Top-Ranking University Uses Best-In-Class Comms To Support A Culture Of Innovation

Building a strong culture amongst its 15,000 students, gathering their feedback on important topics, and broadcasting messages that require specific action were key objectives for HKUST.

Traditional channels, such as public announcement systems and email were becoming increasingly inadequate for this high-achieving environment. With a reputation for innovative thinking, the University was determined to find a better way to communicate with its community.

There are four general purpose computer laboratories located throughout the HKUST campus. These areas – known as computer barns – provide the university community with approximately 400 desktop computers, printers, scanners and secure network connectivity.

At the close of each day, students are required to log off from the computers, and reminded to take their belongings. Originally, this instruction was communicated via a public announcement system – far from ideal given the need to create a quiet, study-friendly environment, especially during exam time.

These announcements also had to be manually scheduled – an inconvenience given that the barns are often open at weekends and evenings, requiring a member of staff to be available.

The Information Technology Services Center team was also keen to elicit student feedback on the computer barn’s environment and overall IT experience. Response rates from a previous survey sent by email were disappointingly low.

In addition, the University wanted a visual and enduring method to convey its values regarding culture and sustainability.

Head of Teaching Technologies at HKUST, William Wan, leads the student computing facilities in the campus. His objectives for a better communication solution included eliciting specific action at a specific time, building internal culture, increasing survey response rates, and getting attention without disrupting.

The new communication tools from SnapComms have proved to be super effective at getting attention of the intended audience – to the extent that the University has renewed its license and plans to expand usage throughout the campus.

The survey tool lifted response rates by 20%, giving Wan and his team meaningful data to help with important decision-making.