Creating Meaningful Websites for Student Services

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Creating Meaningful Websites for Student Services

• a presentation with
• student personnel staff
• in mind.

Presented by Natan Vigna ASPA 2006 Union
College, Lincoln, NE
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Todays Agenda

• Do you really want to be on the web?
• Analyzing your current web presence
• Defining the purpose of your website
• Getting ideas for your website
• Developing a plan
• Developing resources creating on-line services
• Maximizing your time make the web/technology
  work for you
• Resources tools of the trade
• More resources getting your ideas

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A comparison to real life

• Websites resemble
• A store front
• A restaurant
• Websites compare
• Need a real business marketing plan
• Fail like a new business would if not done well
• Websites evolve
• Constantly change
• Need innovation and creativity

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We all need a purpose!

• Websites have to have a purpose otherwise they
  will die. Guaranteed!
• Websites
• MUST fulfill a need or
• MUST provide a service or
• MUST provide a function

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Thinking about your website

• Whats your purpose?
• Whats your role on this?
• Whats your target audience?
• Whats their need or wants?
• Whats your budget?
• Whats your timeline?
• What are your tools?
• Are you the one?
• Do you have access to FPT/Web server?

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Finding your purpose

• Who are your possible users?
• Current Students
• Future Students
• Other on-campus departments
• ASPA Colleagues
• What populations do you want to serve?
• What populations should you serve?
• Will your web site (help) recruit students?
• What content will you need for each one of these
  customers?

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Getting ideas

• Browse other Student Services web sites
  (especially non-Adventist ones!)
• Google this student services site.edu for
  ideas
• benchmark
• (YES, we are a business too!)
• Talk to your other departments on campus to see
  what they need the web to do for them
  (collaborate-build political leverage)
• Ask your students what services they want, need,
  or would like to see on your website
• Evaluate your current processes and see what can
  be stream-lined and automated

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Analyze your current situation

• Does your office/division have a web presence?
• Does your office offer on-line services?
• Does your office utilize the internet to provide
  every-day documents and/or forms?
• Does your office take advantage of the internet
  to provide other services?
• When was the last time your web site was updated?

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Developing a plan

• Set yourself a timeline/goals
• Analyze your budget
• Can you hire a student worker to do the work for
  you?
• Can you contract a student/person to do the page
  for you and teach you how to update it?
• Can you purchase the software needed? For you?
  For your student worker?
• Develop an outline of what the site will look
  like
• Keep focused and have realistic expectations
• Talk to your marketing department/publications/etc
  for school image/marketing guidelines,
  requirements, etc.

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Developing a plan
What Do You Need?

• Offer better services, increase customer service
  and cut costs
• Save money (printing cost of forms, newsletters,
  handbook, etc.)
• Save time by automating certain procedures and
  requests
• Transfer information through other departments
  quickly and efficiently
• Transfer information to other/certain students
  quickly and efficiently
• Share your calendar with other colleagues and
  departments

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Developing a plan
What Do They Need?

• Student Handbook or school policies regulations
• Available services on campus to them/program
  information
• Dormitory information (applications, contact,
  pictures, etc)
• School calendar and useful links to the campus
• Health information and insurance plans (policies,
  claim forms)
• Student activities policies and forms (student
  association elections)
• Off-campus housing information / links
• Transportation request (airport
  pick-up/drop-offs)
• Letter requests
• Counseling links and resources
• Community (sense of belonging, pictures, cultural
  issues, etc.)

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Developing Resources
What Do You Need?

• Web site server, password, user name, etc.
  (usually from IT or web master)
• Software (Adobe) to create PDF files
• Software to create or update web pages and
  graphics (Macromedia Dreamweaver, Adobe
  GoLive, FrontPage, BBEdit, etc) (Adobe
  Photoshop, Illustrator, Macromedia Fireworks,
  etc.)
• Knowledge of HTML (for basic web page
  development) PHP (for more advanced programming)
  FLASH (for fancy useful? content)
• Knowledge of graphic design (good taste will do)

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Developing Resources
A Word About Web Site Design

• DO
• Stick to basic fonts Arial, Times, Verdana.
  Avoid funny, artsy, small types.
• Develop a good navigational system (easy to
  follow and proven to be logical)
• Use simple and well chosen color schemes, and use
  them to your advantage (use software templates
  for this!) Use images wisely.
• Have people test the site and give you
  suggestions before you complete the project
  (think focus groups!)

• DONT
• Use those very annoying animated icons
• Choose a busy or distracting background. Remember
  that in design, less is more.
• Think that your website will look the same to
  everyone. Differences in screen resolution,
  systems, browsers, etc. will affect the way it
  looks.
• Forget to spel check your website.
• Copy and paste an internet translation without
  having a native speaker check for accuracy.

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Get started!
What First?

• Update and transfer all your documents into PDF
  (pdf will produce accurate forms across
  platforms)TIP use your campus photocopier as a
  scanner!
• Organize your documents into categories
  (Immigration OISS Admissions Office Work
  )

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Get Started!
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Get started!
And Then?

• Develop the content for online forms(sample of
  an International Student Services Office)
• Certificate of Studies
• Visa Revalidation Support Letter
• DMV Letter
• Social Security Letter (sic - HR only!)
• Banks / Cell phone companies
• Letter of support for local programs (food bank)
• Airport pick-ups/drop-offs
• Letter of invitation for graduation
• Refund request

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Maximize Your Time!
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Maximize Your Time!
Now What?

• Once you have developed your forms, write your
  letters! (you can use a very simple program
  to do them!)

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Maximize Your Time!
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Maximize Your Time!
And Now?

• Forms To Go!
• www.formstogo.com

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Maximize Your Time!
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Maximize Your Time!
Go from this. To this
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Maximize Your Time!
How About On-line Newsletters?

• You can save money by transitioning your print
  newsletter to an e-newsletter.
• Save in print, time, postage
• Take less time to edit them
• Take less employees to mail them
• Send personalized letters (name, ID, etc.) in no
  time!
• Send automated birthday wishes
• Send automated immigration reminders (dorm
  deadlines, sports, etc.)
• Send latest news to students

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Maximize Your Time!
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Maximize Your Time!
And HOW do I do THAT?

• Create the newsletter in Dreamweaver. Copy and
  paste the source code to mailer software.
• Use a bulk-mailer software to send your
  personalized email.
• REMEMBER! All the links on the newsletter must be
  full URLs in order to work properly. Otherwise,
  it will not work in the email client software.
• e.g. when linking an image, DO NOT link to
  ../images/image.jpg
• LINK TO http//www.schoolname.edu/oi
  ss/images/image.jpg

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Maximize Your Time!
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Tools of the Trade
Useful Software Links

• Macromedia Dreamweaver (www.macromedia.com/dreamwe
  aver)
• Macromedia Contribute (www.macromedia/contribute)
• Macromedia Fireworks (www.macromedia.com/fireworks
  )
• Macromedia Flash (www.macromedia/flash)
• Adobe Photoshop (www.adobe.com/photoshop)
• Adobe Acrobat (full version) (www.adobe.com/acroba
  t)
• Forms to Go (www.formstogo.com)
• MaxBulk Mailer-X (www.maxprog.com/MaxBulk.html)
• EmailVerifier-X (www.maxprog.com/EmailVerifier.htm
  l)
• FTP client (www.downloads.com)
• Biz Art (free images) (www.biz-art.com)
• StockExchange (free images) (www.biz-art.com)
• Corbis.com (great images--need to pay!)
  (corbis.com)
• Webmonkey.com (online surveys)
• StudyUSA.com (on-line translation for web sites)

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On-line Communities
While the entire global Internet is one online
community the term On-line Community is more
specifically applied to particular interest
groups, trades, cultural genres and local
neighborhoods. You can create one for your
students.

• Peer to Peer Online Communities
• (students communicate with each other, post their
  pictures, etc.)
• www. myspace. com
• www. friendster. com
• Moderator-based Online Communities
• (a moderator (you) posts topics of interest and
  allows or not students and visitors to post
  add their comments.)
• www. blogger. com

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On-line Communities
Questions? Comments? Suggestions? Complaints?
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Idea Bank!
What are your ideas tricks?
Questions? Comments? Suggestions? Complaints?