COVID-19 has turned our world upside down, forcing higher education to make radical changes in a short amount of time. Yet, somehow, campus leaders must keep operations moving forward and keep students and employees engaged, informed, and—most of all—safe.

Amid so much uncertainty, and with plans continually evolving as new information becomes available, students and staff naturally have many questions and concerns. Communicating clearly and regularly with all stakeholder groups is essential, as is making sure they receive your messages instantly.

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While colleges and universities should use multiple communications channels to reach all constituencies effectively, there is no better tool than your mobile campus app for distributing vital information to students and others. A 2016 survey from Bowling Green State University found that email can be hit or miss when it comes to communicating with students, whereas traditional college-age students spend more than four hours a day on their smartphones, on average.

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About the Author:

Matt Willmore is the Senior Director of Product for Modo Labs, creator of an app-building platform for higher education that is fully customizable with a school’s branding and doesn’t require any code to implement. Modo’s Crisis Response Starter Kit, which allows campus officials to distribute urgent announcements and other critical information through push notifications and other priority channels, can be added to a Modo-powered campus app in a matter of minutes. To learn more, go to www.modolabs.com/covid19.

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