Date: 13 August 2015 

Minor revision: 16 October 2015

Topic groupings

What?

Topic groupings are a new concept that has been developed by the WIP2 project team. 

The goal of topic groupings is to reduce the number of separate subject pages on the Victoria website (currently 140), helping users find their area of interest much faster and making it easier for them to explore related areas.

Where?

Topic groupings and the associated topic pages will be located in Future students.

When?

Topic groupings and new topic pages are a key output of the 'Courses, subjects and programmes' work in WIP2, which is currently in the Discovery phase.

Why?

There are currently a high number of subject pages (140). These are not user focused and have no clear relationship with one another or call to action.

How?

Topic groupings provide a starting point from which prospective undergraduate students can explore areas of study. They are organised under about 15 master topics (also called 'mega topics') for ease of navigation and so that Victoria's offerings can be taken in at a glance. 

From a master topic, a prospective student can follow a 'funnel' through a relevant topic page to a relevant programme page.

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When the work is finished, subject pages will no longer exist separately on the Victoria website. Information about programmes that is currently in subject pages will be amalgamated into new undergraduate programme pages.

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Content strategy: Topic page

Purpose

• Topic pages are a primary tool for online 'discipline' marketing at Victoria.
• Created for prospective undergraduate students, they demonstrate what Victoria has to offer in relation to the discipline and why it is the university they should choose.

Alignment with strategic priorities

Topic pages will help Victoria:

• Increase the total number of enrolments; including enrolments by Māori and Pasifika students; and enrolments by international students.

Outcomes / Call to action

After reading a topic page, a prospective student is likely to do one of the following:

1. Decide to study in that discipline at Victoria. They'll go on to explore relevant degree options, then apply/enrol (ideally, with some assistance from a student advisor)
2. Like the sound of Victoria but realise the discipline isn't right for them. They'll go on to explore other areas of study at Victoria
3. Contact Victoria by email or phone for help with decision making, course planning or enrolment.

Target audiences

Primary audience

Prospective undergraduate students:

• Secondary students (domestic) - from Wellington and other regions, and including Māori and Pasifika students
• International students.

Secondary audiences

• Secondary students' influencers: teachers, parents, careers advisors
• Students considering returning to study at Victoria in a different discipline after some time away
• Students considering transferring from another university to a matching or different discipline at Victoria.

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Content plan

Main content

The topic page consists of four content areas:

About

1. Compelling intro statement that engages the prospective student and tells them what the broad topic area is about.
2. Marketing-type content outlining Victoria's strengths in the topic area. Presented as short bites, with each piece supported by a media item (eg, image, slideshow, video or student quote). More lengthy content is managed using a show/hide function.

Subjects

For each subject:

1. Informal definition - what is it? 
2. What you'll learn - perhaps describing the progression from year 1 to year 3. 
3. Sometimes, how you'll learn - eg, descriptions of lab or studio work.

Supported with quotes and media items.

Careers

1. Market trends - only if positive. Careful wording. 

2. Where you might work - eg, manufacturing, government, service industries.

3. What you might do - name of job then describe what they do. 

Content based on Victoria’s Graduate Destination Surveys and CareerView publications.  

Answers the questions: What kind of work will I do? What will it be like? How will I make a difference in the world?

May include 'Facts' to add interest and 'break up' dense blocks of text.  

People and stories

1. Student stories (from existing publications - faculty handbooks, Guide to Undergraduate Study, Guide to Postgrad Study - looking at the current year and also last year)
2. Lecturer profiles (existing or create new).

Short quotes in the text link to the full versions on this page. 

• Aim for a mix of genders and interest areas.
• Postgrad stories are fine as long as they are relevant.
• Organise under headings where necessary - eg: Lecturer profiles, Student profiles OR Architecture, Interior Architecture, Landscape Architectures.
• Within these, organise by order they appear in the text.

Don't use every profile that's available. Aim to have about four or five per topic page, unless it has diverse subjects (like Architecture).

Content approach

• A blended marketing/informational approach.
• "Show, don't tell". Provide facts and examples to demonstrate what's great about studying this discipline at Victoria.
• Refer to the WIP2 research into secondary students' needs to understand what they need to know: craft the content accordingly.

Content style

• Rich multimedia content with multiple focal points down the page - using images, quotes, video and infographics.
• Minimal use of text on About page - while ensuring students get enough information to make this important life decision.
• Lots of stories and examples.

Content tone

• Plain language
• Informal
• Concise.

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Web addresses (URLs)

The URL pattern for a topic page should be: 
/study/[topicname] 
For example, www.victoria.ac.nz/study/architecture

International **

Should topic pages be developed specifically for international audiences, the URL pattern should be: 
/international/study/[topicname] 
For example, www.victoria.ac.nz/international/study/

**No decision has been made as to whether separate topic pages will be written for international audiences.

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Appendix 1: User journey

Topic pages provide a broad starting point for prospective students wishing to explore undergraduate ('first degree') options.

Pathways from the topic page:

• If the topic isn't of interest, the person may explore other topics.
• If the topic is of interest, the person is likely to want to learn about relevant degrees.

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'Reverse' links will be provided between related pages - eg, from an undergraduate programme to a related topic.