Faculty perceptions of communications channels: a survey

Individual communication between faculty and students outside of the classroom is one of the cornerstones of education. This survey examines the perceptions of the faculty of three communications media for several communication tasks that occur between students and faculty. The faculty at a small Texas state university was invited to participate in a survey that elicited their perceptions on the effectiveness of telephone, face to face, and e-mail communication. In this survey, the relevant results are that faculty expressed a preference for e-mail for convenience, retention, and efficiency. Office hours were preferred for confrontation, confidentiality, and emotional support. Equal preference for e-mail and office hours were expressed for accuracy, receiving work, reaching a consensus, and overall effectiveness. The same preference for the three communication channels (office hours, e-mail, and phone) was expressed for the timeliness criterion. These preferences are then evaluated to determine managerial implications for innovation and learning.