In today's modern world, a university's website could affect a lot of factors on how students and parents alike view the institution. An unprofessional-looking portfolio may cause potential students to change their minds about going to a particular college.
In a post for Times Higher Education, Joe Hoyle noted that technology is not the only factor that a team needs to develop a university website. He talked about how he led a team at London South Bank University and how they were able to bring the university's website to the top of Sitemorse's independent index.
"The key to our success is not simply technology; it is governance," he wrote. Hoyle realized that they needed to provide better training and coaching for content contributors, improve workflow and processes as well as ensure that every part of the university website development and content production was quality assured.
"Digital transformation is about more than technology," he added. "We use the same content management system as many other institutions (called Squiz Matrix). It's not the technology, but what you do with it that counts."
Hoyle also shared three tips for those who want to create a university website. These are the things that he learned as he managed the team.
1. Choose your team well.
Make sure that you have the right people with you for the whole process and that you take care of them. Hoyle advised to "hire for attitude and potential, train for skill."
2. Have a plan in mind.
Before working on a university website, it is important to sit down and clearly identify what you want to achieve. Talk with your team about what your vision is and how you plan to carry it out.
3. Take control.
As mentioned above, effective governance is the key. Hoyle urged leaders to take control and train people. Moreover, quality assurance should be the center of everything you and your team will do.
