Abstract

Though some anecdotal information exists concerning website development at higher education institutions little research has been conducted in this area. Research indicates that the web has become a primary means of communication between these institutions and prospective students. An institution's website often provides its first impression to college bound students and influences whether or not that student will apply for admission. Since the size and quality of a higher education institution's entering class is dependent upon its applicant pool it seems obvious that institutions would take great care to assure their website is effective.

Research is needed to determine what characteristics contribute to a successful website in higher education institutions. The need for an effective website is particularly true for religiously affiliated institutions, as they are keenly interested in finding and accurately informing prospective students that are a good fit for their programs.

The purpose of this research was twofold: to determine optimal ways for higher education institutions to make design decisions for their websites; and to measure the attitudes of a sample of selected institutions' client base with regard to specific web design elements. This study identified the perceptions of two different populations with regard to specific design criteria.

The results of this study revealed that none of the participating institutions had an official style guide for their website. All of the institutions spoke of design inconsistencies within their website resulting from lack of guidelines and controls. The study also showed that most of the institutions perform no measurements of the effectiveness of their website.

Students and institution representatives have similar views with regard to what's important in a website. The main differences seem to be that students desire speed and visual interest while the people responsible for web development are focused on accuracy and quality.

Greater attention needs to be directed toward defining measurable goals for higher education institution websites, establishing policies governing design and content, establishment of protocols for effective decision making, and ongoing testing for effectiveness and usability.