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Acknowledge the lack of a voice from VBS.
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Key points
- 'Current students' section of site - not used by current students? (Ref. analytics report below)
- Lack of trust in the content - perception by three students that web content may be inaccurate or out of date
Use the Vic site (and F&S) for a very limited range of tasks: info on courses, staff profiles (largely for room numbers) and shortcuts to other tools.
- Use of F&S sites by undergrads - only for staff profiles. They aren't looking at the homepages.Even the most engaged students are not interested the news F&Ss produce. They do like to hear big uni news though.
- Lack of trust in the content - perception by three students that web content may be inaccurate or out of date.
- 'Current students' section of site - not used by current students? (Ref. analytics report below)
- F&S pages dominating and muddling search results.
- Can't understand why information is spread between a 'main' site and F&S sites. Wish it was all in one place.
Use of the Vic site (and F&S) for a very limited range of tasks: info on courses, staff profiles (largely for room numbers) and shortcuts to other toolsNews: Even the most engaged students are not interested the news F&Ss produce. They do like to hear big uni news though.
Course finder: Students need more detail about a course - a stronger description of what it is about. Lack of content has a very high impact on students.
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Expectations
What were their expectations prior to coming to uni?
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One student said he uses 'Current students' to access key dates. (Commented that there were too many clicks to get there.)
Below: Analytics report, top pages in 'Current students', June 2015
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Improvements
Students liked the newer parts of the site - in terms of both the design and the content.
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"Very informative. You can find out everything about everything. But do you need to?"
Vic site isn't for me?
One student commented that: "The homepage is geared heavily towards people who don't yet study at Vic."
The Masters student said the Vic site is for undergrads.
Content unreliable
Three students commented that they don't trust the website content to be accurate / up to date. (This perhaps relates to course information and older parts of the site.)
"After looking at papers online I often send an email to someone. I can't rely on the website, I don't feel like it's up to date. I feel like I can't trust the website."
The Masters student commented that the student featured on the homepage of the School of Psychology site (Ben) "left three years ago". In terms of Masters information: "If you do find something, then it may be outdated."
Information they'd find useful
Information on postgrad requirements
Information current students would like to see
- Profiles from past students: "I like to see where people have been taken and what happens to them after graduation".
- Overview of where you're heading and what skills you'll have at the end. (Careers and job info.)
- Information on postgrad requirements.
Faculty and school sites
- Doesn't use the faculty site: 4 students
- Doesn't use the school site: inconclusive
One very web-savvy student (year 2) said she hadn't been aware of separate F&S sites.
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Most had never looked at the F&S site homepages: they found staff profiles via search.
One student commented that having a range of locations for information was really very confusing. "Everything should be on the main site. Schools, faculties and Vic should all be one. We are all one university. I don't see why it can't all be the same thing. And it is all the same thing. We are one university and there is no reason why it can’t all be together."(One very web-savvy student said she hadn't been aware of separate F&S sites.)
Staff profiles
Used Current students use them for:
- Room number
- Pic of the person
- Selecting supervisor for PG.
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Students need more detail about a course on the page - a stronger description of what it is about. This was a clear trend, and apparent in the testing with school students too.
Impact on student: One student said she has made lots of changes to course choices because she doesn't have enough info about what a course will cover: "You find out what they're about when you're into them". She has withdrawn from courses and changed courses, but the deadline is 2 weeks after they start. Sometimes she's had a fail recorded and incurred fees if she did it too late. Wants her GPA to be high and it is affected by this.
News
Interested Overall, a lack of interest in news from Victoria.
Might be interested in:
- Student politics - news from VUWSA (3 students)
- Big news about Victoria's achievements (2)
Research across the university (as well as in their area) (3).
(but do they go to the Vic website looking for this?)
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Events
As above - a trend over the students indicating a lack of interest in events at Victoria.
Might be interested in:
- Research - symposiums, colloquiums, talks relevant to their area (3)
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Future plans
Thinking about career and employment
| School | 2-3 students. Because of influence of parent. |
| Year 2 at uni | 1 |
| Year 3 at uni | 2 "What next" |
Careers and employment
When did they begin thinking about their career, and future employment?
(Not all students were asked this question.)
Two students had first thought about careers/employment while at secondary school. This was because a parent influenced them.
One year 2 and one year 3 student indicated that they were starting to think about careers/jobs a little more seriously now. They'd like to understand about the job they'd do - eg: "Do I want to work in a lab, to I want to work with people, do I want to work away from people?"
Thinking about postgrad study
When did they begin thinking about PG study?
(Not all students were asked this question.)
Two students were thinking about this in year 3 and had made a determined effort to push up their grades.
Masters
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experience
Talked about the The Masters' experience: student believes that postgrad Masters students are "isolated" and "lonely". They will be in their own office with maybe one other. Would like a hub or network or something.
Lack of info on what is required (after enrolment).
have an office which they may share with one other - and their only lecturer contact is with their supervisor.
Talked a lot about the lack of information on what is required / the process to follow. "When you start putting it together in the last few months, that's when you realise how much you don't know." (about the process). Needs info about what's expected. "Existing info can contradict itself."