Original scientific paper
https://doi.org/10.5673/sip.59.3.12
Rethinking Internal Communication in Higher Education Environment COVID-19: Guidelines for the Future
Zdeslav Milas
; Edward Bernays University College, Zagreb, Croatia
Dorotea Milas
orcid.org/0000-0002-1747-2966
; Zagreb School of Business, Croatia
Abstract
The year 2020 remains remembered for the global coronavirus pandemic (COVID-19) and
it has radically changed our way of life. The internal communication of higher education
institutions becomes crucial under circumstances of interruption of traditional teaching in
classrooms, the closing of buildings for students, the transition to work from home and the
establishment of digital platforms. The rapid adaptation to organizational communication
change patterns leads to the answer that internal communication has become of strategic importance
for the further functioning of universities, faculties, universities of applied sciences
and colleges.
The aim of this paper is to analyze the paradigm shift of internal communication in the coronavirus
environment in higher education professional study programs. The purpose is to
become acquainted with the challenges in internal communication during the digital transformation
of the teaching process and to compare whether the goals and instruments in the internal
communication of the higher education institution have changed. As research method,
a semi-structured in-depth interview with deans or vice deans for academic affairs was selected
on a sample of ten selected universities of applied sciences or colleges that offer accredited professional
study programs in Croatia. The semi-structured interview method was deliberately
selected to generate potentially new ideas and questions arising from the answers based on the
experiences of the respondents who were responsible for adapting the distance teaching process
and communicating with teachers and students. The radical change in the teaching methods
has strongly impacted digitalization in higher education, and from the analysis of respondents’
answers, the authors provide guidelines for the future of internal communication as a strategic
function in the management of higher education institutions. The post-pandemic period is
creating a new normal in the functioning of internal communication processes, which are
closely related to the digital transformation of higher education institutions.
Keywords
internal communication; digital transformation; online teaching; change communication; higher education institution
Hrčak ID:
271658
URI
Publication date:
31.1.2022.
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