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Student Life Web Site

2003 Review

DIVISION REVIEW BOARD

Candice Brooks, Assistant Vice President for Student Life

Nathan Elton, Director of Career Services

David Tandberg, Director of Intercollegiate Athletics

Nicholas Smith, Director of Multicultural Career Center

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Before we continue….

CAUTION

SITE

UNDER

CONSTRUCTION

It is important to diagnose the current status of Western Idaho College’s Student Life Website.

Please use…

http://www.studentaffairs.com/vcs/2003vcs

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Overview

Students and the WebStatement of PhilosophyWhy have a Division website?Who do we Target?What should Student Affairs

websites Value?Critiques & RecommendationsExternal SourcesReferences

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Students and the Web Student Monitor statistics

indicate that 90% of college students use the web for an average of 6 hours per week primarily for educational purposes (www.studentmonitor.com)

40% of Internet users are between 18 and 26 years old (Strange & Banning, 2001)

In 1997, 1/3 of WWW users were from college campuses (Strange & Banning, 2001)

73% of students access the Internet once a week (Scherer, 1997)

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Students and the Web

13% of weekly users report excessive use and that their use significantly interferes with their personal life (Scherer, 1997)

In 1996, only 4% of prospective students used the web to access information on potential schools; in 1998, 78% percent did so (Guernsey, 1998)

79% of college students agree that Internet has had a positive impact on their college academic experience (Jones, 2002)

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Statement of Philosophy

The Department of Student Life ensures and enhances the quality of information technology services to meet the needs of today’s students. Technology has become commonplace in society and is an important part of the educational experience. This site serves as a means of information, clarification, and reflection of the programs and services we provide.

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Why have a Division Website?Clarifies programs and servicesOffers educational resourcesProvides universal access to the

institutionProvides a virtual environment of

student support and challengeSets and communicates high

expectations for student learningUses resources effectively to achieve

institutional missions and goalsForges educational partnerships that

advance student learning

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Who do we Target?

The Community

The Campus

THE WORLD!!

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What Should Student Affairs Websites Value?

InclusionRepresentationActive InformativeInteractiveCurrencyConvenience

Community Building

DevelopmentLearning

FocusedClarityAccountabilityAccessibility

(Barratt, 2001)

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Western Idaho College

Student Life Website

Critiques & Recommendations

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Inclusion

Critique– Scrolling message on athletics page excludes “East-coast

types”– Marginalization of underrepresented groups– No representation of student organizations

Recommendation– Conduct a campus ecology assessment

• i.e. representative of overall campus community

Schlossberg’s mattering theory (1989) states that when people believe that they matter to someone else elements of marginality diminish.

All constituents are included in material presented.

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Representation

Critique– Minimal representation of student affairs’ units– Unavailable information for external student support

services • i.e. academic advising

Recommendation– Include comprehensive and consistent listing and links to

all units

Hage & Aiken (1970) model of complex organizations recognizes the importance of identifying subunits, stratification, credentials, contact information, rules and regulations, programs

All units and allied units in student affairs must be represented.

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Active

Critique– Active information only placed on home and athletic pages

Recommendations– List of contact information for all administrators and staff– All relevant events, schedules, dates, and times

Active Theory (Anderson & Lorch, 1983) is defined as cognitive interaction with information being presented as well as with the viewing environment. Providing active content representative of the environment enables students to become proactive learners.

Content must contain current and accurate information such as events, schedules, names, dates, and times.

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Informative

Critique– A sole focus on Residence Life– Lack of availability for student affairs’ documents and

publications

Recommendations– Include code of conduct and student government

constitution– Explanation of judicial procedures– Other pertinent documents available in PDF

• i.e. strategic plan updates, diversity initiatives, professional presentations

– Detail current campus events and issues

Content must contain institutional information.

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Interactive

Critique– Interaction limited to one e-mail address and phone number

Recommendations– Use innovative approaches such as computer conferencing,

synchronous learning, electronic mail, chat rooms, instant messaging

– Incorporate modern technology for the advancement of learning and development

Astin’s involvement theory (1984) states that the quality and quantity of the student's involvement will influence the amount of student learning and development

Website must provide mechanisms for student interaction.

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Currency

Critique– Homepage was last updated on November 15, 2002

– Orientation was last updated on February 3, 2002

Recommendations– All pages should list the most recent date the site was

updated

– Update the site every six months

All information must be current.

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Convenience

Critique– Easy to use, but does not provide much information, which

could be considered a major inconvenience

– Inactive and missing links

Recommendations– Pilot site to determine if site is technically complete

• i.e. links should work, the site should be easy to navigate, there must be structural consistency

– Gather feedback about accessibility of site

The site must be designed for easy use.

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Community Building

Critique– Does not link to resources outside student affairs

• i.e. college libraries, academic support, community information

Recommendation– Provide useful links to support services and other relevant

information outside student affairs• i.e. campus visitor’s guide, newspapers, employment,

weather, faculty/staff/student directory

“A commitment to community in higher education helps students to go beyond their own private interests, learn about the world around them, develop a sense of civic and social responsibility, and discover how they, as individuals, can contribute to the larger society of which they are apart” (Boyer, 1987).

The web site must link appropriately to the campus, the community, and the world.

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Developmental

Critique– Unclear representation of student development goals

Recommendations– List opportunities for critical thinking, independent

learning, and student autonomy• i.e. guest lectures, career development seminars

– Represent all facets of the institutional community as a means to develop “the whole person”

Arthur Chickering (1993) describes seven vectors of identity development. Vector three identifies the importance of students being self-sufficient and taking responsibility of self-chosen goals. Student affairs websites should identify learning goals and present institutional opportunities that foster student development.

The web site must promote student development goals.

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Learning Focused

Critique– Learning is mentioned in the mission, but the site does not

focus on learning initiatives

Recommendations– Provide links to student-centered workshops and seminars

• i.e. leadership development– Offer a list of programs and events that promote a reciprocal

relationship between students’ in-class and out-of-class experiences

The Student Learning Imperative (American College Personnel Association, 1996) states that educationally purposeful activities both inside and outside the classroom motivate and inspire students to devote more time and energy to their education.

The web site must promote appropriate learning goals.

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Clarity

Critique– Does not present a list of goals and outcomes

Recommendation– Initial page should provide an outline and brief description

of what will be found in the web site• i.e. outline of “Who We Are, What We Do, What We

Know” on the initial page (University of North Carolina, 2003)

Organizational theory (Barzilai, 2003)) describes how organizations maximize efficiency and productivity, and meet the needs of stakeholders (i.e. members of a university community).

The web site must have a written set of goals and measurable outcomes.

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Accountability

Critique– Does not possess feedback options

Recommendations– Provide a link and textbox that welcomes user-feedback – Establish counters to monitor frequency of “hits”– Offer an on-line survey assessing the web site

“Basic elements of a [Division of Student Affairs] must not only know what they are doing, they must also be able to account for their action [s], as well as knowing how to correct mistakes, redeem themselves, acquit themselves, make reparations, and so on” (Shotter, 1984).

The site must contain evaluation mechanisms such as feedback sections and counters.

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Accessibility

Critique– Unequal balance between text and non-text elements

• i.e. current policies and procedures are too verbose– Some content does not allow individuals to obtain information

easily or at all• i.e. the information in the textbox on the athletic page can not

be easily read due to its speed Recommendation

– Follow the accessibility guidelines provided by the Web Accessibility Initiative (WAI) at the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C)

“The power of the web is in its universality. Access by everyone regardless of disability is an essential aspect” (Berners-Lee, 2003).

The web site must meet accessibility guidelines.

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External SourcesIntegration of Technology in Student AffairsStudent Monitor

http://www.studentmonitor.comStudentAffairs.com

http://www.studentaffairs.comPEW Internet & American Life

http://www.pewinternet.org/ reportsWeb Accessibility Initiative

http://www.w3.org/WAI/

Model Student Affairs WebsitesUniversity of North Carolina, Chapel Hill

http://studentaffairs.unc.eduGettysburg College

http://www.gettysburg.eduUniversity of Maryland, College Park

http://www.studentaffairs.umd.edu

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Where do we go from Here?

“The practice of student affairs…must shift from a campus-based model to a learner-based model, WHEREVER that learner is,” (Upcraft & Goldsmith, 2000).

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In conclusion, Contingency Theory

– A fit must exist between an institution, its size, its technology, and the requirements of its environment (Blau & Meyer, 1987)

A website must be current and accurate Values should be reflected in a student affairs

web site Be inclusive, NOT exclusive Foster student learning

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ReferencesAmerican College Personnel Association (ACPA). (1996). The student learning imperative:

implications for student affairs. Washington, D.C.: Authors.

Anderson, D.R. & Lorch E. P. (1983). Reactive vs. Active Theory. Retrieved February 22, 2003, from http://coe.sdsu.edu/eet/Articles/activereactive/index.htm.

Astin, A. (1984). Student involvement: a developmental theory for higher education. Journal of College Student Personnel, 25, 297-308.

Barratt, W. (2001). Models for evaluating student affairs websites. Student affairs online, 2(Spring). Available at http://www.studentaffairs.com/ejournal/Spring_2001/will1.html.

Barzilai, K. (2003). Organizational Theory. Retrieved February 22, 2003, from http://www.cwru.edu/med/epidbio/mphp439/Chapter13.htm.

Berners-Lee, T. (2003). Web Accessibility Initiative (WAI). Available athttp://www.w3.org/WAI/

Blau, P. & Meyer, M. (1987). Bureaucracy in modern society. New York: Random House.

Boyer, E. L. (1987). College: The undergraduate experience in America. New York:Harper & Row.

Chickering, A. (1993) Education and identity. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.

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ReferencesGuernsey, L. (1998, July 17). College-bound students use of the web, but value

printed information more. The Chronicle of Higher Education, p. A12.

Hage, J. & Aiken, M. (1970). Social change in complex organizations. New York: Random House.

Jones, S. (2002). The internet goes to college. Available athttp://www.pewinternet.org/reports/pdfs/PIP_College_15Report.pdf

Scherer, K.(1997). College life on-line: Healthy and unhealthy Internet use.Journal of College Student Development, 38 (6), 655-666.

Schlossberg, N. (1989). Marginality and mattering: key issues in building community. In D.C. Roberts (Ed.), Designing campus activities to foster a sense of community, New Directions for Student Services, No. 48, pp.5-15. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.

Shotter, J. (1984). Social accountability and selfhood. Oxford: Blackwell.

Strange, C.C., & Banning, J.H. (2001). Educating by Design: Creating campuslearning environments that work. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.

Upcraft, M.L. & Goldsmith, H. (2000). Technological changes in student affairsadministration. In M.J. Barr & M.K. Desler, The Handbook of Student AffairsAdministration. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass. 216-228.

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Student Life Web Site 2003 Division Review Board

For further information, please contact us.

--THE DIVISION REVIEW BOARD

Candice Brooks

2003 Division Review Board Chair

Assistant Vice President for Student Life

ceb217@psu.edu