Development on the web: What do we communicate?

1. Development on the web: What do we communicate? Sally Kuhlenschmidt Western Kentucky University PODNetwork 2011, Atlanta, GA

2. Overview/Agenda • Introduction/Discussion of questions to ask • Method • Will skim some more peripheral data • Larger database questions • Website Homepage questions • Word Choices • Values, Images • Observation/Discussions “Tip” of the Hat

3. What purposes should a center Web home page fulfill? • Show of hands– which interests you most? • As you review data, think of best practices for TLDUs to follow in home pages.

4. Introduction • FD Web home pages may be primary contact • Faculty at a distance in time/space • FD home page should reflect our values • Language is gatekeeper-what terms do we use? • What images do we use? • Jakob Nielsen- web usability researcher: • Web users search for answers, don’t do exploration • (27 sec/page; no scrolling) • relationship building! • Information snacking: What is the gain? What is the cost to me?

5. Personal Goal • Check viability of master database of centers • 3 years later. Updated over that time. • Questions I get from researchers getting a sample. • Test concept of taking random sample/collecting data. • For generalizability of results • Had to rebuild my website– hoped to end up with terms for menu items. • Nontrivial– had 5,000+ pages, 3 months

6. Definition of TLDU* PostSecondary Level Instructors: Faculty, GTAs, Adjunct, Part-time Service Learning Units? A unit, in the region (could be virtual), has been assigned teaching development responsibility by the institution Mission includes some “Pure” Pedagogy : Seminars, Consulting. Not just on Technology but more than Tech. Not just a list of resources. *Teaching Learning Development Unit

7. Question? • The State of TLDUs – infer from random sample • Based on their “home page” what are • The terminology • The values (in language, programs, images) • The best practices • Of TLDU web home pages? • What are we accomplishing? • Should we be accomplishing?

8. Method • Kuhlenschmidt database • N=1153: everything judged to be a TLDU in USA • Includes Grad Student sub-programs, tech w/ID, single director, system office FD, multiple at a single institution, etc. • Random sample of 10% N=121 • Gathered summer/fall 2011 • Note: 2 from 1 institution (U of Hawaii-Manoa), 6 from 2 state systems (Wash State, KyCC); 7 GA units.

9. Procedure • Visited each site and recorded text on site and images. • Noted Top, Left, and Right Menus; Text in the center. • Task done by self and grad student. • I did classification by values and categorized menu items. Jump over slides

10. Question: Error in dbase? • 3% in 121 sample, est (estimate 38 in database). • Sample errors were: • Wrong unit/URL – Mississippi Valley State U. (corrected to right one). • Copy error of URL (Lehigh U) • Had subpage originally (Augustana College) • Misclassified K12 (Malone College)

11. State of TLDUs: Defunct? • 1.6% in sample of 121. • U New Mexico-Taos grant ended. • [Idaho State. Functions nominally moved to Acad Affairs. Included in data] • Estimate 19 units in database. • Checked my total sample = 19 defunct since 2007 based on “hearsay”.

12. State of TLDUs: Changes in Unit? • 7 of 121= 6% of sample. (Estimate 67 of database have changed.) • Tennessee Tech U– QEP became a unit • Kirkwood CC was QIP, evolved into full center [left in data] • U. of Florida– shifted from provost to course design • U. of Alabama, Birmingham– seems to be new unit. • Mt. Hood CC – change in name, maybe unit • Old Dominion change in name (less techno centric) • Merged (Radford U)

13. State of TLDUs: URLs? • Change in URL N=11 (9%) (est 105 of dbase) • Oakwood U (previously no web site) • 7 changes in URL, still accessible • 3 moved to Intranet (U Col, Denver; Sandhills CC; U Wisc, Platteville) • No URL • 4 (Lakeshore Tech College, Andrews U, Johnson C. Smith U, School Business at U Calif, Berkeley)

14. Sample for Further Data • Sample for data N=107 (88% of sample; 9% of total database) 121-14=107 • 4 with no URL (2 Doc, 1 Bach, 1 Assoc) • 1 misclassified (1Masters) • 3 on Intranet (1 Mast, 2 Assoc) • 1 grant ended (1 Assoc) • 5 duplicates (2 Central system offices; all Assoc) Jump over slides Landed safely!

15. Description of Sample Sample Database of USA TLDUs Doc- 29% M - 24% Bacc – 10% A- 28% Sp Foc - 4.5% System - 1% Misc. – 3.5% • Doctoral –36% (N=39) • Masters – 26% (28) • Baccalaureate – 10% (11) • Associates – 23% (25) • Special Focus –1% (1) • System –1% (1) • Med Schools –2% (2)

16. Description of Sample Sample Database of USA TLDUs GTA – 8% “2nd” – 15% HBCUs- 2.1% HSI – 6% Tribal – 0% Womens – 1% • GTA programs- 6.5% (7) • “2nd” at institution – 15% (16) • HBCUs – 3% (3) • Hispanic Serving – 2% (2) • Tribal – 0% (0) • Womens - 0% (0)

17. Results for N=107 Average Behavior & Unique Behavior For • Descriptives: Email/Dates • Descriptives: Menu Items • Word Frequencies: Center text, Mission, Menu • Values/Populations: All text • Images: All TLDU images Landed safely!

18. Web Site ContextResults for N=107 • Responsible party for information? • Unit vs Person email • Time stamp? • Context in Time • 2% (2) Dates Created • 15% (16) Modified • 1% (1-mine) Both • Contact Info (searched site beyond home page): • 46% (49) Generic email (ctl@du.edu); • 6.5% (7) Webform; • 27% (29) Staff emails; • 17% (18) No email. Of those 2 no phone, 1 facebook, twitter, etc. but no email. • 2% (2) Postal mail only;

19. How often are particular Menus used? May be policy set by institution • Top Menu: 65% (70) • Left Menu: 60% (64) • Right Menu: 26% (28) • Used all 3: 2% (2) • Top & Left: 9% (10) • Top & Right: 12% (13) • Left & Right: 11% (12) • # of menu items • Top menu • range 4 to 9; 50% of users use 7 or fewer; 75% use 8 or fewer • Left menu • Range 1 to 25; 50% 8 or fewer; 66% used at least 10 • Right menu • Range 1 to 42; 50% 4 or fewer; 75% 6 or fewer

20. Weighted Ave. Menu

21. Word Choice Observations • Nielsen: Plain Language. Words that describe users problem (not the solution) • Center Text (Frequency Handout) • Political Vocabulary Analysis (wordcounter.com Beta!): Neutral • Mission statements guesstimated list (N=65) • Also Neutral • 14 page document available online.

22. Menu Word Choices • Menus (Freq. /Categorization Handout) • Top, left, right (first 10; all) • Only 4 used bottom links (4%).

23. Discussion: • Find 2-3 term(s) that describes a faculty problem or a frequent task of faculty. [If finish quickly, find a “worst case” example]. • Find 2-3 terms that express faculty development values (and be able to explain why). • Observations/comments on what you found. • Were the terms the same or different?

24. Values • Frequency of references to topics covered in typical POD conference • Teaching—did they use that specific word? • Scholarship – did they mention word or close synonym • Technology – did they mention word or 1 ex • Assessment – did they mention word or 1 ex • Diversity – did they use word or close synonym • Sustainability – did they use word or close synonym • Organizational Development – looked for leadership, admin training. Concluded I was unsure.

25. Don’t look ahead • What percentage of TLDU home pages do you think do express these values? • For those who are fast: How well does your website home page do?

26. Results • Teaching – 86% (92) use word “teaching”. Of those 8 use only in title (leaves 78.5%). • Technology – 68% (73) • Scholarship – 48% (51) (Sample terms: 14x SOTL, research, grant, writing). • Even though includes “non-research” schools I found references on those to research involvement.

27. continued • Assessment – 57% (61). • My impression: We avoid the word. • Only 9 “Assessment” • design tests, • clickers, • formative, fac & student • Assurance of Lg., • evaluation, • Eportfolio, • FD needs assess, • reflection…. • Diversity – 21% (23) e.g., • 1 SafeZone; • 1 of Hawaii; • 1 women of color; • 1 minority; • 1 universal design, • 1 Social Justice.

28. Sustainability – 1% (1) “Green Teaching” • Organizational Development? – hard to say • Estimated 19% (20); leadership (5); accreditation (2); curriculum; program eval; emergency plans; consultation for programs; prospective faculty program • ? Mentoring; sabbaticals; health & wellness; “cultivating institutional culture” ; “strengthen org as whole” Jump over slides

29. Particular Populations • Addressing particular populations • Part-time/adjunct faculty mentioned on 20% (21) • Yet are 25% of faculty nationally* (179,135 “not on tenure” of 728,125). 1/4th of our faculty. • Regional faculty 6% (6) • Graduate Students 21% (22) • GA programs were poor about providing contact info • 36% of sample were doc schools. Other unit? • [1 mentioned an undergrad TA program] • Internationalism (big on my campus) 13% (14)

30. Images • Could relate to Nielsen “relationship building” • Also convey message/instruction about who faculty are in looks/in actions • 24% (26) had no image of their own. • May appear beneath institution image. • Slideshows 17% (18) – personally annoying unless controllable. • 51% (55) had people on them, mostly groups (2% of the 55 had only 1 or 2 people).

31. Common themes (Handout) • nature (esp. trees); • Architecture (buildings!); • images of technology; • logos; • office items (e.g., mugs, charts) • Nielsen: Provide sample/quality content first.

32. Diversity in Images A few more details are in online handout.

33. Observations/Discussion • Handout w/ more unique ideas • Primarily “push” on web, analogous to lecture. How do we do more active learning with our websites/home pages? • E.g., “See Also” (Nielsen), Comment forms, connecting faculty, Challenges • What are your best practice ideas? Both improvement & praise Landed safely!

34. Future Research • Questions you’d like answered? Resources • Nielsen, J. & Loranger, H. (2006). Prioritizing Web Usability. Peachpit: Berkeley, CA. http://www.useit.com/

35. Thank you • For mission statements, electronic copies • Sally.kuhlenschmidt@wku.edu • 270-745-6508 • http://people.wku.edu/sally.kuhlenschmidt/research/2011pod/ • QR Code generator: http://zxing.appspot.com/generator/