Changes in higher education communication practices and tools: through the pandemic towards new communication models

The COVID-19 pandemic has significantly impacted traditional modes of communication in higher education institutions, leading to a shift towards remote communication and digital tools. This scientific paper examines the changes in higher education communication practices and tools resulting from the pandemic. The paper analyzes the challenges and opportunities presented by this shift and the ways in which teachers have applied communication models familiar from contact teaching to distance education. A previous review of published literature on adaptations in higher education institutions identified key factors for a successful transition to novel distance education communication practices and tools. These factors included effective use of digital platforms, skillful faculty with additional training and support available, and consistent efforts to maintain engagement and community building in the online environment. To determine how teachers have been able to adapt their communication practices and tool use at both the course and curriculum levels in response to the pandemic and whether they see these changes as welcome and lasting, a questionnaire survey was
conducted at Tampere University. The results of the survey demonstrated how local experiences reflected the broader changes and contribute to the ongoing discussion about teachers adopting new communication models. However, some teachers expressed a desire to return to pre-COVID-19 practices, as they perceived contact learning as more engaging and effective. Therefore, the authors propose the creation of communication models by teaching staff for their own contexts as a tool for discussing and designing teaching-related communications.