Undergraduate degree improvement ideas
- Paul Seiler (Unlicensed)
- Joe Lobotka (Unlicensed)
- Jane Young (Unlicensed)
- Nathan Irwin
With over 500 responses we now have sufficient data to consider some improvements. But first, a summary:
UG degree
| Degree | BA | BCom | BE(Hons) | LLB | BSc | BAS | BBmSc | BMus | BTM |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Response proportion | 23% | 15% | 10% | 10% | 13% | 8% | 4% | 4% | 4% |
Closed questions
| Question | Strongly agree | Agree | Disagree | Strongly disagree |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Told me what I needed to know | 24% | 59% | 12% | 5% |
| Found page interesting | 26% | 63% | 9% | 2% |
| Page was easy to use | 31% | 50% | 15% | 5% |
| Clearly identified my next steps | 21% | 54% | 21% | 4% |
Identified next steps by role
| Role | Strongly agree | Agree | Disagree | Strongly disagree |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Secondary school student | 23% | 59% | 16% | 2% |
| University student (UG) | 23% | 50% | 24% | 3% |
| University student (PG) | 17% | 40% | 30% | 13% |
| University staff member | 0% | 24% | 50% | 25% |
| Working in the education sector | 6% | 63% | 22% | 9% |
| Other | 25% | 55% | 12% | 8% |
Respondents
Role | |
|---|---|
| Secondary school student | 37% |
| University student (undergraduate) | 37% |
University student (postgraduate) | 6% |
| University staff member | 1% |
| Working in the education sector | 6% |
| Other | 12% |
Improvements suggested in survey (unless otherwise stated)
| Description of improvement and benefit/value | Effort estimate | Priority (MoSCoW) | Decision | Done | Checked |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
International pop-up not working (Paul: Could it be browser/version or pop-ups blocked?). Often reported, by users in and outside NZ. Benefit is to get our international content in front of the international users.
| Must | Watch | |||
More info for Internationals, why so domestic focused, no specific international info, etc (Paul: People are missing the switcher, so we might need to have a standard block on domestic pages that 'points' towards it or even forces it to open). Frequently mentioned. Benefit is to get our international content in front of the international users. | Must | Analyse | |||
More specific steps on how to apply. Why not an 'Apply' tab as with PG? Often requested. Benefit is clearer next steps and greater consistency.
| Must | Act | |||
School entry requirements (Paul: Many people are missing this but I am unsure why, as it seems clear to me. Maybe they want more specific, as in standard-level information?)). Often requested
| Must | Act | |||
Mark core courses more clearly. And also mark first year courses more clearly. Sometimes the same thing. Both often requested. Benefit is that it is prospective first-year students who need the most help. | Should | Wait | |||
Include requirements for all minors (Paul's rewording, as requested by faculty advisers "Direct link to minor requirements please") Often requested. Benefit is increase visibility and time saving. Minors are increasingly important and part of the Victoria flexibility.
| 2-3 hours | Should | Act | ||
Location where (most) courses are studies (Paul: If at the degree level this is easy and consistent with PG) Benefit is increased clarity and comfort of users. An easy win.
| Should | Act | |||
No visual representation of what degree looks like (Paul: Easy if we re-use GUS images) Often requested. Benefit is increased understanding/clarity, as some people prefer visual aids and it is complicated. Down-side is possible need for annual changes. Team ideas: Nothing just yet | Should | Wait | |||
Include fees/costs for domestic students, as you do for international Often requested. Benefit is that it meets a strong user need and increased consistency. But we need an API source.
| Should | Act | |||
More in-depth information about each major (Paul: link from major back to subject) | Should | ||||
Allow for second major from another degree Often requested. Benefit is that our tool then supports the Victoria flexibility that SRAO promote. | Should | ||||
More course details without leaving this page/tab (e.g. prescription) or more/all related courses (Paul: One of three use cases that a course listing widget could meet, maybe increasing the benefit from this feature). Often requested. Benefit is promoting courses better, or at least increasing their visibility. Course details also enrich subject/degree pages, as the detail does matter to many people. | Should | ||||
| (Joe) Start more detailed tracking of our users to find out how they funnel down through our recruiting app; | Should | ||||
| No information or action available on each major in list on About tab. (Paul: tricky, due to complex 'major selection' logic. Would it help to 'jump' to the major selector even if not open/selected? Or can we have a 'select majors' link but not the major name? | Should | ||||
| Be explicit that electives are/might be required to make up total number of points (e.g. BCom), otherwise readers have to do the maths | Could | ||||
| Online chat | Could | ||||
Printing is only one tab at a time. Can it be both? Would save users time if/when printing. Especially useful o career advisers. | Could | ||||
Anchor links for sharing state/place on page (Paul: Ask Jo if we can/should make these more obvious?) | Could | ||||
Signal on course outline what major it a part of. (Paul: Might be a COO thing rather than /explore/) | Could | ||||
| Exchange and Study Abroad don't seem to feature at all. | Would |