A modular course offering by the ZHAW supports schools in managing and controlling school communication in the age of digital transformation.

Digital technologies are changing collaboration within schools, creating new opportunities and challenges. This also affects how teaching staff, parents and legal guardians and general public communicate with and among each other. In addition to introducing digital channels and platforms, the cultural shift that comes with these tools needs to be communicated accordingly. What kind of information do teachers need? How can parents and legal guardians be educated to use the different channels? And what is the school’s general approach to communication? To communicate effectively, the school management, authorities and the teaching staff need to address these questions. Commissioned by Pupil AG, a provider of school management software, the IAM Institute of Applied Media Studies developed a course offering that supports schools in managing and controlling their school communication in a meaningful way.

Effective contributions on three levels

The IAM team has years of experience researching and offering services on how the further development of internal and external communication can become a success factor. Nicole Rosenberger Staub, professor of organisational communication and management at the IAM, says: “There are three levels on which school communication can make an effective contribution to shaping digital transformation at schools: it can establish channels, shape cultural change and create the necessary acceptance among stakeholders.” The range of courses includes introductory modules, workshops on designing communication concepts and webinars focused on specific fields of activity, such as communication between schools and parents.