To Zoom or not to Zoom?
Shailan Patel
Leading MYOBs Education Channel | NZAGE Board Member | UIIN recognised University-Industry Cooperation Champion | Winner of Ian Berry & UABS Supporter Awards | Student/graduate/early talent engagement, development expert
For many, Zoom calls and webinars have become the day to day norm over the past few months. Now that restrictions have eased, especially here in NZ, do we embrace the tech available even further? Or simply return to the pre-lockdown world? Or both?
At the end of last month, I conducted my first ever LinkedIn Poll to ask my network this very question.
My poll How do you want to connect with industry moving forward (Semester 2 2020)? was directed at students, educators, and those in industry working with students and the education sector. I was honoured that 169 people voted, so a decent size to work with, to get an idea of what the “new normal” would look like in terms of engagement in this field.
Below is a breakdown of the results to help understand how those in and around education would like to work with industry for the second half of 2020 and beyond.
I am not surprised that the majority (72%) were 50/50, happy with a mixture of in person and online ways of connecting. Many see the benefits of using online tools where appropriate, but also want to ensure there is enough in person activity to really connect with one another.
I am however a little surprised that 6% said they were happy with continuing with online only. Although a very small percentage, I was honestly expecting this to be 1-2% at the most or even 0%. A lot of what I was hearing from education said they were very much over Zoom! 22% are definitely over Zoom (or whatever their choice of online platform is) and wants in person only!
Of those that took part in my poll students made up 45%, educators 19% and industry 36% of voters.
I have dug a bit deeper to see what more the numbers can tell me.
In person votes
Those that voted for in person only moving forward were made up of 51% students, 6% educators and 43% industry. Nothing too surprising here.
Online votes
Those that voted to continue with online only were made up of 20% students, 20% educators and 60% industry. I’m not surprised that industry is the biggest supporter here, with only a few professionals back in the office full time as far as I can tell, and the added benefit for them not having to necessarily be on campus!
50/50 votes
Those that voted for a mixture (50/50), were made up of 45% students, 23% educators and 32% industry. This is a fairly even split in line with the number of votes from each cohort.
Student votes
From all the student votes 25% voted for in person, 3% online and 72% 50/50. This is inline with the overall poll.
Educator votes
From all the educator votes 6% voted for in person, 6% online and 88% 50/50. This shows educators are the most open to a mix of both online and in person compared to students and industry. From what I saw in Semester 1, many educators have really embraced the online world and the new ways it brings to teach and connect with students - which is brilliant to see.
Industry votes
And finally, for the industry votes 26% voted for in person, 10% online and 64% 50/50. Like the student votes this is close to the overall poll.
As expected I learnt a mixture of in person and online activity is the way forward. Taking what we can from the last few months of lockdown that has helped students and educators connect with industry and vice-versa, but also making sure we do not lose the benefits of meeting in person, especially for students who are looking to build their network for their career prospects.
What do you think? Hopefully this helps those that might not be too sure, whether to jump back online or go for in person. Please leave your comments/thoughts below on how you plan to move forward for the rest of the year.
Link to my Poll post: https://www.dhirubhai.net/posts/shailanpatel_helpingstudentsfindsuccess-education-students-activity-6683110307742806016-oB3Y
People Leader | Careers Coach | Mentor
4 年Great insight and good number responding to your poll, which is the first step! Not surprised with the 50/50 results as we as human still long for the company, to feel secured we need to talk in person, to get the clues of body language and facial expressions, we still rely on f2f engagement & once it's established, we are comfortable meeting someone online. I wonder what gen Z and millennials (college and intermediate students) think as they are more into the online world!
Member Engagement Manager @ Chartered Accountants Australia and New Zealand
4 年Thanks for sharing the results Shailan. Great insights to help us create the best engagement opportunities with students and graduates.
External engagement and partnerships - AUT, Faculty of Business, Economics & Law
4 年Great insights Shailan, I was a 50/50 voter on your poll. I enjoy the face to face, and am also happy to use virtual meetings, especially for convenience sake when connecting with relationships across the city or farther. As long as there is engagement and the results / outcomes benefit our students, alumni, industry and community I am happy. I do think first introduction meetings are better for me in person, I find in person helps to build a much stronger rapport.
Account Management Specialist | Customer Service Specialist | Graduate Recruitment | Event Management | Winner NZAGE Best Careers Service Professional 2020
4 年Thanks for these results Shailan. Initially I was a little afraid of the virtual option, but as I used this technology more I became more confident with it and definitely see it as remaining an option in our suite of options for encouraging industry to engage with our students and graduates. Engagement being the key in whatever form this may take!