Pilot Run of Corpcommsynergy in Semester 1 2014/2015

In Semester 1 of 2014/2015, the project team implemented the pilot run of Corpcommsynergy to promote students' self-learning of subject knowledge and enhance their analytical and critical thinking skills in terms of information processing. Students from the subjects CBS376, CBS3442, CBS406 and CBS4444 were invited as pilot users of the platform. We have provided self-learning resources such as Research Skills, Useful Resources, Corporate Communication (CC) Glossay, and Infopacks (CC Cases) on the platform to assist the students in locating the relevant information to facilitate their study in CC. Students are also encouraged to apply the knowledge acquired in class in analyzing CC case materials provided on the platform. For example, they could apply the theories and frameworks learnt from the CC subjects in analyzing the case materials in Infopacks. Through processing various raw materials provided in the Infopacks, students' analytical and critical thinking skills can be enhanced.

The sharing functions were not fully launched in the pilot stage. But we have initiated the Biweekly Discussion for sharing ideas and promoting interaction among users. Throughout the whole project period, we have held discussions forums from time to time to foster interaction among users and encourage them to share their ideas and thoughts on learning BCC via the platform. Apart from that, Biweekly Discussion has also acted as the bridge between users and the project team, allowing the project team to communicate promptly with the users regarding their need and collect their feedback. Students who participated in the pilot run were also invited to submit a reflective journal to share their views and experiences in learning and sharing information on the Corpcommsynergy platform.

Figure 1 Corpcommsynergy's framework implemented in Semester 1 of 2014/2015 (pilot stage)

Full Launch of Corpcommsynergy in Semester 2 2014/2015

After collecting feedback from users through biweekly discussion forums and reflective journals in the pilot run, the project tearn has revised the platform to enhance the elements on sharing and interacting for the re-launch of site in Semester 2 of 2014/2015 (see Figure 2 for the overall sitemap of Corpcommsynergy in full launch). 14 BCC Subjects offered in both undergraduate and postgraduate level are included in the full launch of Corpcommsynergy. 

CC Wikis and CC Blogs have been newly added to highlight the sharing elements of the platform and help promote the sharing culture among the users of Corpcommsynergy. For ee Wikis, users are encouraged to share BCC/CC case studies they have done as well as ee journal papers, ee industry news and tips of ee research methodology they have read. As for ee Blogs, it is designed for sharing students' good works in Bee subjects, especially the bilingual workshops. Students who are enrolled in Bee writing and oral workshops are encouraged to share their written assignments and videos with other users in this session.

According to the feedback collected from the pilot run, students expressed their interest in knowing more about the trend and practices of corporate communication in Hong Kong and overseas. And on top, students would like to learn more about specific areas in ee studies. Therefore, CC News on Industry has been added in ee Wikis while the Specific Areas of Bee Study has been added in Electronic Reference Materials to cater to students' need and facilitate a better alignment between classroom teaching and learning on eorpcommsynergy.

Figure 2 Corpcommsynergy's framework revised in Semester 2 of 2014/2015 (full launch)

Evaluation of the Impact of Corpcommsynergy

To better understand the impact of the project, we have made use of various sources of information and methods to collect students' feedback (See Part 1 and Figure 3) and track students' usage of the platform (See Part 2) for evaluation in different stages of the project.

Part 1: Evaluation based on student feedback collected via discussion forum, reflective journals, interviews and survey

Figure 3 Timeline of collecting student feedback

Overview of findings of Stage I and II Evaluation

Based on the feedback collected in Stage I and II Evaluation, the users agreed that Corpcommsynergy is a convenient, useful, interactive and informative platform which facilitates their study in BCC. They perceived Corpcommsynergy as a self-learning platform providing supplementary knowledge and information of CC as well as a knowledge sharing platform allowing them to share and communicate with various users including the project team and other students in BCC subjects.

A large number of respondents continued that the Infopacks, CC Glossay, Biweekly Discussion and Research Skills were useful. For Infopacks, the students reckoned that the case studies helped provide a better direction of CC researches and guided them to apply what they have learnt in the lessons. CC Glossary helps them to master the basic concepts of CC. In Biweekly Discussion, the students share ideas and opinions and communicate with others directly. Lastly, the students concurred that Research Skills helped them to learn more about research methodology and enhance their analytical skills.

Regarding the room for improvement, students suggested that more case studies and closer aligument between BCC subjects and the information provided on the platform are needed. Lastly, they are also eager to know more about trends and practices of CC and practical skills for career development in the future.

Implementation and findings of Stage III Evaluation

A survey was designed to collect the feedback from users of Corpcommsynergy concerning their usage and perception of the platform in Stage III Evaluation. There are 9 questions covering demographic information (Questions no. 1- 2), visiting frequency and usage of Corpcommsynergy (Questions no. 3-8), and suggestions for the platform (Question no. 9) in the survey. The survey was distributed online and in classes (CBS3441 and CBS 5401) at the end of semester 2 of 2015/2016. 25 surveys were completed and 24 are valid samples for evaluation. Of 24 participants (valid samples), 37% (n = 9) of them are undergraduate students and 63% (n = 15) are postgraduates. 

In the survey, the participants were asked to evaluate their frequency of visits on Corpcommsynergy. The result shows that 63% of participants visit the platform sometimes and 8% of them visit the platform usually while only 29% of them rarely visit the platform. In total, 71% of the respondents have engaged in using the platform for knowledge acquisition and sharing.

The usage of Corpcommsynergy among the participants was also probed. The participants were asked to choose how they make use ofthe platform to facilitate their study of BCC. Multiple answers are allowed for this question. The most popular choice is preparing assignments/projects (33%), followed by revision (27%). The participants have also employed the platform for sharing works, ideas, and thoughts (20%) and seeking information from other users (20%). In other words, the key deliverable item 1, 2, 3 and 4 are achieved.

Apart from the usage of Corpcommsynergy, the participants were asked to evaluate the degree of difficulty on using the platform for learning and sharing. 50% (n = 12) of them pointed out that the degree of difficulty was fair while 38% (n = 9) considered the platform rather easy to employ. Moreover, 12% (n = 3) of the respondents indicated that the platform is very user friendly. None of the respondents found the platform Rather Difficult or Very Difficult to employ. It is convinced that the user-friendly platform facilitates the delivery of project outcome 1 and 3.

Before answering two open-ended questions, the participants were asked to evaluate the usefulness of Corpcommsynergy in facilitating their study of corporate communication. 46% (n = 11) of them mentioned that Corpcommsynergy was rather useful while 12% (n = 3) of them acknowledged that the platform was very useful.

The participants were also asked to name the useful areas and functions of Corpcommsynergy in the open-ended section. Most of the participants expressed that the reading materials from Useful Resources were very useful for assignments preparation and project development in BCC subjects. Apart from that, some users identified with the philosophy of sharing culture of Corpcommsynergy and appreciated the sharing platform. They have been frequently visiting the platform for information seeking and sharing. Based on the feedback collected from the discussion forum, reflective journals, interviews and surveys, all five intended deliverables of the project are achieved.

Last but not least, the participants were invited to give suggestions to improve Corpcommsynergy. One user suggested that lecturers of CC subjects could hold discussions related to their subjects on Corpcommsynergy and encourage their classes to join. Another user suggested that more case studies could be provided on the platform.

Part 2: Evaluation based on usage of various sessions, sharing materials, and participation in the discussion forum

Starting from Semester 1 in 2014/2015, we have tracked students' usage on various sessions for 4 semesters (Semesters 1 and 2 in 2014/2015 and Semester 1 and 2 in 2015/2016). The users tended to make a regular visit of Corpcommsynergy and the total number of visiting frequency is 8,241 for these 4 semesters. The most well-received session is lnfopacks accounting for 56% (n = 4599) of the frequency, followed by Useful Resources accounting for 29% (n = 2403) of the frequency and Research Skills accounting for 15% (n = 1239).  The high frequency of visits reflects that users have actively integrated Corpcommsynergy with their learning of BCC. Hence, key deliverable item no. 1, 2 and 3 are accomplished.

As for sharing materials, we have also gathered statistics from Biweekly Discussion, CC Wikis, and CC Blogs. According to our records, users frequently shared ideas and information on CC case studies, CC writing, and CC reading materials on the platform. Sharing activities are well documented in CC case studies (49%, n = 42), followed by CC writing (27%, n = 23) and Reading Materials (24%, n = 20). (see Figure 10) The number of materials shared evinces that a sharing culture has been developed and cultivated on the platform and students are well aware of the culture and its benefits. Thus, deliverable item no. 4 and 5 are attained.

The last item we have tracked is the participation of users in the discussion forum. Discussion forum was held from time to time after the launch of Corpcommsynergy, There are over a dozen discussion forums held and attracted 86 participants and 183 posts throughout the semesters. The high level of participation in discussion forums demonstrates a good level of communication between the users and the team and promotes good teamwork and learner-Ieamer interaction on the platform. Thus, deliverable item no. 3 is well attained.

Taking the users' feedback collected throughout the project period (Part I) and statistics recorded in users' usage and participation (Part 2) into account, the project team were able to conclude that the Corpcommsynergy is an effective eLearning and knowledge sharing platform which enable students to learn actively, think critically, share and seek information constantly. 

Implications of the Evaluation Findings

Based on the project team's observation and findings, Corpcommsynergy has made contributions in the following areas: 1) facilitating learning beyond classroom; 2) promote dialogic communication between users and teachers and 3) cultivate a sharing culture in the profession. Corpcommsynergy acts as an "online classroom" which enables the users to leam, revisit, discuss, and exchange information in the subject areas at any time and in any place. Teachers could also make use of the platform to provide supplementary readings, cases and resources to support their teaching beyond classroom. In addition, the platform facilitates dialogic communication among users and between users and the teaching team. It was well observed that Chinese students are usually reluctant to speak in front of the class. Nonetheless, this platform allows students to share and discuss their ideas and thoughts online in a comfortable manner. This project corroborated that e-Iearning plays a complementary role to the teaching and leaming in class.

Furthermore, the sharing culture was well developed on the platform. Users appreciated the sharing on the platform as they understood that the sharing would enrich the database of Corpcommsynergy and allow all users to benefit from it. Therefore, they were willing to share their ideas and resources with others on the platform, In this case, Corpcommsynergy has created a safe, flexible, and "cozy" space for all users to share ideas and resources. It is believed that the culture of knowledge sharing cultivated in this platform could be practiced by the users and developed into a key competence in their life-long learning.