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Studying Website Design
Point and click and the world is yours.
Point and click has become the symbol of
our times - the current generation of international college
students has always known the World Wide Web. From its humble
beginnings back in the early days of the internet, to its
first conception at a conference of technology leaders in
Switzerland in the early 1980's, to the dynamic environment
of today, nothing has had greater impact in the global community
of learners than the 'web'.
 The
explosion of web sites has grown into an entirely new industry,
and now some of the hottest, most exciting career opportunities
are in the arena of professional web site design and development.
It is unlikely that the pace of such development will slow,
as new and more dynamic web applications are created in the
global marketplace each day.
Universities and colleges are just beginning to respond to
the global demand for well-trained professionals in website
design and development. There is a lot to learn, as this field
is a 'hybrid' - a collection of different disciplines, knowledge
and experience. It is also very new; no one knew what a website
designer was a few years ago. Today, talented website designers
must have a balance of computer graphics skills, communication
skills, technology background, extensive software experience,
and skill in the 'client services' - or dealing with customers.
A strong dose of marketing and business skills are an added
dimension. With the right set of skills, experience and knowledge,
there is no limit to growth in this field.
As new majors and university programs develop, prospective
students must be educated consumers to identify the program
that matches their needs. This is an emerging field, and early
entrants may have the edge over long-established technology
programmers trying to transform themselves.
Faculty
Almost anyone can create a website with today's web development
tools. But really good websites are designed by practitioners
with experience as consultants in the field. Faculty in university
website programs should be active practitioners, enabling
them to bring recent, cutting edge design concepts and tools
into the classroom for the students. Faculty should be up-to-date
on the latest happenings in the field - again, this may not
be the 'traditional' faculty member with a PhD. Rather a balance
of real world experience, graphics design and technological
skills make up the ideal profile for the website design faculty
member.
Studios and Labs
Just as Website Design is challenging established profiles
of faculty members, they are also challenging the profile
of campus technology resources. This is a field that demands
state-of-the-art technology in creative and technical environments,
and universities are being forced to rethink what it means
to have computers available for students. Again, the 'hybrid'
theme may be the best. There are plenty of computer labs around
colleges and universities, but how many 'web studios' will
you find? A great website is a creative and technical accomplishment,
and campus web studios should mimic a professional web company:
fast and powerful desktops, large displays, projection systems,
digital cameras, scanners, photographic lighting, and big
networks with lots of data capacity. You need the tools of
the trade to get the best skills and experience.
Software environment
There is so much to choose from by way of software development
tools for the web - it really is a moving target. At a very
basic level, students should find software environments that
host a network operating system to conduct client-server transactions.
There should be an array of graphic development software packages,
and coursework should teach basic HTML, Java, Javascript,
CGI, ActiveX, and interactive databases, among other web interaction
platforms.
Learning and teaching styles
Learning about the web and becoming a web professional requires
practice with the latest hardware and software tools. It may
also require a different way of teaching. Coursework in a
website design program should be 'hands on' from the beginning,
as the only way to determine the flow of a web navigation
strategy is to test it. In a world where the average web user
takes about 2.5 seconds to browse and leave a web page, getting
the right graphic design and information sequencing is imperative
for success. Depending on the type of site you are developing,
the faculty member may not always have the 'correct' solution
to the problem. This is a field of prototyping and testing,
and rebuilding and prototyping some more. Web design programs
should have students working in 'project teams' with students
from other disciplines like marketing and business. Students,
in some cases, will be experts in particular software packages
before arriving to campus.
Industry Relationship and Practical Experience
Solid web design programs should have strong ties to industry
and great practical experiences available for students. This
is a field that needs to blur the boundary between academia
and the workplace. Students are perhaps the best focus group
in the world for potential websites, and such opportunity
should be integrated into the curriculum. Great ideas consistently
come out the classroom and into the commercial sector, and
web programs will only accelerate such a tradition.
Author
Stephen C Andrade
Johnson and Wales University
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