Defining Your Website's Objectives

I looked at several different websites that were related to Criminal Justice. Upon performing this research, I found that some were stand alone departments while others were combined with other majors such as Sociology. In an effort to meet the requirements of this assignment, I selected three websites to analyze. They are as follows:
• Northeastern University (http://www.cj.neu.edu/)
• Hampton University (http://www.hamptonu.edu/academics/schools/libarts/sociology/index.htm)
• Florida State University (http://criminology.fsu.edu/p/academic-major-req.php)

The aforementioned universities vary in size, course offerings and history. For example, Florida State has the largest enrollment (40,000). Hampton has a total enrollment of 5,402 is classified as a historically black university. Northeastern University is classified as private (23,000) and located within a large urban area (Boston). All three websites exhibit both strengths and weaknesses upon review. With that thought in mind, the following were all questions to consider prior to my analysis:
• Is it user-friendly?
• When the webpage was last updated?
• Are there comments from current and past students?
• What are the course requirements?
• How do I contact the department?
• Is the intended audience for those that already know they want to major in or those undecided?
• Are there any specialization areas for undergraduates?

The previously mentioned points can be considered viable and reminders when looking for information related to a college choice. The following outlines the strengths and weaknesses of each department:

Northeastern University
Strengths
• Mission of department listed
• Calendar of upcoming college and department events
• FAQs Section
• Ask a question component
• Link to newsletter
• Different article that relates to criminal justice upon each site visit
• Centers and institutes within department in which students have access
• Access to course syllabi
• “Is our Program for You” portion
• Link to what current and alumni say about program
Weaknesses
• Information becomes lost under sub-headings
• No email contact or lack of student representatives
• No mention of when last updated
• Lack of reference to social networking programs (Twitter, Facebook, etc)


Hampton University
Strengths
• Simple, good layout
• Lists founders of African-American sociology
• Lists what alumni are doing
• Has link to curriculum
• Date of last update
• References available scholarships
Weaknesses
• Not thorough enough for incoming freshman or someone wanting to change major
• Even though Criminal Justice is concentration, it becomes lost (placed at end of page)
• List social organizations, but no contact person(s)
• Lack of pictures to social events, functions
• No newsletter
• No course syllabi
• Lack of reference to social networking programs (Twitter, Facebook, etc)

Florida State University
Strengths
• Gives links to about the university, college and other programs
• Includes a link to course syllabi
• Links to Centers related to criminal justice and journals edited by department
• Link to schedule of classes
• Possesses links to different forms of financial aid
Weaknesses
• Too much information (not concise)
• Too many external links to other departments
• Page appears to jumbled and reader can become lost in text
• No apparent link to mission of college or department
• No mention of departmental newsletter or student organization
• Lack of alumni section or what current student say about program
• Lack of reference to social networking programs (Twitter, Facebook, etc)

In summary all of the aforementioned sites have their good and bad attributes. However, for a site to be successful, it must assume the reader has limited knowledge. This would allow for most questions to be answered. In today’s society, the last thing someone wants to do is utilize the telephone or snail mail to get questions answered. To be specific, simple questions that could have been addressed through effective web design and the content within each site.

The field of Criminal Justice is a fascinating and rewarding career. However, in order for it grow even more, effective recruitment of new students is necessary. If I were the chair of a Criminal Justice Department, the following objectives would be considered: the audience would be to incoming, transfer and nontraditional students; the desired outcome would be to increase enrollment from its current state; place graduates into workforce; to not only attract the students with effective web-design—but their parents/guardians; provide photos of departmental functions along with newsletters; link to social networking websites; providing a web page/resource that is user-friendly so the reader doesn’t get lost in text and seek to grow individuals that positively reflect the department as well as the university as whole. The major constraint to the web page design would be knowledge of software and possible oversimplification or over abundance of text.

In looking at the previously referenced websites, I learned that simplicity is the key along with knowing what additional tools/resources to incorporate. For example, those sites that included newsletters, photos and course syllabi were seen as stronger. On the other hand, the lack of the aforementioned or reference to alumni (current jobs) were seen as weak. Effective web page design is a delicate balancing act and requires preparation and general knowledge of your intended audience.