Student Services Online: Lessons Learned from the WCET Audit Service

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Student Services Online Lessons Learned from the
WCET Audit Service

• Paul Wasko
• Pat Shea
• Darlene Burnett
• November 12, 2004

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Todays Discussion

• Background
• Common Problems
• Good Practice Characteristics
• Good Practice Examples
• Response to Audits
• Questions

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MnSCU E-Student Services Committee Participating
MnSCU Two-Year Schools

• Alexandria Technical College
• Anoka Ramsey Community College
• Anoka Technical College
• Central Lakes College
• Century College
• Dakota County Technical College
• Fond du Lac Tribal and Community College
• Hennepin Technical College
• Hibbing Community College
• Inver Hills Community College
• Itasca Community College
• Lake Superior College
• Mesabi Range Community and Technical College
• Minneapolis Community and Technical College

• Minnesota State College - Southeast Technical
• Minnesota State Community and Technical College
• Minnesota West Community and Technical College
• Normandale Community College
• North Hennepin Community College
• Northland Community and Technical College
• Pine Technical College
• Ridgewater Community College
• Riverland Community College
• Rochester Community and Technical College
• Saint Cloud Technical College
• Saint Paul College
• South Central Technical College
• Vermilion Community College

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MnSCU E-Student Services CommitteeParticipating
MnSCU Four-Year Schools

• Bemidji State University
• Metropolitan State University
• Minnesota State University Moorhead
• Minnesota State University, Mankato
• Saint Cloud State University
• Southwest Minnesota State University
• Winona State University

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Understanding the WCET Audit Service Scope of
Audit
Best practices
Web Services
Face-to-face
Critical components
Generation I-IV
Phone Fax Mail
Student perspective
Print
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Understanding the WCET Audit Service Audit
Tool

• Research best practices in 20 student services
  from the students perspective of services online
  for the undergraduate student
• Developed a list of critical components for each
  service
• Each critical component evaluated against 4
  generations of sophistication

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Evolution of Web Services Four Distinct
GenerationsOrganization of Information

• Generation II - Customer View
• Information is Grouped by Interest
• Who then What
• Institutional Perspective Text

• Generation I - Institutional View
• What
• Silos/departments
• Institutional Perspective Text

• Generation IV - High Touch High Tech
  (inside/outside portal)
• Text Interaction
• Decision Criteria
• How - guided step-by-step
• Experiences / Relationships
• Advising
• Enterprise-wide portal

• Generation III - Web Portal(s)
• My Home Page
• My Interest and
• My Perspective
• My Transactions
• Integration of My information

Source Creating High Touch / High Tech Online
Student Services Darlene Burnett, 2003
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Understanding the WCET Audit ServiceServices
Audited

• Tool developed in partnership
• with Minnesota State Colleges Universities

• Round 1 Ten services
• (2003)
• Academic Advising
• Admissions
• Career Planning
• Catalog
• Communications (institution to student)
• Financial Aid
• Orientation
• Registration
• Schedule of Classes
• Student Accounts

• Round 2 Ten services
• (2004)
• Assessment Testing
• Bookstore Services
• Disability Services
• Library Services
• Personal Counseling
• Placement Services
• Service for International Students
• Student Activities
• Tech Support
• Tutoring

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Understanding the WCET Audit ServiceMethodology

• Scope Defined
• Presentation to Staff
• Site Review
• Student perspective
• Four generations of sophistication
• Staff Interviews
• Reports
• Components rated by generation
• Annotated page clips
• Summary findings
• Recommendations

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WCET Audit ServiceFindingsCommon Problems

• Staff and leadership dont know what is on their
  site
• No holistic vision for services
• No strategic plan to re-engineer services
• Limited collaboration among services
• No mechanism for communication coordination
• Redundant conflicting information
• Virtual run around between silos
• Low priority for executive focus
• Portals not integrated
• Inconsistent brand strategy
• Attracting students vs. serving existing students
• Inappropriate writing style

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WCET Audit ServiceFindings Good Practice
Characteristics

• Re-designed services from students perspective
• Cross-functional teams
• Focus on creating/managing student relationship
• Web services high priority of key executives
• Performance indicators on Web/job descriptions
• Web standards, writing guidelines, Web editor,
  content mgmt.
• Consistent look feel and navigation
• Collaboration among services, campuses, at
  system and state level
• Use of third-party solutions (developed by
  associations/corporations)
• Reflect sense of place, culture, value of
  institution
• Single sign on to an integrated portal
• Live interaction

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Good Practice Sites

• Admission
• Arizona State University
• http//www.vpsa.asu.edu/uga/requirements/index.ht
  ml
• Bookstore
• University of Delaware
• http//www.udel.edu/bookstore/
• Career Planning
• University of Arizona
• http//www.career.arizona.edu/
• Disability Services
• University of Nevada, Las Vegas
  www.unlv.edu/studentlife/disability/index.html
• Financial Aid
• Mesa Community College http//www.mc.maricopa.edu
  /services/finaid/starthere.html

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Good Practice Sites

• Library
• Boston College
• http//www.bc.edu/libraries/
• Personal Counseling
• Abilene Christian University
• http//www.acu.edu/people/admofs/chs/
• Placement Services
• College of William Mary
• http//fsweb.wm.edu/career/04/Index.cfm
• Student Activities
• University of Delaware http//www.udel.edu/studen
  tevents/getconnected/index.html
• Tutoring
• The University of New Mexico http//www.unm.edu/
  caps/online.html

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Response to Audits

• Objective review useful
• Staff can see areas of site not accessible to
  them
• Helps to build awareness for student perspective
• Staff learns how to provide better service
• Administrators learn how their school compares
• Creating cross-functional teams
• Assessing external vendor software
• Creating writing guides
• Establishing student advisory groups
• Using results to set goals
• Discussing results with budget planning
  departments
• Defining Web strategy
• Highlights need for resources

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Interested in a WCET Audit?

• Contact
• Pat Shea pshea_at_wcet.info
• www.wcet.info

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Thank you!

• Pat Shea pshea_at_wcet.info
• Darlene Burnett mdburn_at_attglobal.net
• Paul Wasko paul.wasko_at_iseek.org