WAG Minutes 23rd April 2004
Present:
Steve Ashurst
Hannah Baldwin
Tim Baseley
Phil Blake
Nick Cope
Chris Garrod
Julian Highfield
Anne Mumford
Amanda Pearce (Sec)
Arif Syed
Carys Thomas
John Town (Chair)
1. Apologies for absence
Tim Rodgers
Alison Freer
2. Minutes of Previous meeting 16.01.04
These were accepted.
3. Matters arising
3.1
Search Engine
The Google search function is ready to implement subject to
licensing being approved by the Registrar.
3.2
Web
Questionnaire – see 4.
3.3
Terms
of Reference for WAG
These were confirmed by the group and will now be sent to
ISC with the minutes from the last two meetings.
Action:
AP
3.4
Broken Links
Departmental links in the on-line undergraduate prospectus are being
checked by CG
Action in
progress: JCH, CG and Simon Mee (Business School, co-opted) to outline possible
mechanisms and procedures at the next meeting and to prepare a short policy
document clarifying responsibilities.
3.5
Currency and
management of the Home Page – see 6
3.6
Possibility
of Foreign Language versions
CG warned that there would be resourcing and maintenance issues to be resolved and has made a preliminary investigation into the current provision (one Chinese language page from the International Office). The meeting focussed on the Chinese as our biggest market but questioned how much provision should be considered, the target audience (students or their families) and the likely benefits to the university. It was agreed that further investigation was needed.
Action: CG to
talk to International Office
3.7
WAG
requirements for ISC bid
Budget bid includes an additional 0.5 post in Media Services to do ad-hoc design work and planned redesigns and a full time post for Web Communications to be based in Publicity Office, the latter being responsible for currency of the home page and requiring appropriate levels of technical expertise. It was feared that the ongoing maintenance needs of the web may not be fully understood and the bid may run into difficulties.
3.8
HEIST report findings
and recommendations
The report highlighted
- Navigation inconsistencies within the Academic Registry’s pages which have been now been addressed.
- The use of the word ‘programmes’ instead of the customer-oriented ‘courses’
o The meeting agreed to recommend that we should use ‘course’, as UCAS does, at initial entry points with an explanation of subsequent terminology in order to be both consistent with university policy and comprehensible to prospective students and their families and teachers. It was not deemed necessary or practical to extend this to paper publications.
- The need to market Loughborough as a place to live and not just as a university
o The meeting discussed adding a section on the top ten reasons for coming here and the possible use of video clips.
- Although it needs to be factual the online undergraduate prospectus would benefit from more imagery.
Action:
CG to provide full list of recommendations and our corresponding responses.
Action:
SA, JCH and CG to catalogue existing video footage, investigate the use of
Daniel Lowdham’s award winning film and explore technical requirements for
using videos.
The results of the questionnaire are encouraging and provide a lot of positive feedback, particularly with reference to navigation. Negative comments included:
- The poor quality of the search engine, which is in hand.
- Computing Services web site: the difficulty in finding information. This is being addressed.
- Consistency across the site and the variable quality of sections
- The imagery on the home page
- The campus map: this is also being addressed and with the imminent arrival of the new online map should be resolved.
- The heavy use of purple.
Action: SA to cost production of new set of
home page images; SA to link new campus map to new map of disabled access being
developed by DANS
Action: AF to
revise visual identity guidelines to address the ‘purple problem’
Action: CG to write executive summary of
the web questionnaire results to go with the report.
Action: JCH to make both the HEIST and this
report available to the web providers on line.
See 3.5
6. Currency of the Home Page
This issue has been discussed off line with External Relations (including Publicity Office) and the Registry. Publicity Office has agreed in principle to take responsibility for the bottom third of the current home page design. Action to address this will depend on adequate resourcing so full discussion awaits the outcome of the budget bid. However it was noted that adopting a .php based content management system for high level, frequently changing pages would allow a great deal of responsiveness and flexibility and also would enable us to meet the expectations of today’s sophisticated teenage market.
7. Redesign of home and top level pages
Pending budget bid
8. LU screensaver from Alumni Office
This was previewed at the meeting and the following was agreed:
- At 3Mb it was thought very large and it was recommended that the number of images be reduced or that two versions be offered. The idea of wallpaper was suggested as another alternative.
- The wording should be made to move to different areas of the screen
- The copyright of certain images was questioned and should be investigated
- Computing Services will be asked about the likelihood of technical problems with the Hall server.
- A disclaimer is strongly recommended.
- The meeting recommended that if these issues are satisfactorily resolved that the screensaver be made available through the Alumni web site and may be promoted through a mini banner when launched.
Action: CT
and SA to liaise with Alumni Office (Emily Rust) to address these issues.
9. Any other business
- CG is developing a feedback form for prospective students.
- It was suggested that Sally Deller be invited to represent the LSU at WAG
Action: AP to approach
-
Advice
to web providers about the use of .pdf files and attachments is nearly
complete.
- Members requested to bring diaries to the next meeting when we will set the dates of the next year’s meetings