Student Affairs.com Case Study 2003

1
Student Affairs.com Case Study2003

• Georgia Southern University
• Robert Bryant, Tana Pennix,
• Peggy Winskey

2
Purpose

• Our committee has been charged by the Vice
  President for Student Affairs of Western Idaho
  College to review and propose changes to the
  Student Life Web Site.

3
Focus Topics

• Statement of philosophy for the Web site
• Divisional Web site
• Why is it important?
• What is the Division trying to accomplish through
  the Web site?
• Who is the targeted audience?
• What does the literature have to say about
  student affairs Web sites?

4
Statement of philosophy for the Web site

• Student Affairs at Western Idaho College is
  dedicated to providing information and facilitate
  accessibility to a diverse array of programs and
  services to augment and support out of class
  needs that complement the students in-class
  experience.

5
Philosophy Statement

• Boyers Six Principles of Community provide a
  framework for Western Idaho Colleges philosophy
  statement fostering an environment that will
  enhance and integrate the life long process of
  intellectual, occupational, physical,
  interpersonal, and emotional development of all
  students.

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Boyers Six Principles of Community

• Purposeful a place where faculty and students
  share academic goals and work together to
  strengthen teaching and learning.
• Open a place where freedom of expression is
  uncompromisingly protected and where civility is
  powerfully affirmed.
• Just a place where the sacredness of the person
  is honored and where diversity is aggressively
  pursued.

• Disciplined a place where individuals accept
  their obligations to the group and where well
  defined governance procedures guide behavior for
  the common good.
• Caring a place where the well being of each
  member is sensitively supported and where service
  to others is encouraged.
• Celebrative a place in which the heritage of
  the institution is remembered and where rituals
  affirming both tradition and change are widely
  shared.

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Divisional Web site

• Why is it important?
• The key word for Student Affairs in the 21st
  century is connectivity, which usually refers
  to linking up to the internet.
• The web provides access to an almost limitless
  amount of information on practically any subject.

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Community Connectivity

• The ever-evolving and increasingly powerful
  information and communication technologies have
  fundamentally changed the nature of communities.
• Chat rooms, discussion boards, and on-line
  courses facilitate on-line communities.
• Elling and Brown (2001) offer two examples of
  institutions that utilize technology for
  developing and enhancing campus community.
• Electronic calendars of events
• Chat rooms for students both on and off campus,
  faculty and staff

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Divisional Web site

• What is the Division trying to accomplish through
  the Web site?
• Pro-Actively responding to the transformation of
  the way services and information are delivered
  not only to the campus community but to the world
  at large.
• on-line applications, i.e. admissions, housing ,
  scholarships, financial aid
• Web directory
• Video downloads of campus life
• On-line registration
• Timely updated college information

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Who is the targeted audience?

• Students
• Prospective
• Incoming
• Current
• Alumni
• Parents
• Of incoming freshmen
• Of current students
• Of alumni

• Faculty, Staff
• Current
• Prospective
• Departments
• Divisions
• Community
• Local
• Global

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What does literature have to say about Student
Affairs Web sites?

• Literature, written both before and after the
  proliferation of technology, supports the
  recognition of the web experience as a part of
  the college environment.
• In Coming of Age in New Jersey, Moffat (1989)
  found that college from the students point of
  view was a combination of academic and
  outside-the classroom education. (p.54).

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Literature continued

• Technology is reshaping the world of student
  affairs however, is being done so with little or
  no analysis of its potential for good and bad.
• Personal interaction is being replaced by the
  impersonal use of on-line service.
• Student Affairs is essentially student focused
  and interpersonal, and the web sites should
  reflect the schools core values.

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Critique of Current Web site

• WIC Web site does not meet the following thirteen
  Basic Values supported by Will Barratt
• Inclusion all students, student groups and
  student organizations must be included in
  material presented in the site.
• Representation all departments and divisions in
  student affairs, and allied departments must be
  represented.
• Active content must contain active information
  such as current events, schedules, names, dates,
  and times.

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Thirteen Basic Values

• Informative content must contain regulatory
  information such as codes of student conduct, and
  the student government constitution.
• Interactive the web site must provide mechanisms
  for student interaction.
• Currency all information must be current and
  none out of date.
• Convenience the site must be designed for easy
  use.
• Community Building the web site must link
  appropriately to the campus, the community, and
  the world.

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Thirteen Basic Values

• Developmental web site must student development
  goals.
• Learning Focus web site must promote appropriate
  learning goals.
• Clarity web site must have a written set of
  goals and measurable outcomes.
• Accountability site must contain evaluation
  mechanisms such as feed back, sections, and
  counters.
• Accessibility site must meet accessibility
  guidelines.

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Specific Technical Mistakes

• Design
• Text is not in high contrast with any background
  color or images, leading to poor printing quality
• Pages do not work within the structure of the
  common monitor size which requires more scrolling
• Does not offer a printable version of site
  pages
• Does not provide downloadable college forms
• Lack of continuity both in color scheme and in
  form
• Content
• Lack of relevant information about campus life
  and career services
• Does not provide the following information page
  developer and/or contact name, e-mail, postal
  address, phone numbers, and counters (preferably
  not visible).
• The same policies and procedures are not
  department specific
• Lack of professional layout
• Scrolling text window on the Athletics link is
  distracting, illegible, and scrolls entirely too
  fast.

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Specific Technical Mistakes

• Responses
• No contact information, email link not available
• No department contact name of information
• Only phone number given is an extension, no
  referral name included
• Links
• Career Services link is expired
• Residence Life link is under construction
• There are no links to and away from page

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Proposed Web site revisions supported by
Chickering and Gamson

• Chickering and Gamson (1991) identified seven
  principles of good practice for teachers, which
  apply equally as well to student affairs
  educators
• Encourage student-faculty contact,
• Encourage cooperation among students,
• Encourage active learning,
• Give prompt feedback,
• Emphasize time on task,
• Communicate high expectations, and
• Respect diverse talents.

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Proposed Revised Web site

• Revisions Include
• Philosophy statement
• Link for Text only
• Vice President of Student Affairs contact
  information
• List relevant student service departments and
  allies in alphabetical order
• Links to college, local, and global headlines

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Revisions continued

• Revisions include
• A site index
• A key word search dialogue box
• A message from the Vice President
• A student class and activity calendar
• Brief outline of what information each link
  contains
• Site visitor counter

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Revised Web site Template

• Point and click on hyperlink to view template
• Template does not include active hyperlinks
• http//www.geocities.com/pencap2001/WIdahoCollege.
  index.html
• Note this hyperlink may not work on all versions
  of MS Office Power Point. If this link will not
  take you to the template automatically, open up
  internet explorer and type the above URL into the
  address bar.

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References

• Winston, R., Creamer, D., Miller, T. (2001, p. 8,
  chap. 4). The professional student affairs
  administrator, educator, leader, manager.
  Lillington, NC, Brunner Routledge.
• Earratt, W. (2001, May 11). Models for evaluating
  student affairs websites. Student Affairs
  On-line, Vol. 2, No. 2. Retrieved February 20,
  2003, from
• http//www.studentaffairs.com/ejournal/Spring_200
  1/will1.index.html
• Wallace, H. (2000, Fall). Campus ecology theory
  and websites one example of applying traditional
  student affairs theory to technology. Student
  Affairs On-line, Vol. 1, No. 3. Retrieved
  February 21, 2003, from
• http//www.studentaffairs.com/ejournal/Fall_2000/
  index.html
• Web Design Guidelines Student Affairs Computing
  Services. (n.d.). Retrieved February 20, 2003,
  from
• http//www.asu.edu/sacs/guidelines.html
• Gamble, A., (2002). Community Development
  programs, practice and a glimpse into the future.
  College Student Affairs Journal, 22, 100-101.
• Boyer, E. (1990, p.7). Campus life in search of
  community. Princeton, New Jersey. Carnegie
  Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching.