{"id":60,"date":"2017-11-09T21:04:44","date_gmt":"2017-11-09T21:04:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/pressbooks.usnh.edu\/blueprintgsc\/chapter\/navigating-the-college-website\/"},"modified":"2023-04-03T16:43:43","modified_gmt":"2023-04-03T16:43:43","slug":"navigating-the-college-website","status":"publish","type":"chapter","link":"https:\/\/pressbooks.usnh.edu\/blueprintforsuccess\/chapter\/navigating-the-college-website\/","title":{"raw":"Navigating The College Website","rendered":"Navigating The College Website"},"content":{"raw":"<div class=\"textbox shaded\" style=\"text-align: center\">\n\n<em>\"A journey of a thousand sites begins with a single click.\"<\/em>\n\n- Author Unknown\n\n<\/div>\nA college website can be like a cookbook, full of great information and ideas, and can be completely overwhelming. Where do you start? Looking at the pictures? Scrolling down through the information? Can you taste the food in your mind just by looking at a picture? Can you imagine a food just from the list of ingredients? Is the number of ingredients needed to make the recipe exciting or paralyzing? How experienced a cook you are can impact your reaction to the cookbook.\n\nAs you begin navigating new information, remember, world-famous chef and author, Julia Child wasn\u2019t always a great chef!\u00a0 In fact, when she got married, she could barely cook. Experience isn't everything. An open mind is paramount. Let the joy of discovering be your guide.\n<div class=\"textbox shaded\" style=\"text-align: center\">\n\n<em>\"Take risks and you\u2019ll get pay offs. Learn from your mistakes until you succeed. <\/em><em>It\u2019s that simple.\"<\/em>\n\n- Bobby Flay, Master Chef\n\n<\/div>\nThe role of a college website has changed substantially over the past few years. Student expectations for easy, accessible information drives colleges to get as much information online as possible. It also can lead to a battle for what information makes it onto the home page and how many clicks it will take to find what the student is looking for.\n\nStudent services are increasingly utilizing the college website to communicate with students and expecting that students will be proficient in navigating the college website. Students expect\u00a0to easily locate information; this is helped when the college uses logical organization to the information architecture and design of the website. College websites can be very frustrating to new users, especially if the new user is a first-time college student and is unfamiliar with the underlying structure\u00a0of the college system. The people creating the college web site may be very familiar with the way their system works and not see the structure as confusing.\n\nAdding to potential confusion can be the lack of ability to view the entire home page of the college depending on the size of monitor or mobile device the student is accessing the website from. Students are increasingly using smart phones and tablets as their primary viewing device for the Internet. Sometimes key information a student needs may be just out of view on the screen. The experienced user knows to make adjustments, but new users may not. Knowing where and how to get started may not be as easy as the \u201cstart here\u201d button.\n\nLogical arrangement of information for the college\u2019s needs may not be a logical progression of information for the student\u2019s needs. From the college perspective, students come in different groups\/classifications. Here are some examples:\n<ul>\n \t<li>New<\/li>\n \t<li>Returning<\/li>\n \t<li>Transferring<\/li>\n \t<li>Students needing accommodations<\/li>\n \t<li>Local residents<\/li>\n \t<li>Veterans<\/li>\n \t<li>International<\/li>\n \t<li>Non-credit\/Community Education<\/li>\n \t<li>Adult Basic Education<\/li>\n<\/ul>\nEach of these groups can have variations on what their first steps should be. Students aren\u2019t necessarily used to thinking of themselves in terms of these classifications\/groups. It can be difficult for first time students, who may fit into more than one of these groups, to decide which one is the place to start.\n\nMost college websites have a \u201cGetting Started\u201d type button on the home page. After clicking that button, a student begins to make a decision about what category of student he or she is. To an experienced user, this is not an obstacle, but to the first-time college student it may be a barrier. For example, what if a student falls into more than one group or classification? Where does the person fit? The answer may vary from college to college.\n\nIn addition, some college websites may not be mobile friendly so that\u00a0students who are trying to use smartphones\u00a0or tablets may face additional obstacles. Despite the potential difficulties, today\u2019s college students need to become savvy users of the college website and recognize the role it will play in the communication process.\n<h3>Website challenge:<\/h3>\nGo to the Granite State College website at: www.granite.edu.\u00a0 Locate the answers to the following questions.\n<ol>\n \t<li>Where can you find important dates and deadlines for the term?<\/li>\n \t<li>Does the college have a student conduct code? (A document about student rights and responsibilities)<\/li>\n \t<li>Is financial aid available for students who attend the college?<\/li>\n \t<li>Does the website have student success stories and\/or student success tips?<\/li>\n \t<li>Identify a program that you are planning on studying at the college.<\/li>\n \t<li>Can you find the Mission Statement\/Strategic Plan\/Vision of the college?<\/li>\n \t<li>What does the statement say and why is it important to know a college\u2019s mission\/plan\/vision?<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<em>Website Challenge Reflection<\/em>\n<ol>\n \t<li>How comfortable were you navigating the college websites?<\/li>\n \t<li>Did the websites' organization make sense to you?<\/li>\n \t<li>What was your strategy for finding the information you were looking for?<\/li>\n \t<li>What information would you consider most important to you as a student?<\/li>\n \t<li>What suggestions do you have for making the website easier to use?<\/li>\n<\/ol>\nThe college website will be part of your communication system with the college you attend.\n<ul>\n \t<li>What other social media does the college use?<\/li>\n \t<li>As a student, how can you use the college website, social media, and the Internet in general to strengthen you learning community and connections?<\/li>\n<\/ul>\nAs you watch John Green's Ted Talk, think about what information applies to college websites.\n<h3>Video: <em>The Nerd\u2019s Guide to Learning Everything Online<\/em>, John Green at TEDx 2012<\/h3>\nhttps:\/\/www.ted.com\/talks\/john_green_the_nerd_s_guide_to_learning_everything_online\n<div class=\"textbox\">\n<h3>Licenses and Attributions:<\/h3>\nCC licensed content, Previously shared:\n\nLamoreaux, Alise. <em>A Different Road To College: A Guide For Transitioning To College For Non-traditional Students<\/em>. Open Oregon Educational Resources, 2018.\u00a0Located at: <a href=\"https:\/\/openoregon.pressbooks.pub\/collegetransition\/chapter\/chapter-6\/\">https:\/\/openoregon.pressbooks.pub\/collegetransition\/chapter\/chapter-6\/<\/a> \u00a0 License: CC BY: Attribution.\n\nGreen, John. \u201cThe Nerd\u2019s Guide to Learning Everything Online.\u201d TED Talks, uploaded by TEDxIndianapolis, 22 July 2015. Located at: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ted.com\/talks\/john_green_the_nerd_s_guide_to_learning_everything_online\">https:\/\/www.ted.com\/talks\/john_green_the_nerd_s_guide_to_learning_everything_online<\/a>\n\nLicense: CC BY \u2013 NC \u2013 ND 4.0 International.\n\n<\/div>","rendered":"<div class=\"textbox shaded\" style=\"text-align: center\">\n<p><em>&#8220;A journey of a thousand sites begins with a single click.&#8221;<\/em><\/p>\n<p>&#8211; Author Unknown<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>A college website can be like a cookbook, full of great information and ideas, and can be completely overwhelming. Where do you start? Looking at the pictures? Scrolling down through the information? Can you taste the food in your mind just by looking at a picture? Can you imagine a food just from the list of ingredients? Is the number of ingredients needed to make the recipe exciting or paralyzing? How experienced a cook you are can impact your reaction to the cookbook.<\/p>\n<p>As you begin navigating new information, remember, world-famous chef and author, Julia Child wasn\u2019t always a great chef!\u00a0 In fact, when she got married, she could barely cook. Experience isn&#8217;t everything. An open mind is paramount. Let the joy of discovering be your guide.<\/p>\n<div class=\"textbox shaded\" style=\"text-align: center\">\n<p><em>&#8220;Take risks and you\u2019ll get pay offs. Learn from your mistakes until you succeed. <\/em><em>It\u2019s that simple.&#8221;<\/em><\/p>\n<p>&#8211; Bobby Flay, Master Chef<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>The role of a college website has changed substantially over the past few years. Student expectations for easy, accessible information drives colleges to get as much information online as possible. It also can lead to a battle for what information makes it onto the home page and how many clicks it will take to find what the student is looking for.<\/p>\n<p>Student services are increasingly utilizing the college website to communicate with students and expecting that students will be proficient in navigating the college website. Students expect\u00a0to easily locate information; this is helped when the college uses logical organization to the information architecture and design of the website. College websites can be very frustrating to new users, especially if the new user is a first-time college student and is unfamiliar with the underlying structure\u00a0of the college system. The people creating the college web site may be very familiar with the way their system works and not see the structure as confusing.<\/p>\n<p>Adding to potential confusion can be the lack of ability to view the entire home page of the college depending on the size of monitor or mobile device the student is accessing the website from. Students are increasingly using smart phones and tablets as their primary viewing device for the Internet. Sometimes key information a student needs may be just out of view on the screen. The experienced user knows to make adjustments, but new users may not. Knowing where and how to get started may not be as easy as the \u201cstart here\u201d button.<\/p>\n<p>Logical arrangement of information for the college\u2019s needs may not be a logical progression of information for the student\u2019s needs. From the college perspective, students come in different groups\/classifications. Here are some examples:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>New<\/li>\n<li>Returning<\/li>\n<li>Transferring<\/li>\n<li>Students needing accommodations<\/li>\n<li>Local residents<\/li>\n<li>Veterans<\/li>\n<li>International<\/li>\n<li>Non-credit\/Community Education<\/li>\n<li>Adult Basic Education<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Each of these groups can have variations on what their first steps should be. Students aren\u2019t necessarily used to thinking of themselves in terms of these classifications\/groups. It can be difficult for first time students, who may fit into more than one of these groups, to decide which one is the place to start.<\/p>\n<p>Most college websites have a \u201cGetting Started\u201d type button on the home page. After clicking that button, a student begins to make a decision about what category of student he or she is. To an experienced user, this is not an obstacle, but to the first-time college student it may be a barrier. For example, what if a student falls into more than one group or classification? Where does the person fit? The answer may vary from college to college.<\/p>\n<p>In addition, some college websites may not be mobile friendly so that\u00a0students who are trying to use smartphones\u00a0or tablets may face additional obstacles. Despite the potential difficulties, today\u2019s college students need to become savvy users of the college website and recognize the role it will play in the communication process.<\/p>\n<h3>Website challenge:<\/h3>\n<p>Go to the Granite State College website at: www.granite.edu.\u00a0 Locate the answers to the following questions.<\/p>\n<ol>\n<li>Where can you find important dates and deadlines for the term?<\/li>\n<li>Does the college have a student conduct code? (A document about student rights and responsibilities)<\/li>\n<li>Is financial aid available for students who attend the college?<\/li>\n<li>Does the website have student success stories and\/or student success tips?<\/li>\n<li>Identify a program that you are planning on studying at the college.<\/li>\n<li>Can you find the Mission Statement\/Strategic Plan\/Vision of the college?<\/li>\n<li>What does the statement say and why is it important to know a college\u2019s mission\/plan\/vision?<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p><em>Website Challenge Reflection<\/em><\/p>\n<ol>\n<li>How comfortable were you navigating the college websites?<\/li>\n<li>Did the websites&#8217; organization make sense to you?<\/li>\n<li>What was your strategy for finding the information you were looking for?<\/li>\n<li>What information would you consider most important to you as a student?<\/li>\n<li>What suggestions do you have for making the website easier to use?<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p>The college website will be part of your communication system with the college you attend.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>What other social media does the college use?<\/li>\n<li>As a student, how can you use the college website, social media, and the Internet in general to strengthen you learning community and connections?<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>As you watch John Green&#8217;s Ted Talk, think about what information applies to college websites.<\/p>\n<h3>Video: <em>The Nerd\u2019s Guide to Learning Everything Online<\/em>, John Green at TEDx 2012<\/h3>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" id=\"oembed-1\" title=\"John Green: The nerd&#39;s guide to learning everything online\" src=\"https:\/\/embed.ted.com\/talks\/john_green_the_nerd_s_guide_to_learning_everything_online\" width=\"500\" height=\"282\" frameborder=\"0\" scrolling=\"no\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<div class=\"textbox\">\n<h3>Licenses and Attributions:<\/h3>\n<p>CC licensed content, Previously shared:<\/p>\n<p>Lamoreaux, Alise. <em>A Different Road To College: A Guide For Transitioning To College For Non-traditional Students<\/em>. Open Oregon Educational Resources, 2018.\u00a0Located at: <a href=\"https:\/\/openoregon.pressbooks.pub\/collegetransition\/chapter\/chapter-6\/\">https:\/\/openoregon.pressbooks.pub\/collegetransition\/chapter\/chapter-6\/<\/a> \u00a0 License: CC BY: Attribution.<\/p>\n<p>Green, John. \u201cThe Nerd\u2019s Guide to Learning Everything Online.\u201d TED Talks, uploaded by TEDxIndianapolis, 22 July 2015. Located at: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ted.com\/talks\/john_green_the_nerd_s_guide_to_learning_everything_online\">https:\/\/www.ted.com\/talks\/john_green_the_nerd_s_guide_to_learning_everything_online<\/a><\/p>\n<p>License: CC BY \u2013 NC \u2013 ND 4.0 International.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"author":11,"menu_order":1,"template":"","meta":{"pb_show_title":"on","pb_short_title":"","pb_subtitle":"","pb_authors":["alise-lamoreaux"],"pb_section_license":""},"chapter-type":[],"contributor":[63],"license":[],"class_list":["post-60","chapter","type-chapter","status-publish","hentry","contributor-alise-lamoreaux"],"part":59,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.usnh.edu\/blueprintforsuccess\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/chapters\/60","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.usnh.edu\/blueprintforsuccess\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/chapters"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.usnh.edu\/blueprintforsuccess\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/chapter"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.usnh.edu\/blueprintforsuccess\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/11"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.usnh.edu\/blueprintforsuccess\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/chapters\/60\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":61,"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.usnh.edu\/blueprintforsuccess\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/chapters\/60\/revisions\/61"}],"part":[{"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.usnh.edu\/blueprintforsuccess\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/parts\/59"}],"metadata":[{"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.usnh.edu\/blueprintforsuccess\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/chapters\/60\/metadata\/"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.usnh.edu\/blueprintforsuccess\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=60"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"chapter-type","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.usnh.edu\/blueprintforsuccess\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/chapter-type?post=60"},{"taxonomy":"contributor","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.usnh.edu\/blueprintforsuccess\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/contributor?post=60"},{"taxonomy":"license","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.usnh.edu\/blueprintforsuccess\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/license?post=60"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}