Transcript Western Idaho College

Western Idaho College
Student Life Web site
Suggested Statement of
Philosophy for the WIC
Student Life Web Site:
To provide an all inclusive environment
that empowers and affirms the full
development of a diverse student body
by...
Aligning Student Affairs With
Institutional Mission

The most important factor to affect student affairs
within an institution of higher education is the
institutional mission (Barr & Deschler, 2000).
 The mission of the institution influences all aspects
of day to day institutional life (Hamrick, vans, and
Schuh, 2002).
 Good practice in student affairs work will reflect an
awareness of responsibility and accountability to
internal and external publics while showing a firm
commitment to the institutional mission (Blimling &
Whitt, 1999).
Taking The First Step

The Student Learning Imperative (1996) states,
the division mission should complement the
institution mission with enhancement of student
learning and personal development being the
primary goal of programs and services (Blimling,
1996)
 The first step in developing a statement of
philosophy for the WIC Web site is to look at the
institution’s mission…
The Institution’s Mission

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“To serve as a distinct and unique institution
among public institutions of higher education in
Idaho in order to provide undergraduate of the
highest quality in a learning environment that
empowers and affirms the full development of
students…”
What makes WIC distinct and unique?
How does the environment empower and
affirm students?
What are your high quality programs and
services?
How are you promoting student development?
The answers to these questions
should be on your divisional
website!
The Next Step: Targeting
Today’s Students

In 1996 over 3,000,000
students entered post
secondary education

High school graduates
have higher grades, test
scores, and involvement
with college level courses

Many come from college
educated parents

Today’s college students
have different goals:
74% of incoming
freshman surveyed
stated they wanted to get
a better job and make
more money

82.9% of incoming
students use the internet
to access information
Putting Students at the
Center
“ As students are making the decision to attend
college and to attend a specific institution, each
individual has a different set of concerns and
needs…If students believe that the institution is
concerned with their basic needs, they will view
the institution in more favorable terms…Students
are more likely to leave if they feel the institution
does not care for them” (Maslow, 1970).
 How does WIC’s Student Life Web site put
students at the center?
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First Impressions

First impression is crucial to decision making.
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By putting students at the center, we understand
that first impressions are often through visiting a
web site.
“A good web site is a delight
and a poor web site is worse
than no web site at all.”
(Barrett, 2001)
A Delightful Approach
Applying Barratt’s Model to Critique WIC’s
Student Life Web Site
According to Barratt there are 13 basic
values that can be provided as a useful
beginning to evaluating student affairs web
sites including…
Currency
Convenience
Inclusion
Representation
Active
Informative
Interactive
Community Building
Developmental
Learning Focused
Clarity
Accountability
Accessibility
Currency: Web pages are out of date (i.e.: “This page last updated
October 7th, 2002”). All pages should be monitored daily and updated
more frequently.
Convenience: Icons, color differentiation, graphics, navigation tools,
links, organization and indexing. User friendly approach is important
(i.e. Scrolling down for information on lengthy lists, such as the
Policies & Procedures page is frustrating and tedious).
Inclusion: Not all students, student groups, or organizations appear
to be presented in the site. Part of the problem stems from lack of
clarity in the mission of WIC, by only addressing minority and adult
student needs in broad terms. And the rest of the population? On the
athletics page only basketball is represented. Is that the only sport
available at WIC and if not why is it the only one being represented
on your site?
Representation: Admissions, Financial Aid, Athletics, Human
Resources, Academic Support, Registrars,Career Services, Food
Services, Health Services and Academic departments. How are all
departments being represented? Are they all being represented? By
excluding certain departments, how are you showing that students
basic needs are being addressed?
Active: Current events, schedules, names, dates, times: Where are
they accessed? Are there any upcoming student meetings, lectures or
socials happening at your institution? The only event listed on your
site is the basketball schedule.
Informative: Codes of conduct, policies, student government
constitution: Where are academic policies, judicial affairs, honor
code, and divisional mission statements? Only institutional mission
and residence life policies and procedures are provided.
Interactive: No mechanisms for student interaction on the
site. No contact information. For example, students should be
able to contact people including faculty and staff by clicking
on an E-mail link.
Community building: Site lacks dimension and is
disconnected from students, staff, and faculty as a community.
No links to connect community to local information/resources,
or global information and current affairs are available.
Developmental: Site does not promote student development
goals, for example: interdependence, relationships, autonomy,
integrity, self actualization, etc... Where students should be at
the center of a student affairs and its web site, an appropriate
student development theory based on the institutional mission,
should be the foundation for creating a student life web site.
Learning focused: Policies and procedures appear to be the heart of
this institution, at least this might be the visitor’s impression, given
that it is the bulk of the web site. Where is the service and learning?
Clarity: Language is ambiguous (i.e., “other stuff” and “other
professional studies”. Web site goals are unclear. Why is basketball
schedule (without locations of games and purchasing information)
the only program, activity, or sport offered on the site? Whose needs
are being met by visiting your site?
Accountability: There is no room for student comments, feedback,
or counters of how many students visited the site.
Accessibility: The web site must accessible . There are no consistent
toolbars with menus at each page of website. No active links. No
page counters.
The Whole Is Only As Good As the
Sum of It’s Parts
The Importance of Having a
Divisional Web Site
Each division has it’s own mission or vision which
is guided by the institution’s larger mission.
 Without divisional web sites, confusion will be the
result, and dissonance will occur.
 In order for a sense of community to be portrayed,
interconnectedness needs to be displayed on your
site. What are the parts or divisions of your
institution and how do they relate to one another
to form a wider campus community?
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What are you trying to accomplish in
selecting these images, what
messages do you wish to convey?
After browsing several of our favorite
student affairs web sites, there
appeared to be a common theme
woven throughout...
STUDENT CENTERED !
Committee Recommendations
Start with WIC’s institutional mission. The
mission should be expressed throughout all
aspects of the Student Life Web site.
 Know your audience! The Student Life Web site
should be fluid and diverse reflecting the lives of
the students.
 Remember that first immpressions are lasting
immpressions! Add more color, texture & life!
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Committee Recomendations
Continued...
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Use a student development theory to guide the
Student Life Web site: i.e., Chickering & Reisser’s
Identity Development Theory could be applied by
assuring that the Web site addresses each of the
vectors in one way or another (Barr &Desler,
2000).
 Develop a mission for the Student Life Division,
to better understand what you want to accomplish
through the Web site. “Our Web sites should
reflect our core values” (Barrat, 2001).
Finally...
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The WIC Student Life Web site should
build bridges that connect all aspects of the
campus community as well as link the
campus community with the local and
global community.
Bibliography
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Blimling, G.S. & Whitt, E.J. (1999). Good practice in student affairs.
Principles to foster student learning. San Fransisco: Jossey Bass
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Barrat, W. (2001) Models for Evaluating Student Affairs Web Sites. Student
Affairs online, vol. 2, No. 2
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Barr, M..J. & Desler, M.K. (2000). The handbook of student affairs
administration. San Fransisco: Jossey Bass
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Hamrick, F.A., Evans N.J., : Schuh, J.H. (2002) Foundations of student affairs
practice. San Fransisco: Jossey Bass

Parsons, A. Hernandez, J. (2003) Creating student centered web pages for
incoming and new students. Student affairs online, vol 4 , No.1
Respectfully submitted for your review by:
Amy MacMannis
Heather Shaughnessy
Kim Kenniston
Alicen Demelo
From Bridgewater State College