Kolkata: Colleges take tech help to spread reopening message – Times of India

KOLKATA: College and university authorities took help of all social media platforms — used by students — to share information and guidelines about campus reopening. This made communication effective and helped reach students quickly instead of the “official notifications” on websites that most students don’t notice.
From information about vaccination to sharing plans of reopening to publishing health and safety protocols, college authorities shifted focus to platforms like WhatsApp, Telegram, YouTube and even Instagram.
Students, many of whom have been waiting eagerly for colleges to reopen, were quick to respond and share the information. “We sent out a detailed notice to students on various class specific groups. Several students responded with queries, which were cleared by the teachers in charge. The college has been taking help of several tech platforms even during online classes and examinations,” said an official of St Xavier’s College.
Colleges even collected vaccination certificates through WhatsApp groups to get the number of fully vaccinated students. “Teachers started counseling students days in advance about the reopening and the protocol to be followed. The method proved to be effective as all students use WhatsApp and are very quick to respond,”said Subhasis Dutta, principal of Maulana Azad College. The college also has an official YouTube channel.
Most principals said students do not check circulars and notices on official websites. Initially some colleges faced problems shifting to online classes but now almost all have WhatsApp groups and Telegram channels.
“During admission we have found most students don’t check the college website. Some even missed the deadline. But for reopening we could not take any chances because it’s a matter of safety,” said the principal of a north Kolkata college.
Many colleges have also started sharing information on health facilities available on campus. “We have a health centre on campus, where facilities have been increased. We have also tied up with a private hospital and informed students on how to use the facilities in case of emergency. All this is being done through various social media groups,”said an official of Jadavpur University.