The WIP project is looking to make improvements across the web channel over the next 12 -18 months and includes the subjects and programme areas as well as the faculties and schools.
The current focus for the project has been to look at groupings of subjects. The project team has been working with your colleagues across faculties and schools to better understand how we can cluster them into a higher level groupings we are calling topics.
Following discussion with Adrienne McGovern-Wilson and Kristina McGuiness-King, you have been recommended as the key staff members to join a discussion on the grouping of ‘government and politics’. If you have any questions please let me know.
Discussion items
Item
Notes
Background
The web improvement project phase 2 (WIPII) is addressing a number of improvements across the web channel
The aim is to centralise content for courses, subjects and programmes on homesite. This will involve moving the content out of the faculty and school sites, to create one source of the content going forward to maintain
Another project (outside of the web team) called Course Information Project (CIP) will be managing the course offerings, and there are some changes on the web which will be running over the next few weeks.
Changes to the groupings of subjects from a marketing perspective are being reviewed
This is based on the 120 + subjects currently provided on the web, and feedback from user research which suggests that the subject groupings don't make sense
The term 'Topics' has been proposed as a way to group subjects at a higher level and reducing the overall list of areas to review. This term may or may not be visible to students
The current proposal includes 47 topics that group 127 subjects
At the highest level the subject offering can be represented by 15 sets of subjects, 5 being topics and 10 being groups of topics
This approach is not trying to change the academic structure in anyway, but to focus on the user and their ease of finding areas of study they are interested in
All topic groupings and the names are flexible and can be changed.
Government grouping
The idea of the term Government came from the user research which have grouped subjects from two schools, and two faculties
There was some discussion around names of groupings, and whether 3 topics are required
It was suggested that if there were just two topics, these would be public policy and political science and international relations
Kristina noted that social policy would go best with sociology.
Jon fed back concern around the drop off of courses in particular areas, and whether these groupings would impact this
In political science there are 4 areas - other departments may provide a large part of the offereings some of these areas. There is concern over losing these connections, and weakening other connections with programmes
The topic pages will note related topics, and these should expose relationships and guide people
Also noted that it is currently difficult to visualise and exposing the wireframe (early visual representation of the user interface) going forward would be useful
Other discussion included using similar terms for the headings of topics, which would then suggest that this is the study of....., as opposed to using terms like creative
It was questioned whether the topic and subject headings we used would be recognised by high school students? For example would the term Government or Policy be more recognisable by future students?
User research to date has confirmed that the terms are usable, however further testing is under consideration.
Consultation
User research to date, has included school leavers and current students
Discussions with faculty and school staff to date have been at the more granular subject level, but it was acknowledged it will not have included all academic staff
Sarah noted there is a meeting with Jennifer (FHSS PVC) next week to discuss the WIPII project further
Chrissi noted that meetings with PVC's will be held in due course to bring them up to speed on developments
The consultation to date has allowed the groupings to settle into an initial agreement, however they will then require further consultation and approval
The final process for this is likely to be agreed with PVC's and Madeleine Setchell
Sarah suggested that presenting the FMT group would be of benefit, and perhaps preparing a summary to heads of schools in advance of this
The wireframe for Topics could be presented in this forum, but Chrissi noted is cannot be circulated as needs to be presented with context in its current early form
Paul will updated the structure of the groupings and circulate to the group post meeting.
