Ellingsburg University

1. StudentAffairs.com 2005 Case Study Jenny Koslovsky, Jessica Rehling & Glenn Sterner Ellingsburg University Educating students who will change the world

2. Presentation Overview • Portal Objectives (Slide 3) • Portal Conceptual Development Team Members (Slide 4) • Portal Audiences (Slide 5) • Reasons for a portal vs. a website (Slide 6) • Portal Channels (Slide 7) • Rationale for Channels (Slide 8-16) • Technology Based Systems (Slide 17) • Organization (Slide 18-19) • Benefits (Slide 20) • Theoretical Integration (Slide 21) • Bobby Compliant (Slide 22) • Feedback & Assessment (Slide 23) • Checklist (Slide 24) • Model Portals (Slide 25) • References (Slide 26)

3. Portal Objectives • Create an aesthetically pleasing design that attracts users • Communicate a positive and accurate image of Ellingsburg University • Develop a user friendly web presence • Ensure easily navigable channels • Establish “One Stop Shop” for our academic community • Meets the needs of multiple university constituents • Incorporate feedback and input from university stakeholders • Provide clear and apparent paths to university resources • Retain accessibility for all web users • Reflect the diverse student population of Ellingsburg University

4. The Portal Conceptual Development Team Current Members: • Jenny Koslovsky, Jessica Rehling & Glenn Sterner • Director of Residence Life • Office of Communications Representative • Faculty Senate President New members: • Technology Director • Student Representative • Community Representative • Presidential Appointee

5. Portal Audiences • Current Students • Prospective Students • Faculty • Staff • Alumni • Parents • Community Members

6. Reasons for Portal • Build an online community • Present information rather than forcing user exploration • Provide easily obtainable resources • Increase student dialogue • Strengthen security • Integrate applications and content • Track user activities • Improve services • Monitor conduct • Collaborate online programs and information

7. Portal Channels • Current Students • Prospective Students • Faculty & Staff • Parents • Alumni & Donors • Community Members • History & Traditions • Country Map • Search Bar

8. Rationale:Current Students Channel • Provide current EU students with multiple online communities • Provide links to Residence Life Webpage and individual hall websites • Use current technological trends to increase connections among different student populations (i.e. facebook, blogs, etc.) • Encourage co-curricular learning • Provide easy access to frequently used resources (i.e. grades, discussion boards, enrollment, calendars, deadlines, etc.) • Inform students of campus activities and events • Display EU’s value for student-centered curriculum and services

9. Rationale:Prospective Students Channel • Provide positive representation of EU • Display easy access to university resources • Offer simple online application process • Present realistic portrayal of first-year and transfer student experience through current student blogs • Make contacting university administrators effortless

10. Rationale:Faculty & Staff Channel • Include resources for teaching tips and guidelines • Provide resources for professional development opportunities • Display quick links to information pertaining to faculty and staff • Pool instructor-specific resources • Create central database for administrative forms • List literature and current events pertaining to college, discipline or functional area • Connect to different national unions based on university occupation

11. Rationale:Parents Channel • Provide links to popular parent resources (alumni association, tuition statements, family weekends, financial aid, investing in EU, Parents Association, etc.) • Demonstrate value of parent influence in student development and success • Incorporate ideas of how parents can become involved with EU activities and functions • Provide links to literature and resources for coping with parent-student separation • Create student and parent blog exchanges • List personal information granted by student for parent use

12. Rationale:Alumni & Donors Channel • Provide link to Alumni Association and Investing in EU • Connect to Athletics page • Link to EU Bookstore • Display university calendars • Create historical journals of past EU students • Construct links for hassle-free contributions and fundraising

13. Rationale:Community Members Channel • Include events calendar for increased community participation • Provide on-campus volunteer opportunities • Create system for local resident-student mentorships • List resources for successful and peaceful off-campus student-local resident interactions and living experiences

14. Rationale:History & Traditions Channel • Include audio and text of EU Fight Song and Alma Mater • Present photo album of university traditions with meanings and explanations • Display virtual slideshow of campus • Provide a virtual walking tour of campus highlighting historical buildings, monuments, and gathering places • Narrate history of institution • Celebrate the culture of EU with the user

15. Rationale:Country Map Channel • Visually demonstrate the regional diversity of the institution • Display clickable map by state to assist users in arranging carpool or flights home or to other destinations

16. Rationale:Search Bar Channel • Assist users in obtaining resources • Support user navigation of portal through collections of links • Connect users with other campus community members • Provide campus directory

17. Technology Based Systems • Secure Sign-on • Customization options • Single sign-on enables customization in which users can choose hyperlink preferences and backdrops to suit their liking • Chat Software • Blog software • Users would experience E. U. through the online journals/blogs of 6 current first-year and transfer E. U. students • Online picture yearbook with profiles • Similar to http://www.thefacebook.com/ • Music downloading program • Virtual tour (Java software) • Structured Query Language (SQL) (database-web language) • Secure login • Search technology • Online communities • Angel/Blackboard (online academic communities where students have web access to their courses’ content)

18. Organization • Clickable index with each alphabetical letter listed • Search bar • Drop down box option for people and the university as a whole • Quick Links (student services) • Headings and subheadings • Column on the left of page • Campus events calendar(s) • Click on date to link to calendar (date would be in upper left corner of the portal page • Picture (non-flash) • University address listed • Hyperlink to mapping software

19. Organization cont. • “Contact us” hyperlink • US Map • Serves as a Carpool Board by region • Visible representation of student population • Student Life Link • Athletics, Admissions, Residence Life, Greek Life, Intramural Activities, Student Governments, Registered Student Organizations • Frequently Asked Questions • No necessary scrolling on opening page (all information is available within one screen presence) • Name of school in large readable font • Include color scheme on all pages as a coordination tool

20. Benefits • Creates and presents a positive image of EU • Serves as a “One-Stop Shop” for users • People are able to easily locate and utilize EU resources • Utilizes new technology to expand student community building • Expands user base through increased accessibility (Bobby approved) and representation of EU’s diverse student population • Provides easy access to feedback and input

21. Theoretical Integration • Astin’s Input-Environment-Outcomes Model • Utilizing the environment of the portal to enhance positive student outcomes • Blimling & Whitt Principles of Good Practice in Student Affairs • Engages students in active learning • Uses systematic inquiry to improve student and institutional performance • Uses resources effectively to achieve institutional missions and goals • Forges educational partnerships that advance student learning • Builds supportive and inclusive communities • Upcraft and Schuh • Practice multiple avenues for assessing and evaluating success and improvements for portal (i.e. focus groups, satisfaction and interest surveys, polls, etc.) • Watson, et al. • Display reality of campus culture and diversity within portal • Provide students of color additional paths for communication and support • Use portal to encourage student involvement

22. Bobby Compliant • The Ellingburg University Portal will be Bobby Compliant “Bobby is a comprehensive web accessibility software tool designed to help expose and repair barriers to accessibility” (Watchfire Corp., 2005, ¶ 1). • “Offers suggestions for improvement and generates summary reports highlighting critical accessibility issues before posting content to live servers” (Watchfire Corp.). • Tests for compliance with government standards.

23. Feedback & Assessment • Create hyperlink on main page to provide open-ended feedback • Implement monthly interest and satisfaction polls • Send campus-wide survey emails twice a semester • Utilize residence hall surveys to gather information on user satisfaction • Conduct annual focus groups of community members • Provide hyperlink to report abuse or inappropriate use of the online communities • Monitor user data (who is logging in and when, what sites they are visiting)

24. Checklist • Ensure correct spelling and grammar • Limited use of Ellingburg jargon • Verify that all links are active • Regularly incorporate feedback from constituencies • Effectively meets objectives • Catches users’ attention

25. Model Portals • Here is a listing of current university portals from around the country which have a variety of characteristics that EU’s portal would emulate • Yale University • Pennsylvania State University • University of Washington • Mitchell College

26. References Astin, A. W. (1993). Assessment for excellence: The philosophy and practice of assessment and evaluation in higher education. Westport, CT: The Oryx Press. Barratt, W. Models for Evaluating Student Affairs Web Sites. Retrieved on February 23, 2005 from, http://www.studentaffairs.com/ejournal/Spring_2001/will1.html Bitler, D. A., Rankin, W. P., & Schrass, J. M. (2000). Academic affairs online: A survey of information available on websites in higher education. College Student Journal, 34, 3, pp. 325-333. Blimling, G. S., Whitt, E. J., & Associates. (1999) Good practice in student affairs: Principles to foster student learning. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass. Borges, J. A., Morales, I., Rodriguez, N. J. (1996) Guidelines for designing usable world wide web pages. CHI ’96 Companion, pp. 277-278. Goldsborough, R. (2004). Creating web sites for web surfers. Black Issues in Higher Education, 21, 9, p. 120. Schuh, J. H., Upcraft, M. L., & Associates. (2001). Assessment practice in student affairs. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass. Seabreeze, J. R. (1997). Student affairs world wide web sites. New Directions for Student Services, 78, pp. 97-103. Stoner, M. (2004). How the web can speak to prospective students. The Chronicle of Higher Education, 50, 34, p. B10. Turrentine, C. G., Schnure, S. L., Ostroth, D. D., & Ward-Roof, J. A. (2004). The parent project: What parents want from the college experience. NASPA Journal, 38, 1, pp. 31-43. Watchfire Corporation (2005). About Bobby. Retrieved on February 24, 2005 from, http://bobby.watchfire.com/bobby/html/en/about.jsp Watson, L. W., Terrell, M. C. , Wright, D. J., Bonner, F., & Cuvjet, M. (2002). How minority students experience college: Implications for planning and policy. Sterling Virginia: Stylus Publishing LLC.