Western Idaho College Student Life Department: A Website with a New Perspective Seth Hodge, Camilla Jones, Devin Schehrer Clemson University

Significance of the Website Today’s students want immediacy and ease to gather information Individuals are spending substantial amounts of time out of the workday on the internet Working on-line helps with the current budget crisis in higher education

Charge Our charge is to review and propose changes to the Student Life Department Website of Western Idaho College based on the created philosophy of the website and current literature.

Philosophy and New Perspective of the Website We are dedicated to fulfilling the following goals, which represent the College and Department Meet the Needs of Viewers Maintain Consistency Publications Positive Student Development Awareness of Resources Well-maintained, Up-to-date, and Available Logical Sequence Aesthetically Pleasing

Meets the needs of current and prospective students as well as visitors, alumni, and parents

Current Students and Parents The internet is a staple of the educational experience The Millenial’s parents are more involved with their students lives than other generations before By expanding on the activities available on the web (such as a schedule of events or an on-line chat room) as well as the important information for the students (such as the publications) the students can have all of the resources at their fingertips

Prospective Students and Visitors 78% of prospective students used homepages as their first visit to campus in 1998, now that number is nearly 100% (Banning, Davies, & Quick, 2000) 97% of prospective students surveyed, rate the content (admission content and environmental content) as important or very important on the website (Pooke & Lefond, 2001)

Prospective Students and Visitors, Continued Separate links for prospective students or visitors and then another for current students allow specific terms used for the College not to confuse people (i.e. using academic major for visitors rather than academic college) Build relationships with the virtual visitor by recognizing the same computer logging onto the site through cookies or log-ins

Alumni Alumni connections are crucial to a program through monetary donations and support Possible additions to the site –“Student Life workers – where are they now?” to allow former employees to maintain contact with each other as well as continue in the support of their alma mater –Alumni Activities across the country

Maintains consistency with the College

Mission “One of the key attributes of a strong mission-driven public university is collaboration across the university as well as between the university and its constituencies.” (Writ, 1999, p.454)

Mission and Goals In accordance to SACS guidelines, all departments within the College must develop their mission and goals in accordance with the College’s mission.

Unified Webpage Support of other departments across the webpage unifies the College and demonstrates the collaboration within the College for the user –Link to the College homepage –Link to academic departments

Indicate specific policies and procedures of the Department

Policies In order for policies to be seen as educational opportunities and focus on student development, the following aspects concerning policies need to be included: -Handbook -Policies -Forms for Situation Documentation -Judicial Process Outline -Student Rights

Procedures Through the publications link, the following information will be provided to the viewer: Divisional Flow Charts Manuals Brochures Literature Newsletters Contracts

Promotes an atmosphere of positive student development

Student Development Astin’s Theory of Involvement Students learn by getting involved on campus. Through the active website, students know with ease what activities are occurring, which may include: On-line chat areas for involvement On-line calendar for easy access for students Links to other student organization web-pages

Student Development Tinto ’ s Theory of Student Departure Student retention is strongly related to the degree of academic and social integration Integrate academic and social aspects of WIC on the website Make viewers aware of the connection between the Student Life Department to the rest of WIC

Student Development with Respect to Policies and Procedures The goal is to “provide learning experiences for students who are found responsible…” and to “initiate and encourage educational activities that serve to prevent violations of campus regulations.” (Judicial Programs and Services CAS Standards)

Policies and Procedures Through the website, the viewer will understand the educational philosophy and mission of student judicial services, which will lead to further student development and taking responsibility for ones’ actions.

To create an awareness of resources available at Western Idaho College

A Virtual, Informative Student Community Students are already active Internet users and computers are integrated into their lifestyles; therefore, students are already creating their own virtual campuses. (Barratt & Potts, 2002)

An On-line Community Indiana State University has provided one such on-line community for its’ students, which allows students to interact on-line with each other, learn about the campus and outside community, and see photographs of past events. (

Resources Available On-line Campus: Frequently Asked Questions Facts/Information/History Directory/Phonebook Offices/Services/Departments Calendar of Events & Dates Maps/Photos Newspaper Publications Chat Room Community: Frequently Asked Questions Facts/Information/History Phonebook Support Services/Programs Calendar Retail Shops Area Maps/Directions Newspaper Photos

Ensure that the website is well-maintained, up-to-date, and continuously available

Impressions of the Website Information must be kept accurate and current as the website is a continuous tool for our students, faculty, staff, and prospective students All links must be maintained, because dead links create an inability to access vital information For many the website is the first connection to WIC Student Life, first impressions set the standard for the remainder of the relationship

Maintains a logical sequence within the site-map

Functionality is maintained through a logical layout utilizing drop menus off of the main Student Life Department Website By keeping things condensed and within divisions easy navigation is achieved creating a user friendly environment Target audience is kept in mind when information is put on the website so the information can be best utilized Sequencing

Remain aesthetically pleasing while functional

Webpage Aesthetics While working within the confines of such standardized elements as school colors, visually stimulating layouts that make the browser want to continue their search are utilized A standardized pattern is created within the Student Life homepage and its’ sub-pages to create consistency

Sample schematic of the new layout of our Student Life Department homepage

WIC Home AlumniDivisionsPublications Current Students News and Events Prospective Students/Visitors Western Idaho College

Review of the New Perspective We are dedicated to fulfilling the following goals, which represent the College and Department: Meets the needs of current and prospective students as well as visitors, alumni, and parents Maintains consistency with the College Indicates specific policies and procedures of the Department Promotes an atmosphere of positive student development Creates an awareness of resources available at Western Idaho College Ensure that the website is well-maintained, up-to-date, and continuously available Maintains a logical sequence within the site-map Remains aesthetically pleasing while functional

We look forward to the development of the new Western Idaho College Student Life Department website to help us achieve our New Perspective.

References Association for Student Judicial Affairs. (1997) Judicial programs and services CAS standards and guidelines. Retrieved February 20,2003, from asja.tamu.edu/CAS%20Judicial%20SGs.pdf Banning, J., Davies, T., & Quick, D. (2000). The campus web visit. Student Affairs On-line (1)3. Retrieved February 19, 2003, from studentaffairs.com/ejournal/Fall_2000/art3.html Barratt, W., & Potts, C. (2002). Where is the virtual campus union? Student Affairs On-line (3)4. Retrieved February 19, 2003 from

References, Continued Pooke M. C., & Lefond, D. (2001). How college-bound prospects perceive university websites: Findings, implications, and turning browsers into applicants. College and University (77)1, Writ, A. (1999) Partnerships for progress. Education (119)3,