BET ON IT: Design Your University Web Site To Enhance Your Admissions Goals

Introductions and Brief History

Team Members:

• Damond Nollan

• Derek Brinson

• Darin Tyler

• Michael Render

• Teccara Carmack

• Chesiree Mooring

Overview:

• Where We Were

• Where We Are

• Where We’re Going

Web services history

• The Upside

– Largest increase in enrollment in any university’s history during this same period

– Our website’s reliability, usability, and overall quality increased in the same period that our enrollment increased by record numbers (Howard University DLL Study)

– One of the first universities to broadcast live commencement activities

– WNCU 90.7 FM

– Established Web Internship Program (W.I.P.)

• The Downside

– No Web Standards/Policy, No Consistency

– Difficult to Navigate

– Information was hard to find and often times outdated

– NCCU’s administrators ran web content, thus turning the web into a large administrative document.

• How is that a problem? Administrators do not enroll; students do.

– Under resourced

– Unmanaged

– Under valued

– Browser compatibility issues

Where We Were

• Where We Were

– Web Team started as team of one that was lead by a committee

– All work was done on a part time bases as a part of desktop support services

– Web projects where not determine by priority, but by “who do you know” or “first come, first serve basis”

– Some departments handled their own content and design. Others outsourced design work, but lacked the technical maturity to maintain the content.

• As a result, ITS performed maintenance work on unfamiliar sites, in turn, increasing the level of difficulty.

• When and Why Did It Get Better?

– Decision makers recognized the need to manage our website.

– Today, a cohesive top-notch website is not a luxury - it is a necessity.

– NCCU began the life-long process of learning to leverage the web site as a business tool.

Lessons Learned

• Make Your Right Hand Talk to Your Left

– All departments should be trying to go into the same direction

– Effectively communicate your enterprise web strategies

• Get Real Web Expertise

– Web Manager

– Developers

– Designers

– Content Writers

• Give Experts the Backing of Policy

• Deliver Comprehensive Enterprise-Wide Web Services

• Adhere to web standards

– Better cross-browser compatibility

• Management Content Effectively

– Internal vs. External Content

– Centralize and consolidate information. This Creates Ease-ability to manage content. Duplication leads to Inaccuracies.

– Prioritize content

– Know the difference between Static and Dynamic

– Content Management vs. Business Management

– When NCCU’s web site content was run by our administrators, it became a big administrative document. How is that a problem? Administrators do not enroll.

Lessons Learned (cont’d)

• Create Compelling and Relevant Content

– Create Professional Quality Graphics

– Keep Content Up-To-Date

– Remove Clutter

• Be concise. Web user’s do not read – they scan.

– Improve Information Architecture

• Increase Usability and “Findability”

Where We Are

• Resources and Tools– S.C.R.U.M.– Web Liaisons– Student Web Services Internship Program– Google Analytics– Feedback Application– Streaming Media– Content Management System

• Cohesive Web Strategy – Acquiring advocates (professorate, administrative,

student, etc.) of the university web strategy– Web Liaisons

• Fulfils our need to collaborate with campus representatives

• Content is managed by those who know it best

– Maintaining a consistent vision and agenda across different teams and different levels of management

– Creating a unified web presence• Uniform look on all pages

– Developing policies and guidelines– Prioritized our services towards Prospective

Students– Meet the needs of the University vs. the needs of

a single department. • All Boats Rise

Where We Are (cont’d)

Web Applications

Where We’re Going - The Future

• More efficient Web-based applications

• Creating a Web Presence for Mobile Devices

– Apple iPhone & iTouch

– BlackBerry

– Windows Mobile and other Smart Phones

• Utilizing Cloud Computing

– Google Apps,

– Eye OS

– Aviary

• Better implementation of Web 2.0

– More than just a pretty face

– Application based web design driven by compelling content

– Refocus on content

• Content is king

• Data Warehousing for Business Intelligence and Predictive Analysis


For NCCU, The Future is B.I.: Business Intelligence,Data Warehousing, Data MiningPredictive AnalysisDefinitions:

Turning data into information and information into knowledge. Utilizing enterprise data to make decisions of value to your business.


Today, BI is in a similar place that the WWW was circa 1990

– Fortune 500’s current BI expenditures resemble their Web expenditures in early ‘90s

– Why is this important?


Q: How Are We Doing?

A: From last year’s ____ Report…


Q: How Are We Doing?

A: From last year’s ____ Report…


How Are We Doing?

”Last week’s numbers and trends indicate…”


How Are We Doing, *Now*?

As available ScorecardRight This Instant! Dashboard

• Overall Retention Rate – by Class, by Residence• GPA or Drop/Add Rate – by Class, Overall, by Major• Research Money In vs. Out• Turnover Rate of Faculty and/or Staff• Time to Graduate (AKA “Length of Stay”)


B.I. is not just for execsStudents also ask, “How am I doing?”

• The Obvious Questions– GPA– Percentile Rank– Total Amount Due (with drill down to particulars)

• Map residence addresses by block• “Students Who Took This Class Also Liked…” (Amazon app)

Better Service = Better Retention


Online Reporting is only the Beginning of B.I.

• Data Mining– Consider Harvard Business Review Study

Diapers and Beer Valuable Business Decisions

• Predictive Analysis– Modeling the Future

What if…?


How You Can Leverage BI, Today You already own the data Now, make it work for youYour competition is


The Big Uneasy

Does all of your data come from the same source?

• Data Integration• Data Governance• Data Management


Data Integration

Pull today’s data together coherently

• ETL Tools• Data Mappings

Putting this cart before the horse causes many a BI project to fail.


Data Governance

C-Level Management setting policy for the entire enterprise/institution

• Data Standards• Culture Change• Top Down (the tail can’t wag the dog)


Pitfalls & Caveats:Remember that, Do-It-Yourself BI will only take you so far Get the expertise– No need to re-invent the wheel– Vendors with experience in higher education

One Size Does NOT Fit All– Understand your data, fir$t– New skill sets need to be part of the BI Team– Database Admin <> Subject Matter Expert <>

Business Analyst <> Data Architect


Be Patient

• Not a magic bullet• Will not be ready overnight• Can be part of an agile environment, with small,

incremental implementations

BI is a program, not a project

BET ON IT: Design Your University Web Site To Enhance Your Admissions Goals

Technology

web content

web team

web standardspolicy

web users

nccus web site content

web internship program

relevant content

external content