Status: FIRST DRAFT IN PROGRESS
Stuff we're still figuring out
- Should we speak to people by topic or by subject?
- Usually by topic. when that won't work we can assess it as we go.
- How many people would we like to speak to at once?
- Start with one-to-one chats.
- What should we ask them to do or prepare before the meeting?
- What homework should we give them afterwards?
- mapping stuff
- Should we talk about people and stories separately or as we talk about other areas of the page?
- To start, ask at the end for people to follow up on finding stories to illustrate the key points. Or just all their stories?
- What will our preferred checking and review process be?
- HOS (or most senior person that we work with) responsible. We want feedback in a one-on-one meeting.
Who we'd like to speak to
- Head of the relevant school
- And... Deputy HOS, Associate Dean, senior or leading academic staff, outreach staff
- Someone with vision and some authority - ideally someone who understands the students, marketing and the subject
- Maybe students.
What we should tell them about
- the project (and CSP in particular)
- their grouping
- why groupings/top[ics?
- WHAT'S CHANGING?
- user research
- our overall goals for topics: simplicity, undergrad focus, user needs, lively, not dry...
the sections of a topic page: About (general), Subjects (by subject), Careers (by subject), people and stories (mixed?)
Anne Nelson (Unlicensed) wireframe screenschots
Pre-interview or post-interview homework
Identify stand-out or award winning projects that students have been involved with. Ideally these would already be profiled online somewhere on the Victoria site (eg. in a news item).
Identify existing media or profiles?
Check programme mapping
Check related topic mapping (would need full list of topics)
Interview questions
Brain dump ATM, filtering.
As with our research with students, this can be much more conversational than it appears here.
About (general)
What is special about studying <X> at Victoria?
Standford stuff
Follow up prompts if necessary. We should aim to hear about 2-4 points of difference. How about...
- the learning environment/location
- opportunities students will have to work with potential employers(real projects, networking, internship programmes, placements...)
- staff - anyone particularly awesome?
- special events (eg. trips, competitions, exhibitions, productions)
- accreditation or affiliations
- Wellington angle
What are some of the great comments you're always hearing from students about studying <X>?
Tell us about your students - what are they like? How do they behave? How does studying <X> change them?
(Sam Motion (Unlicensed) expand from Anne's notes)
About (subject)
Tell us a bit about this subject at Victoria.
- What will students learn?
- What will they be qualified or prepared to do at the end of it?
What's it like to study <X> at Victoria?
What kind of person might be interested in <X>? Eg. personality traits, school subjects, learning style, hobbies they enjoy...
Are there any big misconceptions about this subject?
Note: try to avoid getting into discussions of dry, non-marketable content such as graduate attributes.
Anne Nelson (Unlicensed) to improve
Careers and employment
- General conversation, see how engaged they are.
What are the career opportunities like? Main roles people going into at the moment
Can you tell us about any alumni who have ended up in interesting careers?
What do employers generally think of your graduates?
What sorts of postgraduate study opportunities are their for students and how could those impact their careers?
Note: try to avoid getting into discussions of dry, non-marketable content such as how students will learn teamwork skills.
People and stories
If we hear any good suggestions in other parts of the interview, ask "can you think of any student/alumni/staff profiles that would help illustrate this?"
Do you have any stand-out teachers on staff? Perhaps someone who has won an education award or who students rate well? Do they have a profile?