If
your institution has provided an entry point on its Internet or Web site for
"Prospective Students," this section will probably be the first place a new user
will visit. It is therefore very important to
create an accurate and positive impression of your institution and its distance learning
offerings. Information that you place on your
Web site for prospective students serves several purposes.
First, it helps an individual make an informed decision about whether your
institution's online learning opportunities are likely to meet the student's needs and
helps him or her gauge the likelihood of success in the program. Secondly, this section of the institution’s
Web page designed for prospective students also gives the college or university a perfect
opportunity for marketing its online or distance learning opportunities. It becomes, in part, a portal to your entire
institution.
Good Practice Recommendations
· Make
online learning opportunities highly visible and clearly organized on your institution's
Web page. Too often, colleges and
universities hide their online programs several layers deep in the institution’s Web
site. The Internet gives you the perfect chance to highlight your institution's
opportunities for learning via technology. (Chemeketa
Community College) A quick click can then take visitors
directly to more information about the program. (Chemeketa
Community College)
· Give
a real sense of your institution and its distance learning offerings. Take advantage of the Internet and related
technologies to convey the special characteristics of your institution and its online or
distance learning program. (Washington State
University)
· Offer
prospective students the opportunity to assess their personal readiness for an online
course or program. At a minimum,
this section should contain a list of questions that students can ask themselves to
determine their likelihood of success in an online course.
There are a number of self-assessment tools designed to help prospective students
determine their readiness for online learning. These
assessments don't provide any assurance of success, of course, and many are fairly
superficial. However, they do offer some
additional information about the traits that tend to make one a successful online learner.
In addition, some assessments also include at least a general set of questions designed to
assess a user’s level of technical proficiency.
(Edmonds
Community College)
· Provide
information and/or tools for assessing hardware and software capabilities. Prospective students should be guided through
steps necessary to determine if they currently have adequate hardware and software
capability to take an online course from your institution.
Provide a list of specifications, including hardware and software, Internet Service
Provider, email, browser, and define each. If possible, include a way for prospective
students to test these capabilities through your site. (National University)
· Include
FAQs on costs, transferability, timing, and equipment related to your online or other
distance learning offerings. It
makes sense to anticipate the kinds of questions a student might have and to collect the
answers all in one place. (Cuesta Community College)
· Describe
how to get additional information about online programs and how to contact someone who
will answer any additional questions. In
addition to making as much information as possible available in this section, it is also
important to provide clear contact information so that a prospective student with
additional concerns can call or email someone directly.
Contact information should be displayed prominently, perhaps immediately after the
FAQ section. (Northern Arizona University)