Communication Survey

Compared to other forms of communication, students at the University of Maryland rely mainly on email, according to Department of Resident Life research.

The study, which surveyed 10 percent of the South Campus Commons and dorm population, found that 4 in 5 students chose email as their preferred form of communication. Other choices included social media, text messaging, fliers and a mobile app. Findings were presented internally to department staff this summer.

The second-highest preference after email was text messaging, which is a service Resident Life is not yet able to offer due to the cost of setting up a texting system to serve thousands of students, said Joann Prosser, Resident Life director of research and assessment.

“We’re not there yet, but at this point, so many students have smartphones … we anticipate that texting will become one of the ways we can communicate,” Prosser said, noting the survey could help shape future practices and keep a focus on the value of text messaging in the future.

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Thomas Lee, a sophomore computer science major, said the results of the study do not surprise him, as he strongly prefers emails over text messages.

“It depends on the individual because some people are always on their phones, always getting text messages, so they might not want another text message,” Lee said. “I don’t really think it’s that much more convenient than email, because as a college student, you’re on your email pretty often.”

The study also looked at nonelectronic communications and their effectiveness and concluded that students read and value posters as well, Prosser said.

The results will help shape future policies and methods of communication to help Resident Life keep in contact with students, Resident Life Director Deb Grandner wrote in an email.

“Our spring surveys are part of a larger assessment process and strategies, which include other means for feedback, such as focus groups,” Grandner wrote. “Every other year, we conduct a full-scale residence hall evaluation project to evaluate our major services and our students’ experience in the residence halls.”

The results of the study serve as evidence that an effective communication strategy has to have various modes of communication, Prosser said.

“There’s not one communication strategy that works for everything,” Prosser said. “You really have to be smart and diversify the approaches that you use.”