Karey Patterson, School of Social Science, Southern Cross University, Lismore, NSW, Australia, 2480. Email: kpatte10@scu.edu.au
Allan Ellis, Senior Lecturer, School of Social Science, Southern Cross University, Lismore, NSW, Australia, 2480. Email: aellis@scu.edu.au
Online Education, Web Site Management, Australian University Web Site Managers, Interviews, Best practice, Educational Web Sites.
This paper examines Australian university Web Sites in terms of their use as a business information tool. The development of the concept that a university Web Site is an important primary means of contact with potential students and other stakeholders is relatively recent and as such there seems to be little research into and awareness of the management practice of the individuals or teams that manage this important medium.
With a large amount of information to convey and an increasingly competitive
educational marketplace, for on campus as well as distance education and
online educational markets, the importance of effective Web Site management
of a university
Web site cannot and should not be underestimated. Much of the hype surrounding
educational Web sites and the possibilities or promise of this new technology
has to do with potential access to new markets, and course delivery technologies.
The majority of Australian University Web Site managers interviewed for this study perceive the development or implementation of an organisational wide Content Management System (CMS) as a key factor in improving the timeliness of information, consistency of design and accessibility of the university Web Site that they manage. Many respondents reported ad-hoc methods of backing up and archiving data, areas of policy deficiency and severe time management issues due to their consistently large workload.
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