Volume 30, Issue 1, 2021
DOI: 10.24205/03276716.2020.2088
The Effectiveness of Online Emergency Management in Colleges and Universities: An Empirical Analysis from Mainland China
Abstract
During the period of COVID-19’s emergency response, thematic websites on epidemic prevention and control in colleges and universities in mainland China were set up intensively. Nevertheless, there has been limited research in the world scale about colleges and universities’ online emergency management effectiveness, which may not be conducive to testing it or to practical change for higher education institutions in the New Media Era. An analysis framework was therefore constructed in this study, with content analysis method used to code and analyze a full sample of 74 thematic websites of colleges and universities in mainland China regarding five aspects. Meanwhile, an exploratory case study method was adopted to explore one special aspect. Results showed that the degree of institutional collaboration displayed in the websites was high; the information content was limited, but the usability was good; attention to the needs of general group was paid, while the needs of special groups was limited; the characteristics of democratic interaction were obvious, but lacking in interaction under the support of information technology; the local cultural governance model was prominent, but not common. Some suggestions were accordingly given
Keywords
COVID-19; higher education; epidemic prevention and control; online emergency management