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To: Dr. Jessie Moore
From: Katherine Adriaanse, Olivia James, Claire Monaghan,

Emily Steiner, Brittany Wheatley
Subject: Recommendation report for Carolinas WPA website
Date: November 17, 2011


CWPA Rec.pdf


Overview of report

Recommendations received from an unaffiliated group on the current usefulness and possible improvements on a website in the long run help an organization grow by being shown other view points. With that being said, however, this report is not without foundation. By interviewing Dr. Jessie Moore, conducting a survey for the member of Carolinas WPA on the present website, discoursing with other groups working with creating recommendations, researching the organization and analyzing the decisions made for the current website, we were able to better understand the needs of the organization, the audience they website targeted and  the recommendations that would be of most use. We explored and analyzing the website in its current state, learning about its functions, and ascertaining what it is that present members would ideally like to gain from the website in the future. The results from our research are located at the appendix at the end of the report and are used as evidence to support our recommendations throughout the report.

The report is broken down into heading and subheading. The before we go into our recommendations, we will summarize the rhetorical analysis (one of the resources we used to better understand the organization) and summarize the results of the resources used to create this report. Our recommendations are broken down into website revisions, collaboration, and multimedia. At the end of the recommendation list is an anticipated outcome report, in which the outcome of all prior mentioned recommendations work together. The main focus of our recommendation is to make the overall function and format of the website more user-centered as the current one does not convey the professionalism of the organization we believe was intended or desired by Carolinas WPA. While our recommendations may take time and adjustment on the part of members and the audience, we concluded that these changes will benefit the website, the organization, and its members in the long-term.


Summary of Rhetorical Analysis

CWPA was founded in 2003 to encourage communication among colleges and university in North and South Carolina. The website’s purpose is to “to encourage communication among community colleges, colleges, and universities, public and private, in North Carolina and South Carolina.” Carolinas WPA allows regional writing program administrators and teachers to join for free and discuss various topics related to writing instruction and to the administration of writing programs.

This website has two intended audiences: current and prospective members of CWAP. Members of this organization are primarily English and writing teachers from private and public colleges and universities, writing administrators and graduate students in the North Carolina and South Carolina region. They are typically involved in a writing program such as writing centers, writing across the curriculum programs, first-year and second-year writing programs, and professional writing programs. Considering that the members are working through a college or university it can be assumed that most members have reached bachelors degree in English, writing, or education. In addition members would be interested in learning new ways to teach college students to become stronger writers as well as sharing how their program has helped the students on their campus. For current members, their main purpose for coming to the website is to be updated on the two conferences hosted by CWPA annually as well as hear news that isn’t distributed through the mass emails and list serve. Individuals interested in the website come to find more information about the organization, hear about employment opportunities and learn how to become a member. 

The design choices that went into this website were taken from the administrator’s ideas of how accessible the website needed to be for its members. This website had to take the place of a conference room or office setting because the participants are spread out across the Carolinas, so the website needed to help the members relay information to other participants.The content of the Carolinas WPA website is broken into different pages. By going through the different resources on the site and interviewing Dr. Jessie Moore about the site, we learned that most of the announcements went through ListServ rather than posted on the website., The website shows few features that could be described as visual, interactive or multimedia. The most noticeable of these is the header at the top of every page that rotates generic images of nature, plants, and flowers. 

From our research, we concluded that the website of the Carolinas WPA is more system centered than user-centered. Very few members of the organization collaborate on the website, despite the fact that it is an important resource to a group that is spread across a geographically large area.  Members of the Carolinas WPA  contributed various suggestions from a conducted survey which ranged from ideas for a video, to toolbars and menus to allow easier navigation through the site.  Members also suggested that we find a way to allow increased collaboration through the website to keep up with fellow members’ projects, as well as have an area to post potential jobs listings.²


Recommendations

Website Revisions

A potential strategy for easier site navigation is the addition of menus. Elon University’s website utilizes this in a way that we feel is also appropriate for the Carolinas WPA. On the University’s web page, the most important things are at the top of the tool bar--in this example, this includes links to pages for students and faculty, respectively, Elon’s email server, calendars of events, and E-Net, which is a forum for student- and faculty-based events, cultural and otherwise. In terms of the Carolinas WPA website, this could be employed by creating easy-to-access links for aspects of the organization that are of equal importance to its members. 

The Carolinas WPA website would also be more effective if it were easier to navigate by its members.  One way of implementing this is by creating headings that draw in the eye, so that the user is able to find what he or she needs with ease.  The headings should be larger and possibly made bold in order to attract attention, but remain professional and not detract from the rest of the website. In addition, the banner of flowers, while colorful, is not as professional looking, and almost hinders the website from looking as professional as it should for an organization of this stature.

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Figure 1: Elon University’s homepage. Headings catch one’s eye.


Menus:

An appealing aspect of Elon’s header is the use of drop-down menus. These are especially useful if there are subcategories within the headers that would be aid members or other visitors in their navigation of the site. We also feel that it would be helpful to include a “mini-menu” at the bottom of the page with contact information. Menus at the top and bottom of the screen would allow for easier site navigation, and help the website to become more user-centered.  This could include the PO Box or other form of address where members could send things, such as conference registration or payment.

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Figure 2 & 3: Elon University drop-down menus.


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Figure 5: Tag Cloud found on Carolinas WPA website.

Figure 6: Search engine from Elon University’s website 

Figure 7: Search engine from mockup. 

 

On another note, the current layout of the website has numerous categories on the sides of the page and this can be very overwhelming to the user. The website presently has the archives listed on the left side of the webpage. Our recommendation is to move the archives to the right side of the website so that the reader’s eye does not notice the archives first, allowing the reader to explore the website.  The visuals of the website should aid the navigation for the user, not hinder. In the mockup, having a two column setup is more concise and easier to follow than three and the article displayed takes priority in the page. By changing the layout to be more easily navigated and less busy, the website becomes more user-centered in that it puts less stress on the reader to focus on the article and find specific articles.

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Figure 5: Tag Cloud found on Carolinas WPA website.

Figure 6: Search engine from Elon University’s website 

Figure 7: Search engine from mockup. 

 

On another note, the current layout of the website has numerous categories on the sides of the page and this can be very overwhelming to the user. The website presently has the archives listed on the left side of the webpage. Our recommendation is to move the archives to the right side of the website so that the reader’s eye does not notice the archives first, allowing the reader to explore the website.  The visuals of the website should aid the navigation for the user, not hinder. In the mockup, having a two column setup is more concise and easier to follow than three and the article displayed takes priority in the page. By changing the layout to be more easily navigated and less busy, the website becomes more user-centered in that it puts less stress on the reader to focus on the article and find specific articles.

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User-uploaded Content
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User-uploaded Content
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Figure 9: A screenshot of the mock up for the new Carolinas WPA website.

 

According to our research, the most important aspect of the website are the conferences held bi-annually.  Membership is widespread over North Carolina and South Carolina, making opportunities to collaborate outside of the website rare. By looking at the conference section on the website, a new member or non-member would not immediately understand the significance of the conferences as the website does nothing in the way to promote or advertise itself.  The conferences need to have their own label on a new menu so that members are able to find all of the information about the conference in one place. In addition to having the basic information such as, where it is, when it is, and where guests can stay, along with how they can pay for the conference, an itinerary would also be a nice addition to the site for each conference, once plans are made.

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Figure 10: A screen shot of the conference menu.

 

Potential menus that could be utilized by the Carolinas WPA website are numerous, although many center around the semi-annual conferences. Several that we found could be useful include: calendars; an itinerary of what has happened or will be happening at a given conference; an online method of payment for the conferences (rather than current mail system), and a better system of advertisement for conferences. We also concluded that it would be beneficial to the website as a whole to remove the current banners, as we believe they are more of a distraction than an aid.

Contacts:

An aspect we thought would be beneficial to the website, and therefore the organization as a whole, would be to include a list of schools that are participants in the Carolinas WPA program. This would allow both current and prospective members to seek help or contact from other members at nearby schools, or even the same schools. To this end, a contact list for the individuals who represent these schools would be helpful as well. If there is an easily accessible way to get in touch with other members, conversation and collaboration would flourish.  Finally, we feel that a space to review or recommend speakers, both past and present, for the conferences would also be a useful tool, and one that could also serve to generate collaboration in terms of the conferences. These features would create a more user-centered space for members and other visitors to the Carolinas WPA website, as they allow for greater interaction between members in a way that is easy to access, but still functional.

Collaboration

Comments section:

As briefly mentioned in the previous section, another recommendation for the website was the idea of creating more of sense of a collaborative effort.  This can be implemented by asking the members of the group to contribute regularly, but the website can also invite collaboration.  While it is beneficial to the site that members have the opportunity to add comments and posts, it may serve a better purpose if these posts were posted by the members and discussed their individual research projects, or news they have heard related to Professional Writing and the WPA.  If this were to be implemented, the website would be better used to capacity, and prove more effective to the organization.

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Figure 10: An example of a comment box in mockup that could improve collaboration. 


Publication section:

We believe that the CWPA website would benefit from a publication sections where members can post reports and/or success stories of their programs. By publishing reports and success stories of peers’ programs, the CWPA’s website can inspire current members and therefore attract new members. Furthermore, posting success stories of other programs will foster a stronger sense of camaraderie among participants in that they can share their work on a larger platform and be aware of others’ projects. 


Job Announcement section:

The suggestion for a Job Announcement section comes from a CWPA member who responded to the questionnaire our team sent out through listserv; it was one of the items a member wanted to have available to them. From Dr. Moore, our group learned that the job announcements publicized by the community are currently being sent through listserv. The suggestion that a section for Job Announcements be added can either stand alone or be an adjunct to the e-mail. Dr. Moore also informed us that at least one tenor track announcement was submitted annually and that there were a few part-time opportunities listed every semester. Between the information provided by the CWPA member’s answer and Dr. Moore, the recommendation for a Job Announcement section on the website makes sense. By having the job announcements posted on the site, the members who are not interested or who aren’t applicable for the offers are not having their e-mails bogged down.


Multimedia

Video:

We believe that the Carolinas WPA website would greatly benefit from the incorporation of multimedia facets, specifically videos. We suggest the members of the CWPA create a short video, introducing audiences to current members and explaining the goals of the organization in an interesting manner. The addition of a video would help attract attention to the CWPA website. A video could help reignite current members’ passion for the CWPA’s goals by reminding them why they joined the organization in the first place. The video could in fact be the deciding factor for a potential member debating whether to join the organization or not. The Elon website recently put up a short video titled, “Experience Elon”³ to promote the school and attract students. This video subsequently received widespread attention, with over 15,500 views YouTube as of November 16, 2011. We believe that a similar video would help promote CWPA and attract members who otherwise would not be aware of the organization’s existence. This suggestion received a very positive response in our survey. A video could help personalize the organization; one survey taker commented, “We’re a friendly group of folks, who are interested in learning from one another.” ²


Slideshow:

An alternative to a video could be the inclusion of a slide show, detailing facts about the CWPA. Slide shows can be created through the slide share program and would be a simple incorporation of multimedia techniques. We believe that even simple visual aspects, would significantly enhance this website. 


Anticipated Outcomes

A great deal of time was spent exploring and analyzing the current state of the CWPA’s website and we really attempted to understand what the webpage needed to be more user-centered. Through these recommendations, the website of the CWPA will hopefully become a more cohesive, organized unit in which members can successfully navigate through new menus, read about the success of colleagues, learn about the conferences, see a list of other schools who participate in the CWPA and ultimately become part of a more user-centered website. We find that, through the  reorganization and other recommendations we have made in this proposal, the Carolinas WPA website will become a tool that is more accessible and more easily navigable for its members and other, newer visitors to the website. 

These relatively simple changes will create an environment that is focused on the experience of the user, rather than the ease of creation or the system. As a result of this new ease of use, members will be able to more freely communicate with one another in both professional and personal capacities, extending the social space of the organization. This will be especially useful in communication for conferences. This includes reviews and suggestions for speakers, and posting pictures and other types of media and also in correspondence for things such as job opportunities. 

If implemented, the changes we have recommended in this report will enable the Carolinas WPA website to situate the organization in a more modern and effective technological world. This will, in turn, incorporate the community more fully, and help them make informed decisions as a group. By collecting these resources in one organized, navigable destination, the Carolinas Writing Programs Administrators will be able to fulfill their ethical responsibility, which is to create and discover the best resources possible to shape young minds.


Resources

We used a variety of resources while compiling information for this report. Elon University’s website was examined for possible layout designs and was the basis for several recommendations for the Carolinas WPA website, such as the utilization of headings, drop-down menus, and a search engine. Elon’s “Experience Elon” video was also used as a potential model for the CWPA to employ.
We used Survey Monkey to create and conduct a survey for members of the Carolinas WPA to gauge their opinions on the current layout of the website and changes they would like to see implemented. The survey was one of the main resources used to generate our recommendations for CWPA website.
We also contacted and interviewed the website manager, Dr. Moore, to determine the rationale behind various decisions involving the website, and essentially understand the website’s primary functions. Through this interview, we also learned that job announcements are broadcasted via listserv.
Further resources that the Carolinas WPA could utilize when addressing our recommendations for the website would be to conduct a more thorough survey of the members of the CWPA in order to best gauge their desires and needs for the website. This would help the website become as user-centered as possible. The CWPA could also consult the websites of writing programs similar to theirs in order to aid the functionality and purpose of their own website.

Appendices

  1. Interview with Dr. Jessie Moore

 

1)  What program do we need to be using to complete mock-ups?

WordPress Free templates.
Functionality of template over look (keeping in mind new logo is coming in

February)

2)  What are administrators of writing programs?

College writing programs, like 110
Writing Center, Paula Rosinski
Trained to be in coordinators of writing

3) How do members converse? How do they report problems or make suggestions about

the site itself vs. a post?

ListServ (e-mail list).
No easily accessible archive of ListServ on website.
Also used for problem reports/complaints.
Would like to have a space to post documents (Word, PDF) from conference

speakers.

4) Is this supposed to be a forum?

Trying to get more people to participate to the site and news updates
Not just a forum, but not just a website

5) What does Meta mean?

Big picture; looks at the overarching idea

6) Pictures, visual interest, from old conferences

   Pictures Yes. Dr. Moore will send them out if available. Limited because of

strict

Alcohol policies of universities concerning faculty.

7) Other Notes

   How to get on the list serve. How to register for the conferences. A spot to share

resources. Worried about Spam. Want a space to post the website

  1. Survey Results

 

We surveyed the members of the Carolinas WPA. Below are the questions with the results.

1.  What is your current profession?

a.       Private University English/Writing Teacher (30.8%)

b.       Public University English/Writing Teacher (53.8%)

c.       Public College English/Writing Teacher (0%)

d.       Private College English/Writing Teacher (7.7%)

2.  What is your current Carolinas WPA position?

a.       Writing Centers (7.7%)

b.       Writing Across the Curriculum Programs (0%)

c.       First-Year Writing programs (76.9%

d.       Professional Writing Programs (15.4%)

e.       OTHER

i.      WAC program & Writing Minor

ii.      First & Second Year Writing Program

3.  How does this website benefit you in a professional capacity

a.       Upcoming CWPA Conference information gained

b.       Upcoming CWPA event information gained and given

c.       Connection to other WPAs in the region

d.       Employment opportunities

e.       Archived resources

f.        Contact information

g.       Information about the programs at a peers institute

h.       Details of past and upcoming events

4.  What kind of content would you like to be able to find and share on Carolinas WPA website?

a.       Resources

i.      Archived material shown/distributed at previous CWPA conferences

b.      Job announcements

c.      Program Descriptions

d.      Assessment reports & other Program documents

e.      Information about other writing programs in the region

i.      Samples of syllabi and assignments?

f.       List of schools participating in CWPA events

i.      Kinds of programs represented? People who’ve participates?

g.      Contact list from the CWPA conferences

h.      More extensive tools for facilitating networking

i.      Blogging, collaboration of pedagogical and research projects, etc.

ii.     Looking for speakers to bring to campus on different topics

5.  How aesthetically pleasing is the current websites?

a.      25% Not so Much

b.      25% Average

c.      50% Good

6.  How effectively does the current website represent Carolinas WPA?

a.      25% Not so Much

b.      62.5% Average

c.      12.5% Good

7.  How navigational is the current website?

a.      50% Not so Much

b.      37.5% Average

c.      12.5% Good

8.  How effective is a tag cloud?

a.      20% Not so Much

i.      “The use of a blog template to power this website is inefficient and ineffective. I prefer a search bar to a tag cloud to find information. The tag cloud seems to be a visual, rather than a tool for finding information.”

ii.      Someone didn’t know what a tag cloud was.

b.      40% Average

c.      40% Good

9.  Would you go to the conference based on the advertisement of the website?

a.     Yes (87.5%)

i.      Conference theme, rationale and format well described

ii.      Replaces or adds to the information received through list serve

b.      No (12.5%)

i.      Overall website design doesn’t reflect the collaborative nature of the group and its work.

ii.      Needed to hear about it from other sources first

iii.      Needs more information about the conference

1.      Conference schedule

iv.      Pay for conference online via card

10.  Would you be interested in a video introduction to Carolinas WPA

a.       Yes (75%)

i.      Personalizes the organization

ii.      Reinforces the message take away from the conferences

iii.      More accurately portrays the organization to others unfamiliar with the     website

b.      No (25%)

i.      Prefer to explore and read on my own

 

3.  “Elon Experience” Video 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i9TL-srkX-w

The Elon Experience is a helpful guide to what we would like to see for a video for Carolinas WPA, in that the video gives information about the school- or, in this case, the program- but the video also talks about the goals of the organization, as well as gives reactions from the members.  We find that all of these would be helpful to those interested in joining this organization.

 

4.   CWPA mockup page  

Our group has created a mock website that we believe stylistically and practically, this website will better benefit the organization and help reach our goals of collaboration, simple navigation and more pleasing aesthetics.  The website created is: http://cwpadraft.wordpress.com/ .

DRAFT: This module has unpublished changes.