Students at Kirkwood Community College may have recently received a request in their student email inbox regarding a survey. The Marketing Department at the college issued an invitation to participate in a survey to all students on Tuesday, Sept. 28, asking for their input on the ways they want to receive information from Kirkwood.
Scott Chrisman, marketing strategist at Kirkwood, shared that the college was offered the possibility to take part in a nation-wide community college survey this year and a decision was made to take advantage of the opportunity.
“What it is, what we are trying to find out, is asking students what their media preferences are,” shared Chrisman. “We know there are a lot of different avenues that people can communicate, where people take in information. The idea is to identify where students are, so we know where our messaging might work best,” he added.
The survey keys in on different forms of communication – including telephone, text messaging, email, announcements, web pages and various social media platforms, Chrisman said.“ It is a preference inquiry. Where would you like to hear from us? Where would you expect to hear from us?” “As you know, media has changed greatly over the years. We used to have traditional ideas of media – everyone had the same newspaper, television, radio, magazines … the end. With the advent of the internet becoming such a force, suddenly there is not just one shared place everyone has – they are splintered.”
He went on to say, “We’re just trying to find out where students are at, so that we can not only get our messages about the college out to them but so they can get it in a convenient place to them as well. Some of the things we learned last year were where people like to hear from us and the easiest place to do that is to ask them directly.”
This survey is an opportunity for students’ voices to be heard on where and how they want Kirkwood to communicate with them. The process takes about 30 minutes and although it can be completed on a mobile device, navigation will be easier on a tablet or computer.
The survey will be open through Oct. 24, and there are incentives to participate. Each week there will be a $25 gift card and at the end of the survey, one lucky participant will receive a $100 gift card to EagleTech or the Kirkwood Bookstore. “More than anything, you get a chance to influence the process,” Chrisman said.
The Kirkwood App was born out of student input and is always being fine-tuned through feedback. Chrisman said, “Where would you like to find out when the food trucks are going to be around? This is where you can raise your hand and tell us, ‘This is where we are looking.’”
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