The Calvin.Edu Project http://www.calvin.edu/weblogs/webproject en Copyright 2008 2008-08-02T03:45:00-05:00 Surveys complete http://www.calvin.edu/weblogs/webproject/surveys_complete/ Special thanks to the more than 3,200 people who responded to our recent survey regarding the Calvin Web site. Your feedback will be very helpful as we work to make improvements to the site.  In fact we have more than 100 pages of constructive comments and have already started making improvements based on your suggestions. We heard a few things loud and clear as a result of the surveys, including the fact that e-mail still is king. When asked whether you would subscribe to information as it’s posted on the Calvin Web site, here are the responses we got: Special thanks to the more than 3,200 people who responded to our recent survey regarding the Calvin Web site. Your feedback will be very helpful as we work to make improvements to the site.  In fact we have more than 100 pages of constructive comments and have already started making improvements based on your suggestions.

We heard a few things loud and clear as a result of the surveys, including the fact that e-mail still is king. When asked whether you would subscribe to information as it’s posted on the Calvin Web site, here are the responses we got:

Here are a few ways you can stay up-to-date on happenings at Calvin:

The surveys are done, but your feedback is still welcome. If you have any questions or comments, please leave them here or contact .

Matt Jeltema
On behalf of the Web project team

]]> 2008-08-02T03:45:00-05:00 Welcome Survey Takers! http://www.calvin.edu/weblogs/webproject/welcome_survey_takers/ Thanks to all those who have completed our Calvin College Web survey thus far.  Getting these surveys ready to go out to various audiences (parents, prospective students, current students, alumni, and faculty and staff) has been a bit of work, but the reward is to see the surveys being completed and to see the various comments being left on this blog.  We appreciate your feedback and we’re looking forward to continuing to read your comments and to analyzing the data from the surveys in a few weeks! Phil de Haan, Matt Jeltema, Luke Robinson Thanks to all those who have completed our Calvin College Web survey thus far.  Getting these surveys ready to go out to various audiences (parents, prospective students, current students, alumni, and faculty and staff) has been a bit of work, but the reward is to see the surveys being completed and to see the various comments being left on this blog.  We appreciate your feedback and we’re looking forward to continuing to read your comments and to analyzing the data from the surveys in a few weeks!

Phil de Haan, Matt Jeltema, Luke Robinson

]]> 2008-07-16T12:21:00-05:00 Surveys in Process http://www.calvin.edu/weblogs/webproject/surveys_in_process/ After all of the focus groups and listening sessions and time spent on campus by our Dotmarketing partners we’re now into the next step in terms of feedback:  surveys.  Currently we are crafting five surveys which will be Web-based and which will give various audiences a chance to tell us what they like about the current Calvin Web site, what they might like to see done differently, how our Web site communicates and more.  We’re hoping to get those surveys completed, compile the email lists of recipients and then get the survey link sent to our audiences (prospective students, current students, parents, alumni, faculty, staff) in the next few weeks.  Dotmarketing also is currently doing a peer review for us of some competitor’s Web sites.  Should be interesting!  That’s about all for now. Phil de Haan (for Matt Jeltema and Luke Robinson) After all of the focus groups and listening sessions and time spent on campus by our Dotmarketing partners we’re now into the next step in terms of feedback:  surveys.  Currently we are crafting five surveys which will be Web-based and which will give various audiences a chance to tell us what they like about the current Calvin Web site, what they might like to see done differently, how our Web site communicates and more.  We’re hoping to get those surveys completed, compile the email lists of recipients and then get the survey link sent to our audiences (prospective students, current students, parents, alumni, faculty, staff) in the next few weeks.  Dotmarketing also is currently doing a peer review for us of some competitor’s Web sites.  Should be interesting!  That’s about all for now.

Phil de Haan (for Matt Jeltema and Luke Robinson)

]]> 2008-06-24T15:44:00-05:00 Re-cap of Stakeholder Interviews and Focus Groups http://www.calvin.edu/weblogs/webproject/campus_visit_recap/ Over the course of 3 days, Todd Bennett, Adam Forrand, Will Ezell and Gaby Gonzales from Dotmarketing hosted 18 interviews and 2 focus groups with over 100 Calvin faculty, students, and staff. The resulting mountain of data is brimming with your insights and ideas about how you work and interact with Calvin.edu. Thank you! We’d like to say, “THANK YOU” to all who took time to speak with Todd, Adam, Will and Gaby. A few of you even made multiple appearances! And, a special “thank you” to administrative assistants Laura Van Wyk, CIT, and Barb Palsrok, Communications & Marketing, for their gracious support and hospitality in hosting us. Next steps The project’s next steps include compiling the data and transcribing the focus group recordings. Todd and Adam will start comparing their content and user experience notes with Will and Gaby’s technical assessment. The comments made by you will shape future online surveys and set the stage for identifying and prioritizing recommendations for Calvin.edu. Join the conversation As a community, let’s keep this conversation going! We’ve only just begun. Please leave a comment below, or send an e-mail to: Shalom, Luke Robinson On behalf of the Web Project team & Dotmarketing Over the course of 3 days, Todd Bennett, Adam Forrand, Will Ezell and Gaby Gonzales from Dotmarketing hosted 18 interviews and 2 focus groups with over 100 Calvin faculty, students, and staff. The resulting mountain of data is brimming with your insights and ideas about how you work and interact with Calvin.edu.

Thank you!

We’d like to say, “THANK YOU” to all who took time to speak with Todd, Adam, Will and Gaby. A few of you even made multiple appearances! And, a special “thank you” to administrative assistants Laura Van Wyk, CIT, and Barb Palsrok, Communications & Marketing, for their gracious support and hospitality in hosting us.

Next steps

The project’s next steps include compiling the data and transcribing the focus group recordings. Todd and Adam will start comparing their content and user experience notes with Will and Gaby’s technical assessment. The comments made by you will shape future online surveys and set the stage for identifying and prioritizing recommendations for Calvin.edu.

Join the conversation

As a community, let’s keep this conversation going! We’ve only just begun. Please leave a comment below, or send an e-mail to:

Shalom,
Luke Robinson
On behalf of the Web Project team & Dotmarketing

]]> 2008-04-18T18:09:00-05:00 Starting Phase One http://www.calvin.edu/weblogs/webproject/starting_phase_one/ It’s exciting to note that we are ready to take the next steps in the Calvin.EDU project. This comes after several months of hard work in preparing for this next part of the process, including interviews with several outside companies who wanted to partner with us. The first phase of this project includes a careful assessment and planning process that will help us think about how best to realign Calvin’s current Web presence. This phase will start with interviews, focus groups and surveys: we want your honest assessment of what we need to do on the Web, what we do well now and what has room for improvement. We’re pleased that Dotmarketing has joined us as a consulting partner. They bring both a wealth of experience and a valuable independent perspective that will help this project immensely. Teams from Dotmarketing are leading interviews and focus groups at Calvin on April 15 - 17. This project is a community effort, and your input is valuable. If you’re interested in participating in this process or have any questions about the project, please contact Luke Robinson, Phil de Haan, or Matt Jeltema. It’s exciting to note that we are ready to take the next steps in the Calvin.EDU project. This comes after several months of hard work in preparing for this next part of the process, including interviews with several outside companies who wanted to partner with us.

The first phase of this project includes a careful assessment and planning process that will help us think about how best to realign Calvin’s current Web presence. This phase will start with interviews, focus groups and surveys: we want your honest assessment of what we need to do on the Web, what we do well now and what has room for improvement.

We’re pleased that Dotmarketing has joined us as a consulting partner. They bring both a wealth of experience and a valuable independent perspective that will help this project immensely. Teams from Dotmarketing are leading interviews and focus groups at Calvin on April 15 - 17.

This project is a community effort, and your input is valuable. If you’re interested in participating in this process or have any questions about the project, please contact Luke Robinson, Phil de Haan, or Matt Jeltema.

]]> 2008-03-31T14:13:00-05:00 3 Finalists Visiting Campus http://www.calvin.edu/weblogs/webproject/finalists_visiting_campus/ In November 2007—what seems like eons ago now—the Calvin.EDU Project team called upon 12 firms and received 10 outstanding proposals (see In the Beginning). After a holiday of reading, analyzing and debating, we’re pleased to announce three finalists are visiting campus. The three finalists will arrive on campus January 31 and February 5 and 6. The format for their visit includes both a team interview and a mid-afternoon presentation to representatives from each college division. In plain English, the objectives for the visit are to: evaluate the consultant’s understanding of our project, assess the consultant’s relative strengths and weaknesses, evaluate the consultant’s potential to continue with Phase 2, and ascertain the consultant’s cultural fit with Calvin. Without a doubt, we’re excited about who’s coming; however, to drop names is a bit unfair. We can say they’re experts in user experience design and higher education. So, stay tuned, we’ll keep you posted as things heat-up. In November 2007—what seems like eons ago now—the Calvin.EDU Project team called upon 12 firms and received 10 outstanding proposals (see In the Beginning). After a holiday of reading, analyzing and debating, we’re pleased to announce three finalists are visiting campus.

The three finalists will arrive on campus January 31 and February 5 and 6. The format for their visit includes both a team interview and a mid-afternoon presentation to representatives from each college division. In plain English, the objectives for the visit are to:

  • evaluate the consultant’s understanding of our project,
  • assess the consultant’s relative strengths and weaknesses,
  • evaluate the consultant’s potential to continue with Phase 2, and
  • ascertain the consultant’s cultural fit with Calvin.

Without a doubt, we’re excited about who’s coming; however, to drop names is a bit unfair. We can say they’re experts in user experience design and higher education. So, stay tuned, we’ll keep you posted as things heat-up.

]]> 2008-01-08T22:21:00-05:00 In a Nutshell http://www.calvin.edu/weblogs/webproject/in_a_nutshell/ Thanks to everyone who has asked questions, offered advice or made suggestions about the Calvin.Edu project. This is a community effort, and your ongoing input is essential. Some have asked for an overview of this project and its three major phases, so here goes: The First Phase: Realign calvin.edu We plan to take a hard look at the organization of Calvin’s Web site in order to improve the experience we provide for our diverse audiences. We want to make sure calvin.edu accurately reflects Calvin College and is a reliable and easily accessible source of information. In order to make informed decisions, we first need to step back. We will talk to our many audiences (students, faculty and staff, prospective students and their families, alumni and friends), reflect on how to effectively communicate this unique place, leverage the good work done by our colleagues throughout the college and listen to contributors to the college Web site. We will evaluate what we should do, what we do well now and what has room for improvement. The visible outcomes of phase one may be seen as early as summer or fall of 2008. These could include rearranged site organization (i.e. site locations/URLs), improved search, and updated site navigation, graphical design and content. Our initial focus is on the highest volume, top-level areas of the college Web site. We’re not exactly sure what will change because we haven’t done the research yet. We are currently seeking an expert consulting partner to help with the assessment and user experience changes. Depending on research results, our partner’s expertise, and project budgets, we may work with this partner on the graphical design portion of this phase, but it’s not in the scope of the Request For Proposal. The Second Phase: Content Management In the second phase of this project, expected to start in mid-to-late 2008, we will implement both procedures and technologies (i.e. a Content Management System) to help scale and sustain the successes from phase one. The Third Phase: Continuous Improvement Calvin’s Web site is a large, cooperative and dynamic source of information. To ensure ongoing success, a culture of continuous improvement, measurement and development is required. This phase will address these challenges. How will this affect you? As a user of the Calvin Web site, this project is expected to improve your experience. We expect the research conducted in phase one will help us understand how that experience can be made better. Initially, we expect changes will be limited to top-level content maintained by the office of communications and marketing (i.e. the home page, resource pages, about pages, majors and minors, search, calendars, etc.). Ongoing, new technologies and designs will be available to other departmental sites to implement so you can focus in your area of expertise. This project also is intended to assist those who author content on Calvin’s Web site, including those responsible for department pages. We want to find ways to help content move more easily among our many pages. For example, so that a news release on a biology student could be syndicated to the biology department page and appear there automatically without someone in biology having to add it manually. More Information Project initiation/feasibility report Request for Proposal seeking consulting partner Matt Jeltema, Calvin Information Technology Thanks to everyone who has asked questions, offered advice or made suggestions about the Calvin.Edu project. This is a community effort, and your ongoing input is essential.

Some have asked for an overview of this project and its three major phases, so here goes:

The First Phase: Realign calvin.edu

We plan to take a hard look at the organization of Calvin’s Web site in order to improve the experience we provide for our diverse audiences. We want to make sure calvin.edu accurately reflects Calvin College and is a reliable and easily accessible source of information.

In order to make informed decisions, we first need to step back. We will talk to our many audiences (students, faculty and staff, prospective students and their families, alumni and friends), reflect on how to effectively communicate this unique place, leverage the good work done by our colleagues throughout the college and listen to contributors to the college Web site. We will evaluate what we should do, what we do well now and what has room for improvement.

The visible outcomes of phase one may be seen as early as summer or fall of 2008. These could include rearranged site organization (i.e. site locations/URLs), improved search, and updated site navigation, graphical design and content. Our initial focus is on the highest volume, top-level areas of the college Web site. We’re not exactly sure what will change because we haven’t done the research yet.

We are currently seeking an expert consulting partner to help with the assessment and user experience changes. Depending on research results, our partner’s expertise, and project budgets, we may work with this partner on the graphical design portion of this phase, but it’s not in the scope of the Request For Proposal.

The Second Phase: Content Management

In the second phase of this project, expected to start in mid-to-late 2008, we will implement both procedures and technologies (i.e. a Content Management System) to help scale and sustain the successes from phase one.

The Third Phase: Continuous Improvement

Calvin’s Web site is a large, cooperative and dynamic source of information. To ensure ongoing success, a culture of continuous improvement, measurement and development is required. This phase will address these challenges.

How will this affect you?

As a user of the Calvin Web site, this project is expected to improve your experience. We expect the research conducted in phase one will help us understand how that experience can be made better. Initially, we expect changes will be limited to top-level content maintained by the office of communications and marketing (i.e. the home page, resource pages, about pages, majors and minors, search, calendars, etc.). Ongoing, new technologies and designs will be available to other departmental sites to implement so you can focus in your area of expertise. This project also is intended to assist those who author content on Calvin’s Web site, including those responsible for department pages. We want to find ways to help content move more easily among our many pages. For example, so that a news release on a biology student could be syndicated to the biology department page and appear there automatically without someone in biology having to add it manually.

More Information

Matt Jeltema, Calvin Information Technology

]]> 2007-12-07T21:15:00-05:00 Frequently Asked Questions http://www.calvin.edu/weblogs/webproject/frequently_asked_questions/ The RFP was sent out two weeks ago, and we’re eager to see proposals for this project next week. Several prospective partners asked some great and thoughtful questions, and we hope our answers will help to clarify some details. Please contact us if you have additional questions. What is the project’s budget? We’re serious about retaining a firm who can provide a user-experience study of the college’s Web site; however, budget will not be disclosed as part of the RFP process. Are you expecting to include visual design and production in this first project phase? We are requesting expert advice related to the Calvin.edu user experience; this is part of Phase 1 of the larger Web project. Editorial services and design have been intentionally left off the scope of this RFP. If the partnership is productive and research warrants, design and production may be requested at a later date. Are Web metrics and/or search logs available Yes. General questions about site traffic for purposes of writing proposals will be answered as needed. Contact us at webproject@calvin.edu with your questions. The awarded partner will have full access to web analytics (ClickTracks) or logs. How many authors do you have? There are approximately 130 departmental webmasters currently in charge of their department’s content. Do you have an in-house development team? We have several in-house dedicated Web staff, but not a complete development team. Is there any centralized guidance on what types of content can be added by distributed groups? There are three guidance documents, all of which can be found via the Web Manager site:Web PolicyWeb Style GuideResponsible Use of Technology Are you open to suggestions for changing your site search system? We’re open to suggestions on almost anything, but that is beyond the assessment requested in this RFP. Do you anticipate moving from this distributed model to a more centralized one? We value and hope to maintain distributed authorship, but struggle with distributed content production, syndication, and ownership. Does the re-architecture include an Intranet or other internal resources? The management of internal resources is an opportunity for improvement and we hope this will be addressed in the research our selected partner conducts. What proportion of your audience do distance learners make up? International distance learners? Calvin does not offer a distance learning program. Is there a CMS that you are currently looking at or favor? A CMS will be addressed in subsequent phases of this project and are not covered in this RFP. Will you take care of content integration [into a CMS] in-house? Content integration will likely be addressed in Phase 2 of the larger project. Do you have preferences for user-centered design (UCD) methodologies? We are open to many different methodologies and welcome your recommendations. The RFP was sent out two weeks ago, and we’re eager to see proposals for this project next week. Several prospective partners asked some great and thoughtful questions, and we hope our answers will help to clarify some details. Please contact us if you have additional questions.

What is the project’s budget?

We’re serious about retaining a firm who can provide a user-experience study of the college’s Web site; however, budget will not be disclosed as part of the RFP process.

Are you expecting to include visual design and production in this first project phase?

We are requesting expert advice related to the Calvin.edu user experience; this is part of Phase 1 of the larger Web project. Editorial services and design have been intentionally left off the scope of this RFP. If the partnership is productive and research warrants, design and production may be requested at a later date.

Are Web metrics and/or search logs available

Yes. General questions about site traffic for purposes of writing proposals will be answered as needed. Contact us at webproject@calvin.edu with your questions. The awarded partner will have full access to web analytics (ClickTracks) or logs.

How many authors do you have?

There are approximately 130 departmental webmasters currently in charge of their department’s content.

Do you have an in-house development team?

We have several in-house dedicated Web staff, but not a complete development team.

Is there any centralized guidance on what types of content can be added by distributed groups?

There are three guidance documents, all of which can be found via the Web Manager site:

Are you open to suggestions for changing your site search system?

We’re open to suggestions on almost anything, but that is beyond the assessment requested in this RFP.

Do you anticipate moving from this distributed model to a more centralized one?

We value and hope to maintain distributed authorship, but struggle with distributed content production, syndication, and ownership.

Does the re-architecture include an Intranet or other internal resources?

The management of internal resources is an opportunity for improvement and we hope this will be addressed in the research our selected partner conducts.

What proportion of your audience do distance learners make up? International distance learners?

Calvin does not offer a distance learning program.

Is there a CMS that you are currently looking at or favor?

A CMS will be addressed in subsequent phases of this project and are not covered in this RFP.

Will you take care of content integration [into a CMS] in-house?

Content integration will likely be addressed in Phase 2 of the larger project.

Do you have preferences for user-centered design (UCD) methodologies?

We are open to many different methodologies and welcome your recommendations.

]]> 2007-12-04T13:37:00-05:00 Who’s Who http://www.calvin.edu/weblogs/webproject/whos_who/ We (Matt Jeltema, Luke Robinson and Phil de Haan) are working with a good group of people as we think about what Calvin’s Web site might look like in the future.  In fact I joined the project a little late and still feel like I’m catching up with an amazing amount of work that was done before my arrival!  Jeanne Nienhuis, the associate director of admissions and financial aid, led what had been called the Next Steps Committee and she did a great job putting this project in motion and setting a foundation and a framework for where we go from here.  So thanks Jeanne! Other members of the committee are faculty members Keith VanderLinden from computer science, Steve VanderLeest from engineering and Kathi Groenendyk from communication arts and sciences, vice presidents Henry DeVries and Tom McWhertor, Jan Druyvesteyn from advancement, Steve Ruis from admissions, Joy’l VerHeul from student life and Jennifer Heeringa from information technology. As my last post noted the RFPs have gone out and now we are starting to get some calls and emails from folks who received the packet.  So that’s exciting.  We’ll keep you posted as we proceed… Phil de Haan, interim director of communications and marketing We (Matt Jeltema, Luke Robinson and Phil de Haan) are working with a good group of people as we think about what Calvin’s Web site might look like in the future.  In fact I joined the project a little late and still feel like I’m catching up with an amazing amount of work that was done before my arrival!  Jeanne Nienhuis, the associate director of admissions and financial aid, led what had been called the Next Steps Committee and she did a great job putting this project in motion and setting a foundation and a framework for where we go from here.  So thanks Jeanne!

Other members of the committee are faculty members Keith VanderLinden from computer science, Steve VanderLeest from engineering and Kathi Groenendyk from communication arts and sciences, vice presidents Henry DeVries and Tom McWhertor, Jan Druyvesteyn from advancement, Steve Ruis from admissions, Joy’l VerHeul from student life and Jennifer Heeringa from information technology.

As my last post noted the RFPs have gone out and now we are starting to get some calls and emails from folks who received the packet.  So that’s exciting.  We’ll keep you posted as we proceed…

Phil de Haan, interim director of communications and marketing

]]> 2007-11-20T14:55:00-05:00 In the Beginning http://www.calvin.edu/weblogs/webproject/in_the_beginning/ So, here we go. After 10 years with pretty much the same approach to our Web site we’re looking to reinvent the way we do www at Calvin College.  A group of us has been meeting for a while now to think about the many issues related to calvin.edu, including where we’ve been, where we are and where we’re going.  At this point three of us—Phil de Haan, Luke Robinson and Matt Jeltema—have been asked to coordinate the project and we have a team of folks with whom we are working, including from the faculty side of the college, student life, enrollment and external relations, admissions and financial aid and communications and marketing. It’s a big undertaking we’re embarking on here.  Calvn’s Web site is probably the single-biggest opportunity (communications vehicle?) we have to connect to a wide variety of audiences—everyone from prospective students and their parents to alumni and friends to current students, faculty and staff.  Not to mention the media, other colleges and universities, community partners and many more! Our goal is to build a new Web site that is rich in content, visually dynamic, easy to navigate, uses appropriate Web and multimedia technology and, in a broad sense, is a showcase of all that Calvin has to offer.  Oh, and we want it to be easy to use for those on campus who author pages!  We’re getting the RFP out today as we look for someone with whom we can partner on this grand undertaking.  And we’re looking for feedback ... from students, faculty and staff, from parents, from donors, from media.  We’re here and we’re listening. Phil de Haan, interim director of communications and marketing So, here we go.

After 10 years with pretty much the same approach to our Web site we’re looking to reinvent the way we do www at Calvin College. 

A group of us has been meeting for a while now to think about the many issues related to calvin.edu, including where we’ve been, where we are and where we’re going. 

At this point three of us—Phil de Haan, Luke Robinson and Matt Jeltema—have been asked to coordinate the project and we have a team of folks with whom we are working, including from the faculty side of the college, student life, enrollment and external relations, admissions and financial aid and communications and marketing.

It’s a big undertaking we’re embarking on here.  Calvn’s Web site is probably the single-biggest opportunity (communications vehicle?) we have to connect to a wide variety of audiences—everyone from prospective students and their parents to alumni and friends to current students, faculty and staff.  Not to mention the media, other colleges and universities, community partners and many more!

Our goal is to build a new Web site that is rich in content, visually dynamic, easy to navigate, uses appropriate Web and multimedia technology and, in a broad sense, is a showcase of all that Calvin has to offer.  Oh, and we want it to be easy to use for those on campus who author pages! 

We’re getting the RFP out today as we look for someone with whom we can partner on this grand undertaking.  And we’re looking for feedback ... from students, faculty and staff, from parents, from donors, from media.  We’re here and we’re listening.

Phil de Haan, interim director of communications and marketing

]]> 2007-11-16T20:13:00-05:00