Developing Effective Student Affairs Web Sites
Pre- Conference Workshop
ACPA 2003

This half-day non-technical workshop will guide participants through the web site development or re-development process. Designed for everyone involved with the student affairs web site on a campus, from entry level professional to senior management, from beginner through advanced designer, the workshop is based on experience evaluating, designing and teaching about student affairs web sites. Participants will be use a web site development workbook to guide them toward developing an integrated web site plan. 

The workshop will mix presentations, examples and content with activities, so make sure to bring a writing implement and lots of paper, or a laptop, or a palmtop and keyboard.

This will be an opportunity for you to identify and design the web site content, navigation, aesthetics and student learning and development focus for the stakeholders who are important on your campus. This workshop will not teach you how to write html, use java script, locate a server or do anything technical.

Keyword - Non-technical

Workshop Outline (subject to minor revisions between now and March): 

  1. Introductions and how to contact us.
  2. Outline of the workshop
  3. Get people ready to write and to work together in small groups of 3-7.
  4. Show and Tell Part I - Stupid web sites
    1. Bad graphics – induces seizures and looks ugly.
    2. Too much text
    3. No referent (no campus name on page, no office name on page . . . )
    4. Link rot, staff rot (not updated for new staff)
    5. Etc.
  5. Stakeholder Identification - Group Work
    1. In groups of 3-5-7 people:
    2. List your stakeholders and share and modify your list.
    3. Presentation on stakeholders
    4. Update your stakeholder list.
    5. Rank your stakeholders in importance and share
    6. Modify your list.
    7. Rate your list in importance (rate as 1-5, split 10 points among the stakeholders or split 100% among the stakeholders) and share your rating
    8. Modify your list. 
    9. This is your "Stakeholder Importance Rubric" and should be used to allocate resources based on importance. Put your largest efforts into the most important, and build toward the stakeholders of lesser importance.
  6. Show and Tell Part II - Elements of a good web site
    1. Relationship Dimension
    2. Navigation and Design
    3. Aesthetic Appropriateness
    4. Technical Details
    5. Content
    6. Student Development and Learning Focus
  7. Content Identification - Group Work
    1. List your content, what you want to provide Make sure that you have content for all of your main stakeholders. Some content will apply to multiple stakeholders
    2. Share your list with others.
    3. Modify and update your list based on what you have learned. 
    4. Presentation on common content based on what people have selected.

      1. Dynamic content – needs regular maintenance.

      2. Static content – relatively stable over time.

    5. Divide your content into static and dynamic
    6. Rank your content in importance and share
    7. Modify and update your list.  
    8. Rate your list in importance (rate as 1-5, split 10 points among the stakeholders or split 100% among the stakeholders) and share your rating
    9. Modify your list. 
    10. This is your "Content Importance Rubric" and should be used to allocate resources: 30 percent of resources to what you ranked 30 percent.
  8. Evaluating a Web site
    1. Hit counters
      1.  few hits - boring site developed by and for staff
      2.  many hits - providing something worth visiting for many stakeholders
    2.  tracking visitors ip address - may have firewall issues from some secondary schools
    3. Other methods
  9. Developing High Relationship Web Sites
  10. Designing Navigation Bars and Systems
  11. Providing a Student Development and Learning Focus to Web Sites
  12. Bobby Compliance
  13. Copyright
  14. Overview of Software
  15. Resources

Introduction;

The purpose of this program is to enhance student affairs web sites by teaching participants effective web site design and development principles. The rationale for the program is the lack of content, quality, attention to relationships and attention to student development and learning evident in many student affairs web sites.

The workshop will engage participants in the development process as outlined below, with specific attention being given to student learning and development and to the political dimension of campus web sites.

Relevant conceptual/theoretical bases including a brief review of the literature;

An emerging literature on web site design

and on the uses of information technology in student affairs

indicate that the web is a significant source of information for college students and a potentially powerful student development tool.

Method of program presentation;

 The workshop presenters will actively engage participants in the web site development and design process using a workbook approach that covers each of the learning goals. Using graphics and examples, each of the learning goals will be addressed as participants develop their integrated web site plan.  Participants will work individually on projects, share their work in small groups and have opportunity ask questions and discuss issues at all points in the workshop.

Program Agenda and Learning Objectives and Outcomes:

The program outline will follow the learning objectives and outcomes:

Last Updated 05/16/2007 Hit Counter

Student Affairs and Higher Education Graduate Program

University Learning Outcomes Assessment