible payments
• Student personas: Job ladder climber, Career
switcher, Unfinished student, Lifelong student

15. Take advantage of the opportunities
Covid-19 transformed our lives. Higher education is likely
to change significantly, but eLearning is not ‘new’. It is our
universities’ (open & distance) standard practice.
New audiences are likely to emerge, students will have
different & diverse needs, our financial models are likely
to change, our communication strategies need to be
constantly updated as we monitor current trends and
anticipate the future.
Let’s focus on the things we can control & work together
to ignite great change on distance education.

16. Thank you for your attention 