Evaluation of a graduate school Web-site by graduate assistants

College Student Journal, June, 2003 by Choo Kiang Ng, Phil Parette, Jack Sterrett

Since the early 1990s, tremendous growth in the use of the Internet has occurred. The Internet has rapidly become one of the most powerful forms of information media within this period of time. In the next few years, the World Wide Web (i.e., the Web) is expected to grow 20-fold, growing to 200 million sites by the year 2005 (Palmer, 2002). According to Nielsen (2000), the number of actual Web pages will grow to 50 billion by 2005. Given this phenomenal growth, there is an emerging need to be sensitive to the needs and preferences of Web users since Web sites are primary user interfaces for net-enabled businesses (Straub & Watson, 2001), information provision, and promotional activities (Alba et al., 1997; Jarvenpaa & Todd, 1997; Schubert & Selz, 1998).

For colleges and universities, the Internet serves as an effective and inexpensive information-dissemination tool. For example, an emerging trend that can be seen today is the use of the Internet by educational institutions as a marketing tool. According to Embark.com ("Report Shows", 2000), a provider of Web-based services for suppliers of education, the number of processed online undergraduate and graduate school applications increased over 140% from July 1, 1999, through January 1, 2000, compared with a similar period in 1998 through 1999. These statistics support the popularity, growth, and continued acceptance of the Internet by students and higher education personnel alike as a primary means for seeking and disseminating information.

The sheer number of Web pages that have proliferated on the Internet, and the resulting competition for user visits, has made it increasingly difficult for a specific Web site to attract visitors (Vista, Mechitov, Moshkovich, Underwood, & Taylor, 2001). The highly competitive nature of Web sites has suggested a need to study and address the needs and preferences of both current and prospective Web users. Equally important is the need to evaluate the effectiveness of a Web site by analyzing input and feedback from Web users.

Interestingly, research about Internet usage has tended to focus more on business and commercial applications (Lu & Yeung, 1998; White & Manning, 1998). Examination of the literature reveals that little is known about the use of the Web in higher education settings, especially use by graduate students. The focus of most previous studies addressing Web usage in higher education has been in the area of admissions (Frazier 2000; Kvavik & Handberg, 2000). These studies focused on the increased efficiency in the processing and handling of student data, and the transformation from a traditional paper-based system to self-service information, paper-less processing, and enhancement enrollment system.

A study conducted by Poock and Lefond (2001) examined how college-bound high school students perceived college and university Web pages. Although this study yielded a number of interesting findings, it appears that little effort has been made to examine post-graduate academic Web sites (e.g., college or university graduate school Web sites) and to examine how graduate students perceive these sites.

Purpose

This particular study followed a somewhat similar approach used by Poock and Lefond (2001) but focused primarily on graduate students as opposed to high school students. The purpose of the study was two-fold: to (a) examine how graduate students perceived college and university Web sites in general; and (b) evaluate the effectiveness of a School of Graduate Studies & Research Web site, in particular (www2.semo.edu/gradschool), by asking participants to perform selected tasks and to rate the Web site based on their experience.

Methodology

Subjects and Procedures

For the purposes of this study, a survey was utilized to collect input and feedback from graduate assistants at a Midwestern comprehensive regional university with an undergraduate enrollment of approximately 8,300 students, and a graduate enrollment of approximately 1,200 students, serving a 26-county area. A prototype survey instrument was presented to 37 graduate assistants (GAs) who were members of the Graduate Student Advisory Council (GSAC) at the university. The pre-test survey was conducted during a meeting of the GSAC in late Spring of 2002. Based on feedback received from completed surveys, the survey instrument was refined for formal use with a larger pool of GAs.

For the study, two procedures for distributing the survey instrument were utilized, including both on-site and e-mail. A convenience sample of 85 new graduate assistants was used in the on-site survey. A 30-minute session at the annual Graduate Assistant Orientation in early Fall of 2002 was designated for GAs to evaluate the Web site. The survey was conducted in two computer laboratories. Of the 85 new GAs surveyed, all responded, providing a return rate of 100%. E-mail messages seeking participation in the survey were also sent to all other current graduate assistants of the university. Of the 146 other current GAs surveyed, 44 responded, providing a return rate of 30%. In total, of the 231 GAs surveyed for the purposes of this study, 129 responded, providing a return rate of 56%.