Student Life Web Site 2003 Review

1. Western Idaho College 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

2. Before we continue…. • It is important to diagnose the current status of Western Idaho College’s Student Life Website. • Please use… SITE UNDER CONSTRUCTION CAUTION http://www.studentaffairs.com/vcs/2003vcs

3. Overview • Students and the Web • Statement of Philosophy • Why have a Division website? • Who do we Target? • What should Student Affairs websites Value? • Critiques & Recommendations • External Sources • References

4. 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)

5. 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)

6. 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.

7. Why have a Division Website? • Clarifies programs and services • Offers educational resources • Provides universal access to the institution • Provides a virtual environment of student support and challenge • Sets and communicates high expectations for student learning • Uses resources effectively to achieve institutional missions and goals • Forges educational partnerships that advance student learning

8. Who do we Target? • The Community • The Campus • THE WORLD!!

9. Inclusion Representation Active Informative Interactive Currency Convenience Community Building Development Learning Focused Clarity Accountability Accessibility What Should Student Affairs Websites Value? (Barratt, 2001)

10. Western Idaho College Student Life Website Critiques & Recommendations

11. Inclusion All constituents are included in material presented. • 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.

12. Representation All units and allied units in student affairs must be represented. • 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

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

14. Informative Content must contain institutional information. • 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

15. Interactive Website must provide mechanisms for student interaction. • 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

16. Currency All information must be current. • 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

17. Convenience The site must be designed for easy use. • 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

18. Community Building Theweb site must link appropriately to the campus, the community, and the world. • 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).

19. Developmental The web site must promote student development goals. • 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.

20. Learning Focused The web site must promote appropriate learning goals. • 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.

21. Clarity The web site must have a written set of goals and measurable outcomes. • 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).

22. Accountability The site must contain evaluation mechanisms such as feedback sections and counters. • 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).

23. Accessibility The web site must meet accessibility guidelines. • 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).

24. External Sources Integration of Technology in Student Affairs Student Monitor http://www.studentmonitor.com StudentAffairs.com http://www.studentaffairs.com PEW Internet & American Life http://www.pewinternet.org/ reports Web Accessibility Initiative http://www.w3.org/WAI/ Model Student Affairs Websites University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill http://studentaffairs.unc.edu Gettysburg College http://www.gettysburg.edu University of Maryland, College Park http://www.studentaffairs.umd.edu

25. 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).

26. 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

27. References American 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.

28. References Guernsey, L. (1998, July 17). College-bound students use of the web, but valueprinted 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.

29. Western Idaho College 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