This deck was originally presented at Confab Higher Ed 2014.
Majors, degrees, and programs ... these are the products that colleges and universities offer, and the act of earning a degree is a life-changing experience for most people. Why, then, are so many major, program, and degree pages on .edu sites so long, lackluster, or lifeless?
This session focused on the content needed to create better user experiences for prospective students browsing major, degree, and program pages. We looked at the assessment, planning, collaboration, and governance needed to get it done!
7. Program listings are the top priority for
prospective students – according to them!
8. 22.5%
15.0%
7.5%
0%
30.0%
First content targets on
college and university websites
Academic program/ major listing Cost Academic program/ majors details Financial aid Scholarships Enrollment/ admissions information Housing details
Students Parents
Source: Noel-Levitz
9. How can you demonstrate value?
29%
22%
16%
How can colleges and universities
demonstrate value?
18%
Seniors
Parents
4%
33%
25%
32%
6% 5%
Academic program content Testimonials Statistics (job placement/grad schools) Videos Calculators
Source: Noel-Levitz
17. The average cost (tuition and fees) of one year of
college as an undergraduate in 2013–2014:
$30,094 – private colleges & universities
$22,203 – public universities, out-of-state
$8,893 – public universities, in-state
Source: Collegeboard
18. For four years:
$120,376 – private colleges & universities
$88,812 – public universities, out-of-state
$35,572 – public universities, in-state
Note: financial aid, inflation, average time to complete (about 55 months and variable
based on type of institution) aren’t calculated into the numbers above.
Source: Collegeboard
19. m
• Ranked #1 liberal arts college in the nation
• 17% acceptance rate
• $46,600 per year (tuition and fees)
• Economics is their most popular program
(major for 19% of undergraduate students)
Source
20. Does the design
or content of
this page
demonstrate
the value of
a $186,400
product?
m
21. m
• Very little information for a
prospective student –
majority of page describes
functional requirements for
current students
• Contains references to
students in classes of 2007
and 2008
• No links to apply, request
information, or visit
• Event feed still shows up
when there are no events.
28. Google is handing you targeted leads that don’t
come through your home page or your
admissions pages.
These targeted leads come from search terms.
29. This is the average number of monthly searches for “best college” in Seattle Washington.
30. This is the average number of monthly searches for “computer science degree”
and related terms in Seattle Washington – as reported by Google AdWords.
31. A single specific program search is generating almost 2x the number of leads as a
generic college search. What are they gonna see when they click your program?
32. Program pages have huge potential for
appealing to high-ability students, focused
leads, and/or stealth applicants.
33. The homepage
an all-purpose Swiss Army
Knife for millions of visitors per
year.
The program page
a state-of-the-art surgeon’s tool
designed for a few thousand
visitors per year who are
investigating a specific product.
35. PROLOGUE
Do you have a content strategy for your site yet?
If you don’t know what you need to say about your
institution, then you don’t know what you need to
say about your products.
36. Program pages need
to relate to institutional
strategy as much as
they can.
Examples:
• Engage and solve problems
globally
• Offer experiential learning
• Recruit and grow leaders
• Promote service and
community initiatives
• Support faith-based
learning via a specific
religious pedigogy
38. Pick 5 to 10 examples programs to show your
team why your program pages need to be better.
39. IDEAS
• choose examples from different schools, colleges, and
departments
• do an assessment of a very old program vs. a very new
program
• if you’re a college, do an assessment of a graduate degree
vs. an undergraduate degree
53. Decentralized programs
In this model, the deans and/or content editors
for each department are usually responsible for
maintaining the program pages.
55. Centralized programs
(uncommon)
Program pages live under a
single sections – academics
or admissions.
This model doesn’t require
someone to browse the
department to get to the
program.
Program pages link to
departments.
HOME
ACADEMICS OR
ADMISSIONS
UNDERGRADUATE GRADUATE OTHER
To departments
PROGRAM PROGRAM
PROGRAM PROGRAM
PROGRAM PROGRAM
PROGRAM PROGRAM
PROGRAM PROGRAM
PROGRAM PROGRAM
PROGRAM PROGRAM
PROGRAM PROGRAM
PROGRAM PROGRAM
56. Is it possible to have both models?
Yes – sometimes undergraduate majors and
minors are contained in one centralized location on
the main .edu site and all graduate programs are
contained on the department sites.
57. Why a mixed model?
Up to 50% undergraduates are undecided / undeclared
and up to 80% of undergraduates will change majors.
It doesn’t make sense to take them down into the
college and school level. They need to be able to
navigate all programs.
58. Why a mixed model?
More than 90% of graduate students of will only apply
to one program (though they will apply to multiple
universities). Information outside of the school,
department, or college, may not be relevant to them.
59.
60. 3Assemble a core team to work on
program pages and decide...
... who needs to buy-in to the process.
... who will be writing / editing the pages.
61. Who owns program development?
You’re going to need to work with the deans or faculty.
Meet your new best friends!
64. Anyone who needs to help write needs
to participate in making content models.
65. Make 5some prototypes and test them with
prospective or current students.
This could be your current pages or
concepts for new pages.
66. Prototype testing for
content needs:
Ask questions about
labels, about types of
information are most
valuable, about
what’s missing.
67. 6Set up easy, semantic URLs for redirection
to program pages – so you can promote or
link to programs in marketing materials.
miskatonic.edu/biology
68. Set up 7review cycles.
for program pages need to correspond to
actual curriculum changes.
69. The review cycles for program pages need
to correspond to curriculum changes.
The review cycle for program pages probably
shouldn’t be longer than one year.
71. 22.5%
15.0%
7.5%
0%
30.0%
First content targets on
college and university websites
Students Parents
Academic program/ major listing Cost Academic program/ majors details Financial aid Scholarships Enrollment/ admissions information Housing details
Source: Noel-Levitz
72.
73. Few but
meaningful
choices
Classification (tabs)
Type of degree (as legend)
74.
75. Take action!
Keyword search, only
returns programs
Multiple ways
to the degrees
Multiple ways
to explore
degrees