From One To Many: Using A Multi-site Approach To Address The Complex Needs Of A College Of Education Website

Session Description
A website is one of the most important tools a college can use for marketing to prospective students (Kelly, 2019). The College of Education (COE) at the University of Hawaii at Manoa is currently redesigning its website to better serve its complex needs. The COE consists of eight academic departments, two research units, 196 faculty, over 1800 students, 58 program and track options, and is involved in various projects. Providing accurate, thorough, and up-to-date information to the COE’s varied audiences had become too complex for its single website. Through a needs analysis, the COE’s web design team identified design requirements that allowed COE units to communicate directly with their stakeholders, align with COE branding, and benefit from the COE’s technical support. In response, the team utilized a multi-site approach of interconnected and templatized subsites that support consistency, yet provide options for customization.

Expected to be completed in Summer 2020, the site is being built in phases that allow for making revisions based on feedback. In Spring 2020, the web design team will be conducting a usability study to determine whether website visitors are able to accomplish the common goals of prospective students. Methods will include participant observation and interviews.

The purpose of this presentation will be to share highlights from the process, the structure of the new site, the results of the usability study, and future site plans. While the results and lessons learned will stem from one College’s experience, it is expected that the implications will be applicable to other institutions.

Presenter(s)
Faye Furutomo
Faye Furutomo, UH–Manoa, HI
Faye Furutomo is a project manager and designer, specializing in web development and instructional design projects. She has been with the UH Mānoa College of Education since 2008, serving as web designer and program manager for Distance Course Design & Consulting (DCDC), an award winning design and development team. She is also currently pursuing her PhD in Learning Design & Technology at UH Manoa. In addition, she is a certified Project Management Professional (PMP) and earned her MBA from the Shidler College of Business, BA from Wheaton College in Illinois, BFA from the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa, a Certificate of Online Learning and Teaching (COLT) from the Learning Design & Technology department. Faye is interested in the fields of project management, leadership, strategic planning, design and is passionate about improving higher education for Hawaii’s current and future generations.
Michelle Carino
Michelle Carino, UH–Manoa, HI
Michelle Carino is a graphic designer with experience in branding, marketing, print, and web. She worked with non-profit organizations, with ad and design agencies, and in-house. Since 2011, she’s served as an art director/user interface designer at the College of Education. She graduated from the University of Hawai’i at Mānoa with a Bachelor in Fine Art and is currently working toward a master’s degree in library and information science.
Ariana Eichelberger
Ariana Eichelberger, UH–Manoa, HI
Dr. Ariana Eichelberger is an Associate Specialist and Instructional Designer in the College of Education. Eichelberger manages the Instructional Support Group of the College and coordinates the College’s faculty professional development program. As a faculty member of the Department of Learning Design and Technology, Eichelberger teaches graduate and undergraduate courses in instructional design and technology integration. She is also an instructional designer with the COE’s Distance Course Design and Consulting group (DCDC).
Session Type
20-Minute Session
Audience
All Audiences

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