1.  Best Practices Planning websites for recruiting and use by current students

2. Key parts of a grad website  Fit to the needs of the discipline  What prospective and current students need to know  Ordering of information highlights most central needs  Then accessibility and logic become important  How easily can prospective students find their answers?  What answers do current students need?

3. Some important components  Clearly identified areas of strength  Why a student would apply to your program  Then to specific parts…  Transparency…key stats  Placements  Applications/admissions  Time to degree (median)  Attrition…how defined?

4. More key components…  Graduate studies handbook  Up-to-date  Previous versions for continuing students  Community information  Application process  Different places for other universities  Grad School, admissions, departments

5. More components…  Graduate student profiles  Interest areas, email address, photos  Program timeline  Courses & requirements  basic sketch aside from handbook  Faculty research areas  Funding opportunities & funding policy (years, MA vs PhD)

6. Website examples  English: http://www.english.uiowa.edu/graduate/http://www.english.uiowa.edu/graduate/  Philosophy: http://www.uiowa.edu/~phil/grad.shtmlhttp://www.uiowa.edu/~phil/grad.shtml  Physics: http://www.physics.uiowa.edu/graduate/http://www.physics.uiowa.edu/graduate/  Economics: http://tippie.uiowa.edu/economics/phd/http://tippie.uiowa.edu/economics/phd/  Geography: http://www.uiowa.edu/~geog/Graduate/graduate_progra m.shtml http://www.uiowa.edu/~geog/Graduate/graduate_progra m.shtml

7. More website examples  Political Science: http://www.polisci.uiowa.edu/graduate/index.shtml http://www.polisci.uiowa.edu/graduate/index.shtml  Sociology: http://www.uiowa.edu/~soc/graduate/about.html http://www.uiowa.edu/~soc/graduate/about.html  Biochemistry: http://www.biochem.uiowa.edu/graduate/grad_prog.html http://www.biochem.uiowa.edu/graduate/grad_prog.html

8. Discussion  What works in these sites?  Other sites to see?  What do you wish you could do to your site?  What do you feel is the strength of your site?  Possible areas for improvement?