Webster University Web Site Does Well (Web Review)

Fresh off a complete makeover, the Web site for Webster University’s Fayetteville campus appears to be a nice resource for the school’s 130 students. And we’re confident that if the coming attractions we heard about were already implemented, it would have gotten an even higher rating.

The university opened its Fayetteville campus in January of 1999, and the Web site debuted in 2001. The recent in-house redesign was its only real change during the last year.

Matt Hudson, the local campus’ Web master, deserves credit for incorporating a calendar and photos, and for cleaning up the whole interface. He also has a used-book exchange in the works that will function sort of like Webster’s own local e-Bay store.

It will allow students to resell their books for closer to retail prices by posting them online. Other students can then buy them with a credit card and save money, too.

A resource directory will enable Webster’s worldwide faculty to share ideas and techniques online.

No site traffic information was available. But we imagine Webster’s students will visit it frequently as the semester moves forward. Course syllabi, tuition and degree information and even graduation photos can be found at www.webster-fay.org.

One graphic designer said she liked having the ability to download a course description for each class. She also liked having a link to Webster’s main U.S. campus in St. Louis, which provides more information about the institution as a whole.

She did think the design was overall “pretty boring,” and noted that the calendar does not have very many items yet entered. But our review came right on the heels of the site’s overhaul, so we’re confident it will soon be brimming with daily activities.

A technician said the site was fundamentally sound. The static menu helps immensely with navigation, and we had no trouble finding the site through several Internet search directors.

Probably the most interactive, and borderline e-commerce, feature is the hyperlink that allows students to apply online for federal student aid loans. The Stafford Loans page is a little overwhelming at first, but we were able to get to the appropriate forms.

We liked the overview of classes required for degrees such as Webster’s Master’s of Business Administration, and believe that this site will help attract more students to seek them.