A Good Web Site Is...
What students are looking for and how they respond
By: Mark Glesne

. Basically, they want three things from a college Web site: accurate and complete information, intuitive navigation and an aspirational environment they’d consider joining.

Plus, it has to be cool.

Tech-Savvy A recent Syllabus survey revealed an interesting insight. College administrators overwhelmingly agree that today’s entering freshmen are far more tech-savvy than even four years ago. They’ve grown up with computers, video games are a huge part of their life, and the internet is integrated into their fun and their academics. They are among the most sophisticated and experienced of on-line audiences.

The facts, please.  These young people are discriminating and demanding. They know that the Web is dynamic. They know that a Web page can and should be current. In fact, many adolescents have their own Web sites and manage the content. Vacations and sporting participation content are common, and is content that is regularly updated. Out-of-date information, missing content, incomplete content is a dead-end. Nice thing is, keeping Web content fresh and accurate is pretty easy.

Patience? Not a word to describe today’s high school students. In a world of sound-bites and streaming content, these young people want to get around quickly. Navigation on the Web site had better be intuitive and easy. They want the basic information about admissions, insight into the institution, its reputation, its environment, its student body. And they want to evaluate the idea of living there. Quickly and intuitively.

The “cool” factor A University of Minnesota study also discovered the importance of Web site environments to on-line adolescents. While most adults are impressed by current, accurate content, this generation also demands an environment that is entertaining, well-designed, “cool.” The college Web site is not just a research resource – it represents a potential home for the next 4 years.

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