Gleanings from informal conversations

Purpose

Each faculty was offered the opportunity of an informal catch-up prior to the workshops. The intent was to learn from them anything that we ought to know before we walked in to the workshop (e.g. sensitive topics, major web work or other change initiatives planned, show-stoppers, etc) and for them to ask questions in a private setting (i.e. not in format of all other faculty managers and not in front of their faculty and school staff).

Planning

The table below was created to track the meetings and the names (so many new people)

Findings

The notes below represent a distillation of these conversations and are recorded here so the wider team can read them and comment/augment:

Victoria Business Schools

• Paul met Claire Williams and Ann Thomson on 7/5/15
• Will both be involved, as they have different perspectives and different relationships to other staff and students.
• Their expectation are very much aligned with ours, as to what can be achieved in WIP
  • Schools to retain their identity but become a part of the faculty site
  • Important information needs to be maintained better and only once, but be reused as and where required
  • For their UG students they believe that subject to programme is the discovery journey and then later on can learn about schools and the faculty.
  • They appreciate the confusion for students with information in multiple places, and/or in inconsistent places and formats.
  • Subjects are for marketing (and therefore need marketing expertise to get the content right)
  • Want to promote good work/news/etc, but acknowledge that they need web-literate help to do this well
  • They want students in (following rounds of) workshops, alongside staff, so each users group hears the others
• They see their site as being about growing and supporting a community. Might also apply to schools?
• Schools have a strong sense of identity and are likely to resist anything that undermines or threatens this. They believe this sentiment is so strong that they were (initially) unable to identify even one school representative to invite to the first workshop.
• Feel that PG might need different treatment (they want to market VBS, not subjects, not programmes and not schools)
• Will speak with Dean (Bob Buckle) about WIP being an opportunity to advance his wider management change agenda. He is likely to speak to Madeleine to identify higher level objectives/goals/messages.
  • That said, they believe that he will be a champion of this initiative and help identify key school people to participate in the first workshop (even with the thorny school issue)
• No major web work or major change initiatives planned.
• Keen to have us work with them ASAP.

Architecture and Design

• Paul spoke to Fay Julain on 8/5/15
• Fairly comfortable with the workshop (and too busy) so a phone call was adequate to cover off a few points
• Expects most of the participants to be form their two schools, with 1-2 from the faculty office. 
• Mentioned that their Comms person will start in a week or so would therefore be too new to contribute. Do we suggest that this could be a part of her introduction, if indeed she would have ongoing involvement in this work?
• Warned me that we might encounter quite a strong "disgruntled" sentiment, as the general perception is that the web site does not meet the staff's needs or what they perceive as the student's needs.
  • She feels the planned agenda (so long as we are open to listen) will allow this to surface constructively
• Knows of some "bad blood" or feelings towards earlier (Web Team?) decisions. For example, around the last 1 October enrolment season Course FInder was (re)moved from the homepage without any warning or consultation.
• Heads up on timing: Fay does not think the meeting can be before 18/5 and maybe not until sprint 12. I wonder if this is the same for all faculties?

Science

• Paul met Megan Sellars on 11/5/15
• Johan has asked her to pick this up and run with it. He has les interest in the web work, knows that others have more interest and ability, and trusts them to do a good job.
• While this meeting was in the context of Science, she reports to Mike Wilson (Pro Vice-Chancellor of three faculties (Science, Engineering, and Architecture and Design)) and will seek some involvement across all three of the workshops, even if it is only an awareness or visibility of the progress and content.
• Sam Fisher will also participate
• Believes the timing is good, in that senior staff have been thinking about recruitment, publications, communications, etc. Maybe the web has been seen as a second (and poorer) cousin to the publications (except for international)?
• Will discuss with Dave Harper (Dean of Science) about who best to involve/invite.
• Requested that school staff join the faculty workshop, even if the number goes above 6.
• Psychology is probably the school to watch out for, in that they have done more "unique" things to raise awareness/profile (e.g. staff with WordPress sites to profile their research and publications activities).
  • This school is actively trying to attract good PG students (based on those who want to study a specific thing that Victoria has an expert in.
  • Also of interest because it can be studied in a BSc or a BA (in FHSS).
• Would like to see a clearer marketing focus in the web information (along with content/details (that ought not be in the publications) if and when somebody wants to access it).
• Believes that there is a general excitement about refreshing the web content/style, even if people do not yet know exactly what this means.

Humanities and Social Sciences

• Paul met with Kristina on 12/5/15
• FHSS is large, diverse, has internal tensions and yet is well aware of WIP and keen to improve their web presence.
• Added to this, Education might yet become a part of FHSS. Does this mean we should leave their site until a merger happens?
• School of Music is to be treated as a school within the faculty, even though their site is currently quite separate (branding, structure, cms, support arrangements). Might be notes (prepared when Melissa assisted them revamp their "Study and Careers" section) about this site that we can read?
  • Will need a higher touch engagement model, when their time comes.
  • Have a lot of content. Is it all required on new site?
• Faculty has a good gasp and overview on what school do online, provide guidelines and support, works hard to have good and current content that integrates with other marketing and communication activities, etc
• Some small, focused schools/institutes should be easy to handle while being a test bed for new functionality/approaches.
• Need to identify participants that are not only "technicians" or content editors, but also some who teach, engage with students, think wider, play with technology, etc.
• Will draw in communications perspective and also speak to senior management about any involvement from that level.

Law

• Paul met with Alison Munro, Carol Sorenson and Denise Blackett on 12/5/15
• Faculty and School are tight/on the same page, mostly due to the 1-2-1 relationship.
  • This means working together will be easy, efficient and harmonious.
• Early on the three participants had an "operation level" or compliance type expectations of WIP (i.e. refresh the content). By the end (I believe) they saw this as a "tactical" opportunity.
  • In turn, this raised issues about resourcing (to support the development of their new site)
• They remember previous redevelopments, and not always fondly/positively. A lot of experience and knowledge we can tap in to
  • Some of the memories are of things they wanted previously but were told no/it is out of scope. I encouraged them to share all ideas, as this is the "elicitation" stage - Prioritisation comes later.
• Denise has issues regarding the accessibility of support from the web team, or rather the lack of it (she wants to be listened to). I asked them to share these in the content management session.
• Pathways to employment are important (due to professional body), as is industry and alumini connections
• No not see themselves as similar enough to VBS to share a workshop.

Education

• Chrissi and Paul met with Noeleen Williamson on 13/5/15
• She is on board and prepared for what lies ahead.
• Knows/appreciates that their content/website is not good (too wordy, confused, inconsistent, etc) and sees WIPII as a good opportunity to clean things up
• Seems to be a lot of other change (is this "normal"?). For example, two schools will merge before the end of the year, 150 course will be "renumbered", programme options under considerable flux, etc
• Was unable to find school representatives but will now, after hearing of the importance,  try again
• Their faculty has different dates than others (longer/shorter periods for whatever reasons) that may need special treatment
• Even when two schools have merged in to one, the there will be some remnant of the Kura (for research activities for staff and maybe students) that needs a web presence/expression
• Some staff have strong views (so we encouraged her to invite them, despite her concerns that this might "derail" the workshop).
• Have school staff (where students do placements) as an audience. Might yet have some unique needs?
• Growth in PG ETFS, which she attributes to meeting market demand for more flexible programmes and pathways.