1. Data Driven Decision Making Jessica Fries-Gaither fries-gaither.1@osu.edu Kim Lightle lightle.16@osu.edu

2. Multiple Sources of Data from Multiple Sources** Tell us something about… Our users Their needs And where they are on the web And informs… Content Development Delivery Decisions **OSU, ExpertVoices, Content Clips, Google

3. Data Streams Survey data – General web use General web use – Specific content Specific content Expert reviews (external evaluator) User Feedback - User testing (homepage, issue page, article format) - Focus groups (science content knowledge) - Blog comments and in-links - Comments of guest contributors

4. Web Metrics Referrals (front door or side window) Search logs – Search engine referral logs – Site search logs Number of Pageviews Sessions Requested Pages Click Paths Time Frames Session Length – How “sticky” are pages?

5. Cyberzine Usage Statistics http://beyondpenguins.nsdl.org/ Basic Usage Statistics Pageviews Visits Unique visitors Average pages/visit Average time on site Bounce rate New visits

6. Who is our audience? Intended audience = elementary teachers Actual audience = ? Infer from: Traffic sources Keywords Landing Pages Top Content

7. Traffic Sources Direct Traffic ~ 6% Referring Sites ~13% Search Engines ~ 81% Decisions Maximize search engine optimization Solicit links from related sites Promote site to increase direct traffic Design site to encourage further exploration

8. Traffic Sources: Referring Sites Referring Sites Expert Voices internet4classrooms.com NSDL Byrd Polar Research Center NSF Yukon Education Student Network International Polar Year Compare to site averages: Decisions Identify where teachers are on web and solicit links/distribute content. Visitors from NSDL.org Site average Pages/visit8.061.92 Time on site12:541:35

9. Keyword Searches (September 2008) Water cycle lesson plans Discrepant events Teaching context clues Beyond penguins and polar bears Rocks and minerals lesson Teaching day and night Cause and effect activities Expository articles Science notebooks Seasons misconceptions

10. Top Landing Pages (September 2008) Rock and Mineral lessons Home page Literacy Content Knowledge: Context Clues Water Cycle lessons Discrepant Events in Elementary Classrooms Season Misconceptions Aurora art lessons Rock and mineral misconceptions

11. Top Content (September 2008) Rock and Mineral lessons Home page Water Cycle lessons Literacy Content Knowledge: Context Clues September Issue Season misconceptions Rocks and Minerals feature story Discrepant Events in Elementary Classrooms Weather and Climate lessons Day/Night and Seasons lessons Aurora art lessons Rock and Mineral misconceptions

12. Where on the web are teachers? Monitor referring sites for number and depth of visits Digital stories uploaded to YouTube and TeacherTube. YouTubeTeacherTubeBlog* Polar Sense of Place 7947164 Antarctic Rocks3522752 *Only includes “clicks” on that particular post. Does not represent all views (general blog traffic and RSS subscribers).

13. Conclusions Web metrics are useful, but don’t provide conclusive data about audience and needs Need to triangulate data across multiple data streams Need to consider context: project design, and users themselves