GO WARRIORS! Team members: Marissa E. Blas, Monica Jolly, Sabrina Moss Team Advisor: Dr. Andrea McDowell Seattle University Student Development Administration Masters Program A Website Philosophy to Celebrate Student Life

Introduction Our committee has been tasked with evaluating and creating a philosophy for the Student Life web site at Western Idaho College. In this presentation, we will: 1.Identify Our Goals 2.Address Student Needs 3.Assess Our Current Status & Policy 4.Outline Course of Action and Strategy 5.Incorporate Relevant Student Affairs Theory GO WARRIORS!

Goals Assess current Student Life website against standards as a baseline for improvement Create a Student Life website congruent with institutional mission and values Transform Western Idaho Colleges Student Life web site to reflect its progressive website philosophy Promote a campus culture that values quality service through learning & collaboration GO WARRIORS!

Provide current, accessible information to students, family, alumni, faculty, staff and friends Make connections between students, the community, and WIC Advance Western Idaho College by remaining competitive in the areas of online communication and technology Engage and retain students Provide opportunity for growth and talent development GO WARRIORS! What We Want Our Website To Do:

Trends Shaping Student Affairs In Looking beyond the horizon: Trends shaping student affairs: Technology, Upcraft and Terenzini note that: Students increasingly rely on technology in and out of the classroom Staff and administrative support services increasingly rely on technology Distance and virtual education programs have grown extensively Keeping up with technology and innovation proves challenging Upcraft, M. L., & Terenzini, P. T. (1998). Looking beyond the horizon: Trends shaping student affairs: Technology. ACPA Senior Scholars Conference Presentation. Available online at: GO WARRIORS!

Services Provided Comprehensive, current, & accessible services to connect student to WIC Offer services that provide access & encourage growth (orientation, career services, the learning center) How can we use the website to pave the way for further on-line growth (online applications, distance learning, etc.) Remain consistent with standards & criteria for evaluating websites GO WARRIORS!

Action Plan ASSESS ASSESS the current web site FOCUS Determine initial student service FOCUS IDENTIFY IDENTIFY policies & departments affected by website changes PARTNERSHIPS Develop PARTNERSHIPS to support plans for new services CREATE CREATE an implementation plan UPGRADE Continue to UPGRADE services on an ongoing basis to maintain state-of-the-art service TEST TEST the new service with a pilot group of students GO WARRIORS!

Assessment Survey students’ satisfaction with current Student Life website Elicit feedback from students who do not attend WIC Implement Power User Pilot Program: Before & After Form focus groups for student, faculty, staff, alumni & community to identify needs Adopt two models for website evaluation GO WARRIORS!

A Look At Best Practices Xavier University Excellent example of a website congruent with institutional mission & values University of Puget Sound Website demonstrates a personal connection to students & a student-centered focus GO WARRIORS!

Policies Affected Identify policies & people affected by website enhancements & modifications Seek feasible solutions, available resources & identify capabilities to create change Communicate the goals & objectives to those affected; seek input & support GO WARRIORS!

Partnership Gain support & input from administration, students, staff, & faculty Seek out community partners Seek out individuals & departments to help assist Information Technology, Model Behavior: Communicate to campus community about website standards being adopted by Student Life Use Information Technology (IT) on campus to provide training sessions to help sustain new website standards GO WARRIORS!

Power User Pilot Program Users attempt to navigate website and obtain specific information. Phase 1: Individuals use existing Student Life website Phase 2: Individuals use Student Life Beta site GO WARRIORS!

Continual Growth of the Student Life Website Provide learning opportunities for students to maintain Student Life website Provide staff training on how new tool can be of service to them Autonomy for departments & students to communicate & document timely information GO WARRIORS!

Website Developments Student Life Website Philosophy Criteria for Evaluating Website Content Website Assessment for Student Affairs GO WARRIORS!

Student Life Website Philosophy To provide a comprehensive, current, & accessible web site that focuses on celebrating and engaging students in their campus community. Our students will have free access to information & will be invited to develop their talents in an environment that engages & sustains their future growth. Student needs will be the cornerstone of the Student Life web site, & they will be reflected in a manner that fosters involvement of faculty, staff, family, alumni, & community. GO WARRIORS!

Criteria For Evaluating Website Content AuthorityAuthority: Ensure that website authors can provide information that is reliable & error free AccuracyAccuracy: Do quality control measures ensure against grammatical, spelling, & typographical errors? ObjectivityObjectivity:Are goals & site information clearly stated with a minimum of bias? CurrencyCurrency: Is the information up-to-date & reflect current revision? CoverageCoverage: In what depth is the information covered, & does it reflect whether information is complete GO WARRIORS!

Web site Assessment For Student Affairs How well are our values communicated? Have we considered our actual campus ecology & reflected this in the Student Life website? How is the development of identity reflected in the web site? To what extent does the web site promote student development? To what extent does the web site promote student learning? What has the evaluation of the website been able to do for students? GO WARRIORS! Barratt W. (2001). Models for evaluating student affairs websites

Communicating Values Current Site Dept.’s & divisions in Student Affairs are represented Active information is available (athletic sched. & events) Some regulatory information is available (Student Conduct Policies) Beta Enhancements Inclusion of all student groups Links with allied departments Enhance convenience (SGA Constitution & Student Conduct Policies) Include mechanisms for student interaction On-going updates for currency More community & global links Continued awareness of accountability and accessibility GO WARRIORS!

Campus Ecology Current Site Limited contact information of people provided Location & physical addresses made available No attention is given to the college “campus web visit”, Banning, (2000) Beta Enhancements Accurately reflect campus climate and diversity Incorporate Wayfinding online Arthur, P., & Passini, R. (1992). Wayfinding: people, signs and architecture. Students are able to find their way online, as it is applied through signage on campus Strange (1996) specifically mentions virtual tours on the Internet as elements of a campus' physical environment Considers student demographics GO WARRIORS!

Student Development Tool Current Site Does not use student development theory in Student Life website The development of purpose, such as volunteerism is not reflected Opportunity for student autonomy is not provided Beta Enhancements Chickering’s (1993) Education & Identity, Boyer’s (1990) In Search of Community theory drives content of Student Life website Continue to promote student autonomy by removing barriers to access information Create innovative ways to promote student community development, e.g. online perpetual plaque for outstanding student involved with community service GO WARRIORS!

Learning Tool Current Site Fails to engage more students with Student Life on campus Does not foster “talent development”,Jacobi (1987), by allowing students, faculty, & staff to learn about website evaluation Beta Enhancements Address ways to engage students who are technologically savvy in Student Life Continue to engage students in future learning projects in Student Life to foster talent development GO WARRIORS!

Site Design & Features Current Site Site design does not reflect how students access information Material is not available within three clicks Specific information can not be accessed quickly Beta Enhancement Develop goals for the website Articulate target audience and remain consistent when adding content & features Track usage, e.g. add counters Consider individual access tracking & privacy issues Printing is facilitated by limiting page lengths & containing appropriate page titles GO WARRIORS!

Student Evaluation Current Site Students not satisfied with access, e.g. calendar Students not satisfied with amount of content information provided Beta Enhancements Recruit a group of students from neighboring colleges & high schools to participate in pilot testing the website Prior to launch create a usability team & assign them tasks to test site functionality & ease of use Once the site is launched, work with current students to ensure it meets their needs System requirements needed to load or view web pages GO WARRIORS!

Design & Content Evaluation Current Site Design of site meets very basic system requirements; contains no flickering images Content contains simple, objective & appropriate language Beta Enhancements Adhere to Web Accessibility Initiative (WAI) guidelines as outlined by the World Wide Web (W3C) to ensure full ADA compliance Ensure that site design reflects current campus technological capabilities Provide training to support staff to enable inclusion of active & current information GO WARRIORS!

Future Inclusion in Student Life Web site Provide specific information on: Student Government Clubs & Organizations Health & Wellness The Tuber Times (Student Newspaper) International Students Take Your Professor to Lunch Program GO WARRIORS!

Presentation of Student Life Beta Enhanced Site Online at: GO WARRIORS!

Launch Party In celebration of the new Student Life website, Boyer (1990): Launch date for proposed site: March 3, 2003 in the Student Center at 11:00 am The Student Life website will be available online at all campus wide monitors Reception will immediately follow for the campus community GO WARRIORS!

References Alexander, Janet E., and Marsha A. Tate. "Evaluating Web Resources." Chester, PA: Widener University, Arthur, P., & Passini, R. (1992). Wayfinding: People, signs, and architecture. New York: McGraw-Hill Book Company.Wayfinding: People, signs, and architecture Banning, J. H., Davies, T.G., Quick, D.G. (2000). The campus web visit. Student Affairs On-Line. Vol 1. No. 3. Retrieved from Barratt, W. (2001). Models for evaluating student affairs websites. Student Affairs On-Line. Vol 2. No. 2. Retrieved from: Boyer, E. (1987). College: The undergraduate experience in America. New York: Harper & Row, Publishers.Harper & Row, Publishers. Boyer, E. (1990). Campus life: in search of community. The Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching. Jacobi M., Astin A., Ayala F. Jr. (1987).College student outcomes assessment: talent development perspective. San Francisco: Jossey- Bass Xavier University of Louisiana. (2003) Retrieved from Strange, C.C. (1996). Dynamics of campus environments. In S.R. Komives & D.B.,Woodard, Jr. (Eds.). Student services: A handbook for the profession (pp ). San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.Jossey-Bass. Upcraft, M. L., & Terenzini, P. T. (1998). Looking beyond the horizon: Trends shaping student affairs: Technology. ACPA Senior Scholars Conference Presentation. Retrieved from: University of Puget Sound web site. (2003). Retrieved from Wallace, H. (2000). Campus Ecology Theory and Websites: One Example of Applying Traditional Student Affairs Theory to Technology. Student Affairs On-Line. Vol. 1 No. 3 Retrieved from: Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education. (2003). Beyond the administrative core:creating web-based student servics for online learners. Retrieved from Web Accessibility Initiative. Retrieved from: World Wide Web Consortium. Retrieved from: GO WARRIORS!