Student Affairs web pages vary tremendously in every respect. The program presenters developed an evaluation tool for student affairs web presence examining the four dimensions of web site Content, Quality, Relationships, and Student Learning and Development. This evaluation tool was applied to 10 similar institutions and the results well be reported in this presentation. Participants will learn about the elements of effective, and ineffective, Student Affairs web sites. http://wbarratt.indstate.edu/sawp/
Keyword: Administrative Leadership
Introduction
The purpose for this program is to increase participant awareness about the design and effectiveness of student affairs web sites with the purpose of enhancing overall student affairs web site quality. The rationale for this program is that nearly every student affairs division and even most of the departments within divisions have web sites, however there is tremendous variability between web sites in their content, quality, emphasis on relationships, and emphasis on student development and learning. A web site’s effectiveness as a student development tool is related to its design features. Consequently, examining student affairs web sites is one way to enhance student affairs web presence.
This program reports on the development and use of a student affairs web site evaluation tool. A list of ten “peer institutions” was selected for the research sample, and the web sites at each university were evaluated on the four dimensions of content, quality, relationships and student learning and development. The results of this evaluation will be reported in the program.
Recommendations for enhancing student affairs web site quality, based on this research, will be provided as a conclusion to this program.
Relevant conceptual/theoretical bases including a brief review of the literature;
The literature on web site quality and web presence typically focuses on technical issues, and is generally available only on-line. A literature search on web site content in student affairs reveals no references, as does a search for general media content in student affairs. This is an unprecedented area. Web site quality encompasses technical and page design issues, and information architecture. Technical and design issues include accessibility and basic page design concerns, and are typically covered in a campuses web standards guide available on line. Information architecture, the study of large-scale web site design, is best outlined in Rosenfeld, and Morville, (2002). Information Architecture for the World Wide Web (2nd Edition), O’Reilly Press, which will serve as a web site development guideline.
The relationship, or “High Touch” dimension, like the content dimension, has no literature and the concepts and evaluations have been developed for this study. The web site emphasis on student learning and development has been developed specifically for this project.
Method of program presentation (including program agenda);
The presenters will use graphics and examples to present their findings, and will provide opportunities for participants to ask questions and discuss the results.
Program Agenda:
Developing the evaluation tool.
Content results.
Quality results.
Relationship results.
Student Learning and Development results.
Conclusions and recommendations
Learning Objectives and Outcomes.
Participants will learn:
The elements of effective student affairs web sites.
How to evaluate student affairs web site effectiveness.
How to begin enhancing student affairs web site quality.