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
