A Strategic Change Management Approach to University
eCommunications: the eBox Project
Leslie
Burr, Deputy Director, Student Services, Charles Sturt University. Email: lburr@csu.edu.au
Liz
Smith, Senior Online Learning & Development Coordinator,Student Services,
Charles Sturt University, Email: elsmith@csu.edu.au
Keywords
Online
communications, portal, official messages, strategic change management,
university
Abstract
The
eBox is an online delivery point for official communications between the
University and its students. Introduced in 2001, the eBox provides a secure and
authenticated online environment where messages sent and received are stored
and tracked to provide students with a permanent, web based record of
communications.
The
introduction of any new system requires consideration of change management
practices. This was certainly the case in the eBox Project, particularly as the
change involved the entire University community. Strategic planning became
critical, particularly as it related to student services and support.
This
paper will explore the institutional planning and enterprise drivers behind the
development of the eBox, its functionality and production, and how the
evolution from a paper based system to an online communications system was
introduced to the entire student population. The paper will also report on
initial evaluations and lessons learned from the project.
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