Institution Website
i would think a schools official website would be the best place to find information pertaining to the school.it stated publications and catalogs is the best place but most schools now have there catalog online on there website.
Connie,
I would agree with you in that the students need to get a first hand feel of what is before them.
Patty Aronoff
Websites should be informative and should give the prospective student an insight to what your school's focus is. The website should tell about the owner or instructor's experience as well as the mission statement of the school.
I feel that having a downloadable catalog works well when we get phone calls about the school. We will give them basic information, take down their name and phone number and give them a password to down load our catalog. We follow up in a few days or ask them if they would like to tour the facility so they can see first hand what the internal structure of the classroom is like. I think that it is also important for students to sit in on a class so that they can see the instructor's teaching style and how the class interacts with the instructor.
Paul,
All information should be current and correct. Even web pages need to be easy to use and current.
This is very true. In the ever changing world of education, it is the easiest way of delivering the most up to date information. The problem with printed material is it can quickly be out of date. Even something as simple as a change of telephone number or contact person makes printed material incomplete. An institutions website is one of the most powerful and effective information tools for potential and existing students.
Courtney,
We do want them to call and we do want them to have information. It is about finding the right balance.
We give out an overview of each program offered via mail, giving enough information to interest those who will benefit from our programs, but leaving enough detail lacking to encourage propects to contact us. This statement, therefore, is definitely one I agree with, but I do see our website as a "starting point" that includes limited information. Like someone else said in this thread- listing all the information we have onto our website would make it essentially clunky and inaccessible, but i do feel that having SOMEthing available online for propects is key to hooking their interest.
Amanda,
And that's okay...you want them to call. Often people believe anything and everything on the web without further research.
Our website too contains all information including our catalog which is pretty comprehensive. We still have people call and want to ask questions over material covered on the website. Its like they do not believe it until they hear it from a school representative.
Catalina,
The website should support the school and staff but not replace it.
Lance,
The website is often the first point of contact. It should provide the necessary information to learn of your school but nothing is better than speaking with a representative who is interactive with good information.
The website is primarily a marketing tool. The admissions staff must be more knowledgeable about the school than the website can possibly be. To give an example of this point, look at a website and try to gain as much information as you can. Do you have questions about the company? Does the website answer them? In my experience, it does not. If a college's placement rate is 5% of graduates, that will not be on the website but admissions people need to know it.
Keep in mind that the best place to find information pertaining to the school is in its policies and procedures, catalog, information gained from meetings, etc. Anybody can get the sanitized marketing view of the school from the website but the best source of information for admissions personnel goes deeper than that.
Another point: How much information is related to the school? A lot. How much can be put on a website? Very little. If you try to put every piece of relevant information on your website, it would be unreadable and difficult to navigate.
yes i agree some time the website could give you a pick of the information that you are looking for but it is better to go to the place and get more information and that way you can also look the school , the staff etc..
I strongly agree. This is the best place for student to find the information that they're looking for.
I agree. The website can provide a wealth of information yet it is also important to encourage a prospective student to call or email admissions. Establishing person to person contact is just as important as a great website especially since different people prefer different methods of receiving information.
Laura,
You bring an important point to the forum in tha they need to make a well-informed decision in enrolling.
We do not offer all of this information on our site at my school. We find the best way to educate them on the investment is to entice them in and then provide the more wordy and lengthy information in person. This also gives them enough interest to intrigue them, but doesn't allow them to make an uneducated decision based on information they may not fully understand.
I do agree. The institutions website should be the best place for current and prospective students to find information. For most institutions the catalogs are on the webstie. I beleive that the answer to this question and answer should be revisited or clarified.
You're right. I love to use the internet, while my parents would much rather have the person-to-person comtact. Although, they will use the internet with some encouragement.
Melanie,
We are a changing culture when it comes to technology. Many use the internet as first choice in seeking information. Others continue with the person-to-person contact. The key is to find your target market and how best to reach them.
