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PART IIEvaluation & Usability
PART IIIwww.agep.us
A Resource for You
Part ISite Content Basics:
a Checklist
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Keep in mind . . .WEB = PRIMARY TOOL
for researching graduate programs
So . . .the quality of your websitecan make a big difference
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To be a successful tool for students, faculty and staff, your website needs:
• Content that captures interest.
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To be a successful tool for students, faculty and staff, your website needs:
• Content that captures interest.
• Content that answers basic questions.
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To be a successful tool for students, faculty and staff, your website needs:
• Content that captures interest.
• Content that answers basic questions.
• Content that encourages people to contact you, and makes it easy.
So . . . .
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Make a good first impression!
Most websites serve many audiences. There are eight basic things you can do to sharpen the quality and utility of your website for all viewers.
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1. Use the AGEP acronymand logo.
AGEP has gained national recognition. Take advantage of that!
The logo is available at www.agep.us/HRDJAM2008.asp
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3. Keep your audience in mind.and make it easy for viewers to get the
information they’ll be looking for.
A student’s perspective:
•What is the program about?•What is the research focus?•What faculty could they work with?
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A faculty member’s perspective:
• What recruitment and retention resources are available?
• Are they easy to access?
A staff member’s perspective:
• What resources are available for program management?
• For sharing ideas and successes?
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5. Give your program a human face.
Provide links to faculty bios and current student information.
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6. Provide critical contact information
for actual people.
Make it easy for viewers to contact a real, live person and get their questions answered.
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• Why gather web statistics?
• Assess your web presence
• Generate graphics and figures to demonstrate your web presence in reports & evaluations
• Identify areas for website improvementex. Generating more traffic on specific pages
Identifying pages that generate errors
Website Statistics
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• Volume of Traffic• Visits
A visit happens when someone accesses your site in a browser. A Person can register multiple visits by leaving your site and then coming back again at a later time.
• Page viewsA visitor generates one page view each time he/sheaccesses a unique page on your website. One visitor can generate multiple page views in a single visit.
• Page hitsThe number of files sent from the webserver to the user’sbrowser. Each page view can generate multiple hits.
• Bandwidth Usage The amount of data transferred to or from the web server
Website Statistics
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• Other Statistics• IP Addresses of people visiting your site• Page errors• Users’ browsers• Users’ operating systems
…Many others statistics possible, depending uponthe analytics software available to you
Website Statistics
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IBP Family of Integrated Sites Nov 2003 - June 2008
0
20,000
40,000
60,000
80,000
100,000
120,000
Visits
Page Views
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• Your University or web hosting company likely offers website tracking software such as:
- Surf Stats- Google Analytics (free)- Urchin (by Google)- Omniture- WebTrends
Web Analytics Software Packages
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Usability Assessment
Goal: To assure easy access of relevant information to your
target audience
• Focus Groups• Interviews• Web, email, or hard copy survey
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Usability Assessment
Preparation:
• Identify your website’s target usergroups Examples:
• Prospective Students• Current Students• Faculty• Administrators• Program Alumni• Funders
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Usability Assessment
Preparation:
Identify core goals of your site
Examples• Draw prospective students to the program• Provide information necessary for applying to the program• Provide central location for program contact information • Connect current students with Alumni• Provide up-to-date events and news associated with the program
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Focus Groups or Individual Interviews
• 3 – 9 participants(generally a group as small as 5 identifies at least 85% of usability problems
• Include representatives from each of your website’s usergroups
• Take excellent notes and consider tape-recording sessions
• Ask targeted questions that relate to your core website goals
• Ask open-ended questions soliciting suggestions for improvement
• Ask what shouldn’t be on the site as well as what should, and what doesn’t work as well as what does
• Keep focus groups/interviews to under an hour
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Web, email, or hard copy survey
• 10 or more participants
• Include representatives from each of your website’s usergroups
• Ask targeted questions that relate to your core website goals
• Ask open-ended questions soliciting suggestions for improvement
• Ask what shouldn’t be on the site as well as what should, and what doesn’t work as well as what does
• Keep surveys short
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If users visit a site and don’t find what they’re looking for,
find it out of date, or experience usability
difficulties, THEY DON’T COME BACK.
THE SITE IS UTILIZED
(27,000 + visits in January 2008)
Presents up-to-date information, targeted to specific audiences, in a
user-friendly interface
THE SITE IS PROMOTED, PROMOTED, PROMOTED
Through persistent distribution of trifolds and flyers, inclusion on all materials, and constant mention in
workshops, presentations and emails
www.ibparticipation.orgwww.agep.uswww.igert.org
www.mainestem.orgwww.msphds.org
DATA MANAGEMENT AND SECURITY
CONCEPT DEVELOPMENT*THE SITE IS REGULARLY
IMPROVED*Staff assess audience needs
Data is gathered, organized, backed up and protected, and constantly
updated.
CONTENT DEVELOPMENT*THE SITE IS CONSTANTLY UPDATED*
Databases: programs, Events, Partners, Contacts, Student Profiles, News, Idea Exchange
IBP RECEIVES FEEDBACK
Prospective Students Fill Out Online Form,
Supply Data
Files are accessed and/or downloaded by students, PIs,
etc..
Website Stats, Communication with PIs,
Students, etc.
Iterative Design Process
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agep.us: Events related to STEM education
Post Events Online at:www.ibparticipation.org/IBPEventsForm.asp
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agep.us: News related to STEM education
Submit your news items to be posted:www.ibparticipation.org/IBPNewsForm.asp
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Link to Us!Let us promote your programs, events, news & students
as part of the STEM network!During the 2008 Spring Semester, we had 30,000 visits/month to our family of sites!
Send us your:• Student and Faculty Profiles• Program Success Stories• News• Events• Ideas and Best Practices
Link to Agep.us for:• Events• News• Profiles• Best Practices and Resources
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Let us promote your programs, events, news & students as part of the STEM network!
During the 2008 Spring Semester, we had 30,000 visits/month to our family of sites!
Use our online web forms to send us news & events:
http://www.ibparticipation.org/IBPNewsForm.asp
http://www.ibparticipation.org/IBPEventsForm.asp
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The Institute for Broadening Participation
Contact us with Questions:
P.O. Box 607Damariscotta, ME 04543
1-866-593-9103
www.agep.uswww.ibparticipation.org
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