Project Description

The Agriculture Study Abroad Office (ASAO) at Iowa State University provides opportunities for students, specifically in agriculture-related fields, to engage in an international experience as part of their education. Students can apply for Travel Courses, Internships, and Exchanges in a total of 42 programs.

Project Goals

The ASAO had an outdated and static Web site and needed to update the site to make it more appealing to university students, and easier to "sell" College of Agriculture study abroad programs to students and parents. One significant limitation was that the ASAO staff could not make changes to the information on the existing Web site; all changes depended on a secretary in another office. Thus, program information was always outdated. ASAO needed a dynamic and speedy solution.

Audience

Primary audience: Iowa State University students and their parents.
Secondary audience: ISU instructors and staff involved with the programs.

IDEA Web Site Solution

The IDEA Team analyzed and reorganized content, then redesigned and developed a public site and a client administrative site with the following features:

• Navigation was reorganized to allow visitors to see general and detailed information about each of the three study abroad program types: travel courses, exchanges, and internships. (Previously, the Web site did not have a logical navigational structure, only links to pages of text that required lengthy scrolling.)
• A relational database was developed to capture all relevant study abroad program information for the Web site. Web pages pull information from the dynamic database, keeping the information current. The ASAO staff can also retrieve useful reports regarding specific programs. The database also stores country photos and flags.
• A client administrative site, password-protected, was designed and developed to give the ASAO staff control to
  • Add, edit, and delete all program information directly to the database. http://www.agstudyabroad.iastate.edu
  • Upload photos directly to country photo galleries, add captions and remove photos.
  
  
• Images and visual elements were added for interest and action that helps "sell" the program. Pages were made visually appealing by incorporating country flags and program participant photos. The photo gallery uses photos from the database, which staff can change through the admin site.
• Real time calculation was incorporated on the "Actual Cost" page using the database. A student can now select a program, input specific information, and receive an estimated total cost. http://www.agstudyabroad.iastate.edu/funding.asp
• Online application feature was added to allow the student to complete a program application directly on the PDF form. http://www.agstudyabroad.iastate.edu/application_form.asp

Effectiveness

The Ag Study Abroad Web site was launched in September 2002. The relational database created by IDEA, consisting of 12 tables, holds detailed information for 42 current programs. ASA staff has added data for 12 new programs since the new site was launched. They are able to make changes to program information daily. The database and dynamic, real-time functions of the Web site have streamlined promoting and tracking study abroad programs for the Agriculture Study Abroad Office. With over 3,000 visitors, the new Ag Study Abroad Web site has created significantly increased student interest.