Author Archives: Ryan Kellett

Budget & Financial Planning

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Stakeholder: Kristen Anderson

Web Makeover Contact:  Jai Shankar

  • We would like the ability to change the channels without having to go through LIS.  It would be more efficient if we had the ability to change our own information.
  • Would like to change fonts (particularly size)
  • Basically we would like more flexibility with the templates that are given
  • Web Based training
  • Request Form (e.g. request for capital equipment) that has required fields

Investments and Treasury

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Stakeholder: Derek Hammel

Web Makeover Contact:  Jai Shankar

  • Ability to publish/post documents to the site
  • Search box/A-Z menu
  • Ability to post PowerPoint presentations or “Endowment 101” education materials
  • Streaming data across top or bottom of page, example: financial news or ticker symbols
  • Ability to access policies currently in place
  • Link from this site to articles/sites of interest
  • Interactive map of the world to see where Middlebury’s investment managers are located or operate
  • A video showing the background of the endowment and the important role it plays for the College’s operations
  • Ability for public to submit endowment-related questions via the website
  • Ability to educate prospective donors/public about the “lifecycle of an endowment gift” that shows people what actually happens to their endowment donations when they are added to the overall College “Endowment Fund”
  • Secure log-in feature for trustees or investment committee members to access meeting materials
  • Ability to view debt market, equity market, municipal finance market data

Business Services

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Stakeholder: Tom Corbin

Web Makeover Contact:  Jai Shankar

E-commerce group:

  • Web site is critical to generate revenue
  • Web site to be used for “advertising” and “marketing” (since policy prohibits advertising in paper form on campus)
    — must be a priority to “self-promote” to drive business
    — also: can we include links to corporate sites in future?
  • Book store
    -The Bookstore should not lose the Bookstore link on the bottom of the homepage since at least 35% of the ecommerce Bookstore traffic comes through that method, and depending on the time of year it might even be more.  If you were to move that Bookstore link to the top of the Middlebury homepage, I would have no objection to a better location
  • That nothing coming from the Web Makeover Team affects the hosted solutions and Bookstore websites in a negative way, other than perhaps header and footer updates coming from changes to the look and feel of the College Web.
  • – Link on all web pages is desired
    – Bookstore can assist in implementing any new branding to general look, and especially header/footer areas of website.
  • Build cross-links among auxiliary services and other web sites
    Examples:
    — an ad in the Addison Independent online links to a season pass order form; on the same page as the order form are up-to-day/minute links to golf course conditions (if it’s October), to athletic events, to book store for purchasing apparel, etc.
    — Snow Bowl page might have links to 51 Main for après-ski specials
    — Bread Loaf School of English site should have obvious links to book store for purchases
    — Events at CFA, McCullough, Mead should have links to Grille, 51 Main (including specials)
  • Make links/relationships easy to develop, including to/from MBS and CBORD
    – Athletics
    – Student fund raisers; gift systems
    – 51 Main
    – Facebook
    – Pro-shop
  • New service ideas
    – sign up for T times on golf course
  • Make site richer in graphics (less “business” like)
  • Allow “pop-ups” for special offerings (e.g., Grille, Bookstore, etc.)
  • Make site compatible with mobile devices – focus significant effort on this for future
    – Grille orders
    – Book orders (as leave class)
    – Snow updates
  • Guest/visitor access
    – have pages for those interested in arts or sports (and related links to e-commerce sites)
    – allow them to build “customized” pages of information they’re most interested in

Information group

  • For students, employees, web should promote “self-service” in finding info (e.g., tax info)
  • — Easy to create & update FAQs
    — Links among different “sites” (areas on campus) (not just what’s in your own dept)
    — Search results need to be relevant & prioritized appropriately
  • Need Policies/Procedures that can be accessed/updated readily; consistently formatted
  • Dining
    — Need much more flexible design for display of calendars, menus
    — Website should display meal offerings, in a way that differentiates Middlebury from other Colleges
    — Current navigation hides too many sites
    — Relevant search results needed
  • General design – need different look & feel for different areas / functions
  • Hard to edit/update policies, procedures, documents (and web site in general)
    — interface is confusing; need simple editing functionality (esp. when just update info once a year)
    —- how can we make this efficient to get departmental input, review, approval?
    — need way to display calendar/schedule of events (such as safety training sessions)
    If things are lacking from the web site, how/who determines where they go?
  • Forms design / formatting / printing is critical  (Reprographics; Faculty housing; Snow Bowl; Golf Course)
    — Need to be able to extract information that’s important and copy/move to other applications
    — Need to be able to edit/update forms without depending on web services
    — Make easier for departments/users to create & update form fields/text
    — Forms navigation should be intuitive (“back” button on browser should work, for example)
  • Need College Policies & Procedures Web site
    — some may be open to public viewing, others limited to designated users (similar to Emergency pages)
  • Need Data Warehouse (web interface, drawing on Hyperion/Banner info)
    — Example: RPI
  • Web support – need clarity, timeliness, information online that is easy to find for web support
    — make clear how to get support & what to do if feel support is “cut off”
    — if we think something is a “bug” how do we know if it’s been fixed?
    — will there be a way to make suggestions for improvements? For new functionality?
    — shouldn’t take 10 days to get a response to an inquiry of “I’m new; how do I create a web site for my dept?”

Payment and Procurement

  • On Line training functionality
  • Secure access to certain items on the web site (e.g. tax exemption certificates)
  • On-line org chart capability for major College divisions – access might be issue although no sure why; even with 15 years employment and exposure to most of the College areas, with recent changes, growth, etc I find locating the go-to person difficult; such capability should be easily editable by designated area/department staff. Similar structure for Faculty.
  • Intuitive ease of navigation coupled with robust search capability on categories & keywords
  • Well segregated info for College employees which is not relevant or is confidential relative to other constituencies. As part of a web redesign, all areas of the College should have to create a certain minimum presence on the site, fulfilling parameters established by the redesign committees.
  • Ideally, links to peer groups / departments at our peer benchmark institutions – this could be postable by Midd employees with clearance, probably managerial level but could be broader.
  • Move MiddPoints to the Web and expand its scope………..this could be the forum for idea interchange and staff / faculty / student sharing of experiences / interests / memberships / life in our multi-community ‘region’.
  • Move College Magazine to the website in abbreviated form?
  • Improve functionality of e-mail if possible: example – address an e-mail ad hoc to a large distribution group and then be able to save those addressees for later reuse without having to first define the group within the “contacts” lists and then extract that laboriously created group for e-mails

Health & Safety

  • Video on our web page.  E.g. “Every Minute Counts”
  • Ability to edit my training and policies/procedures on the web page and have its availability more user friendly.

Retail Operations

  • Would be nice to be able to either have a rss type window on the front (home) page that consolidates the many.  Campus emails and distributions that occur and not have these go to email.  Doing so would also create some cross over between Faculty/Staff/Students.  I know of much information that the students get which is applicable to staff and the other way around however the information is not currently sent to all these constituents.
  • Currently there is access to wiki work groups however the use and training (familiarity) with this service tool is low.  Additionally, finding the links if not bookmarked can be difficult.   Perhaps a drop down page of common tools & campus electronic resources would encourage more use.
  • Also would be nice to have all blogs etc indexed.  There used to be a listing of blogs but that has gone the way of the wind.
  • Photo share would be ideal for ex. Currently one must dig and link externally to Erin Quinn’s  photo’s of sports teams when this should be more easily accessed.  Likewise if pictures of events could some how be posted along with or archived linked to the events calendar this would be cool.  Theater productions, concerts, lectures etc. would be able to be highlighted by more than a listing.
  • Currently, use of word press and the campus web pages really does not allow for easy tracking of hits and use.  I find I get more information out of the Youtube statistics than I can on my more official Middlebury sites.
  • Additionally if we could adopt some pages that allow for discussion board type of conversations.  Professors currently do so for classes but access to such for information/discussions/creative development is limited to creating a blog which may or may not achieve its purpose.  This could perhaps be individualized similar to a face book wall or could be open forums similar to a craigslist or the dreaded Midd confessional.  I realize concern for abuse might exist so some discussion around this may need to occur.  However from a work load and communications point it would be more efficient for people who work off shifts/days.  Additionally, it may reduce turnaround time on projects as the communications avoid multiple emails – reply alls – forwards and of course trying to find time for a sit down meeting.
  • You can currently use an LL Bean order catalogue on line as though you have a paper copy on screen in front of you.  Might make sense to reduce the number of print magazines (Also, Middlebury, etc.) by putting these in such a format. .

Snow Bowl

  • Create a user friendly site that is a esthetically appealing and easy to navigate for the general public.
  • Create a more commercial look to the Snow Bowl website.  The Snow Bowl   is competing with areas such as Dartmouth Skiway  www.dartmouthskiway.com
  • Snow news, (daily conditions report) updated automatically on the Home page with links to snow school and rental shop.
  • Place Middlebury College Banner across the top of page and allow the Snow Bowl free area for graphic design below the banner.  A creative look with colors, pictures and possible paid advertising.
  • Ability to announce calendar of events.  (spongecell.com) is one idea.
  • Develop Face Book (in progress), link to snow news and link to Home page.
  • Ability to track our statistics: an essential marketing tool to determine where our guests are coming from.
  • Website visibility within the search engines. i.e.  A family from Boston that would like to ski in the Mid Vermont area should be able to type in mid Vermont skiing and the Snow Bowl would rank high on Google.
  • Increase S/B visibility on College website.
  • Staff directory with pictures & contact information
  • Customer feed back ; blog
  • Ability to have video on our new website

RIKERT SKI TOURING CENTER

  • Online J-Term registration
  • Auto update daily conditions report on Home Page
  • Snow News capabilities

SKI & SNOWBOARD SHOP:

  • Ability to list product photos and prices.
  • Rate schedule.
  • Calendar of events, sales, early season specials  (spongecell.com)
  • J-Term specials that would interact with Face Book.
  • Paid advertising.
  • Allow flexibility and creativity in designing the rental page to establish competition with other rental shops i.e. Alpine Shop.
  • Include safety information, no helmet rental.
  • Easy access to update pictures and images to keep the site fresh.
  • Data management system.
  • E-Mail data base, distribution lists.
  • Sale of soft goods/retail items (online store front).

SNOW SCHOOL

  • A site that would appeal to the general public with an emphasis on family skiing.
  • Market our philosophy and mission
  • Attractive, creative site that will be on par with other Snow Schools in our area.
  • Ability to promote private lessons, Tag-along- series and Regular program series.
  • Calendar of event.
  • Develop” staff” page to present the range of talents and the uniqueness of Middlebury Snow School instructors.
  • Ability for guests to write reviews of their experience.
  • Creative text, graphics and pictures updated as often as needed
  • Text that will include keywords for optimal engine search.
  • Increase visibility on SkiVermont.com, snowcountry.com
  • Data management: ski and snowboard rosters created from online registration information.
  • E-mail data base.
  • Ability to track our statistics, important marketing tool to determine where our guests are coming from.

Alliance for Civic Engagement (ACE)

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Stakeholder: Peggy Burns

Website: http://www.middlebury.edu/academics/tools/ace

Redo Contact: Ryan Kellett

ACE is the most important resource on campus faculty interested in community-connected teaching, learning, and research-and for students who are interested in volunteering, social justice issues, activism and advocacy, citizenship, and international service opportunities.  ACE should be a portal for all things service-whether curricular, co-curricular, or extra-curricular.  In the current economic climate and as health and human services statewide budget cuts take effect, community needs change regularly-and because this is an active campus in terms of service, it is important that the site is perceived as dynamic and up to date/accurate.

Specifically and generally, what do you want from a new site? (as an individual and as an office)

-To have a prominent place on the overall Middlebury College site to promote current and future community-connected teaching, learning, and research opportunities to faculty.

-To have a prominent place on the overall Middlebury College site so that students (current and prospective) as well as faculty and staff interested in community service opportunities and social justice issues can find ACE easily.

-To promote immediate community service needs in a prominent way.

-To be able to promote specific opportunities (internships, conferences, on-campus events) to students.

-To have a number of different “Channels” (like we do now) to divide up the different portions of our site, e.g. Community Service, Anti-Poverty Initiatives, etc.

-ACE has so many pieces-we hope to find a coherent navigational “theme” that brings it all together.

What will help your office get things done more efficiently? How can a new website help your workflow?

-Easier and more flexible content creation, editing, photo/graphic use.

-Better forms (for nominations, community service sign-ups, etc.).

-Better way to archive/view old pages and photographs.

What type of interactivity would you use? What can help your office communicate more effectively?

-A calendar feed that we have on our website with ACE-related events that also automatically feeds into a larger campus-wide site-and have a way for RSVP to come to us plus have the event added to respondent’s Outlook calendar.  Also-a way to promote “outside” events as well via the calendar (e.g., an environmental rally in Burlington).

-A section that promotes professional development opportunities for faculty.

-An interactive calendar for faculty.

-Video (interviews with students and community partners, worksites in action, etc.).

-Video of faculty teaching community-connected courses; interviews with community partners involved in community-connected teaching, learning, and research.

-Opportunity for students, faculty, staff, and community partners to sign up for ACE e-newsletter.

-A way to enable students abroad to report on their service/internships/engagement there (but more formal than a blog, reviewed by ACE first).

-Link for recording volunteer hours (as part of student portal?).

-Online payment (e.g., for MAlt trips).

-How can we get alumni involved?

Do you have examples of functionality, design, or features from other colleges or industries that you like and admire?

-Sites of ACE-related offices (civic engagement, service learning, community service, citizenship, etc.) at Bowdoin http://www.bowdoin.edu/mckeen-center/index.shtml , Tufts http://activecitizen.tufts.edu/ , Amherst https://www.amherst.edu/academiclife/cce , and Swarthmore http://www.swarthmore.edu/langcenter.xml .  Also:  Georgetown, Macalaster, Princeton, Carleton, Bryn Mawr, and Colgate.

-We really want to have the capability to create “photo slideshows” on a regular basis-the type of slideshow where the picture changes automatically every few seconds. Here is an example of what we like: http://www.colgate.edu/DesktopDefault1.aspx?tabid=1870. Here is an example of what we don’t want: http://www.middlebury.edu/admissions/gallery/?galleryImage=0 because you have to click “next” each time.

If you currently create or edit pages on any of our web sites, what functionality is good? What could be improved?

-We like that we can create content (e.g., a new News and Events story) and add it immediately to the website without going through a lengthy or bureaucratic approval process.

-We would like it if there were a better system for the News and Events Feed archives… right now they just run down the right-sidebar in a long column.

-We would like ACE to be able to use both the left and right sidebars (if the new system has both sidebars). Right now we can only use our right side-bar although some offices use both sides.

-Web stats!  We need information on who visits the ACE page-and which section(s) are most visited.

-Less “homemade” looking-e.g., it’s so obvious when the home page looks great, but other pages look just cobbled together (not arguing for total conformity, just a conformity in overall graphic appeal).  More opportunity/options for choosing design emphasis (heads, etc.).

-More seamless and clarifying links to collaborating departments (e.g., CCAL).

-Better search is critical.

The Commons and Orientation

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Stakeholder: Katy Abbott
Website: http://www.middlebury.edu/campuslife/commons and http://www.middlebury.edu/campuslife/events/orientation
Redo Contact: Ryan Kellett

General: Orientation in both February and September is run, in part, by CCAL (JJ Boggs). There are five commons, each with unique personality and work processes. This report represents all five commons.

Orientation Requirements:

  • Constant Update: the orientation website is unique in that information changes almost daily, especially in the several weeks prior to Orientation which takes place in September and February. That said, the authors of these updates are far and wide since Orientation brings in many areas of the College. It is essential to both have a “working space” for information updates and then a one-click solution to immediately reflect those changes on outward-facing website which is presented to all incoming first-years. Currently, it is far too cumbersome to update the site that often and results in misinformation among first-years who then choose to call in or email.
  • Workflow: The collection of people in charge of Orientation do not have the time or background to necessarily update the website. They have other roles at the College and therefore updating falls to the wayside.
  • AskHiba: It would be nice to have an AskHiba-type (http://askhiba.wordpress.com/) place for first-years to ask questions and receive answers from peers (both upperclassmen and other first-years). This would relieve some of the pressure of calls and emails while still being quite personal. Students should be able (and are likely willing) to run this site. If it’s possible, it would be nice to dynamically feed a FAQ from these questions and answers.
  • Facebook: Start “official” Facebook groups for the admitted students (which then turn into first-years). It should be official in that the school or a Middlebury student moderates it, but it should not be moderated by the Orientation committee. Link our pages into this group.
  • Text Online: find a better way to display lots of info in CMS rather than lists and PDFs.
  • Visually Stimulating: better visual appeal and presentation of orientation information. Rollover graphics would be nice.
  • Similar CCAL (Doug Adams) functionality: online forms, payment, ticketing, embedded interactive media, etc. We do need to be able to take reservations and payment on line.  Class photos, Bread Loaf accommodations, and more mean that having that capacity would be ideal.

Commons Requirements:

  • FYS and Sophomore Experience: Find ways to support the first-year seminars and sophomore experience as part of the 4/2 Commons System. This could take the form of displaying some of the work from the FYS, as fed up through class blogs or websites. This should not require students to do any more work than they already do — should be automated in feeding up content to populate some sort of display of the Commons experience
  • Dynamic Bulletin Boards: Commons are often places to post information (for example in weekly “newsletter” type publications that are posted in bathrooms). An online space (message board, wiki, or wall?) for such activity might be nice but must be sure not to compete with other online spaces. If underused, it becomes useless. Some sort of moderation/vetting needs to be in place.
  • Neighborhood: there should be a way of identifying students online (within the Middlebury universe) as from a certain commons.
  • Deans and Faculty Heads: There should be a better way to connect with deans and faculty heads which are the “family” within the Commons. A lot of emails go out from Commons Coordinators that say: “faculty heads have tickets available for these performances” or “the dean reminds you to bundle up because of extra cold weather this week!” These types of announcements are common but finding a way for deans/faculty heads to connect (but also get information from) is important.