Status: FINALISING IN PROGRESS

Consultation notes

• We will speak to people by topic wherever possible - ie, people who know about architecture overall, not specialists in each of interior, landscape and history. (However, we will need subject-level detail - so, if necessary, we can follow up by speaking to subject specialists.)
• We prefer to do interviews one-on-one. Anne and Sam may observe each other's interviews initially to make sure we're on the same page and to refine our process and messaging. 
• We'll record the interviews unobtrusively (but with consent). 
• We will give them information about the interview in advance, including an overview of our questions. We will discuss the background to this work in person.
• We will give them tasks after the meeting, including:
  • Related topic mapping to check
  • Programme mapping to check
  • Sourcing media or stories
• We will talk about the People and Stories items at the end of the interview, rather than throughout. We'll sum up the key points and ask them to think about or find stories to illustrate those points. If that seems too hard, we will ask them to collect all recent profiles and send them to us.

Process flowchart 

Checking and review process

We want this to be as simple as possible:

• Review and sign-off will be carried out by the main interviewee (eg, the HOS). 
• They may wish to consult with the comms advisor or another colleague if necessary, but we'll request that the draft isn't widely circulated and changed.
• We'll be very clear, in advance, what is required from them in review and sign off (eg, factual check rather than rewrite of text).
• We'll use one-on-one meetings to get any feedback.

Who we'll to speak to

• Head of the relevant school
• Another staff member with a strong vision and some authority: perhaps a Deputy HOS, Associate Dean, senior or leading academic staff or outreach staff member.
• We may talk to students if we don't get a wide enough range of information from staff.  

Background for interviewee

About the project

We're working to improve information about subjects and programmes on Victoria's website.

Our research

We assessed existing Subject pages on the Victoria website and in our publications, and noted the following:

• Most provide very little space (between a couple of sentences and a few paragraphs) to tell students why they should study that discipline at Victoria.
• There are over 140 subject pages that prospective students must look through.

We reviewed the websites of other universities to see how they approach discipline information online.

We talked to school leavers to understand what they want to know when they visit a university website.

We created a content strategy for online subject information that better meets their information needs and allows us to engage and inspire them. 

What's changing?

Subjects are being grouped with other subjects into thematic pages we call 'topic' pages. These provide a compelling overview of what Victoria has to offer in the discipline, detail on each subject that sits within it, and information on careers.

The information about degree and major rules that is currently on subject pages will be moved to the relevant degree pages, so students don't need to be across multiple locations to figure out how their degree will work. 

Topic pages will be simple and engaging. They will provide a clear information pathway to relevant degrees, or to course planning advice.

Topic pages with multiple subjects have four sections: A general 'About' section; a 'Subjects' section with information about each individual subject; 'Careers' (by subject); and 'People and stories'. 

The subjects section may be omitted on topic pages that describe just one subject.

Example topic page

Interview questions

As with our research with students, this can be much more conversational than it appears here.

Key questions to kick off our conversations are in bold. Prompts are beneath. 

About (general - topic level)

What is special about studying <X> at Victoria?

We aim to hear about 2-4 points of difference. 

• What puts Victoria ahead of other universities, in relation to this area of study?
• What are Victoria's strengths in this area of study?
• What does Victoria have to offer prospective students who are interested in <X>?

Other prompts

How about...

• The learning environment/location/facilities
• 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.

Tell us about your students - what are they like?

• What are the issues they take out of the lecture theatre (lab/studio) and think about?
• What what do they learn – as in understand? 
• How does studying <X> change them? 
• How do they experience studying <X>? 
• What are some of the great comments you're always hearing from students about studying <X>?

What we're looking for

Content that we can use to create strong intros - like these from Stanford University: 

• Chemists at Stanford imagine a world in which AIDS is a curable disease and the next generation of energy comes from sheets of matter no thicker than a single atom.
• Maths students at Stanford carry a problem out of the classroom and into their day, thinking about it in the library or their dorm rooms, scribbling on chalkboards and napkins as they work toward a solution.
• When is humanitarian intervention justified? What motivates foreign aid policies? Does democracy work? These are some of the questions Stanford political science students grapple with as they push beyond punditry and headlines to understand the complex political systems of our globalized world.

Subject level

About the subject

What is <X>? 

• Eg, the dictionary definition. <X> is the study of...
• What does this subject include? 
• Are there any big misconceptions about this subject?
• What's interesting about <X>?

Victoria's strengths

What are Victoria's strengths in <X>?

• What is unique about <X> at Victoria?
• What do we have to offer students who enrol in <X>?

Student experience

What's it like to study <X> at Victoria, from a student's perspective?

• Why would I choose to study <X>? / Why would I pick this over another major?
• What skills will I gain?

What kind of person (school leaver) might be interested in <X>?

• Personality traits
• School subjects
• Learning style
• Hobbies they enjoy.

Note: Avoid getting into discussions about dry, non-marketable content such as graduate attributes.

Careers

We don't need to cover this in detail: most information is on the Careers website. 

What are the career opportunities like in this field? 

• What are the main roles people are going into at the moment? What do they do in these roles?
• Who are they working for (eg, government, firms...)
• What’s the market/workforce like at the moment? Are graduates getting relevant jobs?
• How do they become professionally registered/affiliated etc - what do they need to do?
• How are Victoria graduates regarded by employers? 
• Fun facts - if any spring to mind.

Note: Avoid getting into discussions about dry, non-marketable content such as how students will learn teamwork skills. 

Post-interview tasks

People and stories

• Student experiences
• Student work examples
• Alumni stories
• Lecturer profiles (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?)