You for Youth:
Website Development Update
Sherri Lauver
Synergy Enterprises Inc.
December 8, 2010
Context & Background
Mission
– Provide technical assistance and professional development
opportunities
pp
via an online community
y
Year 1 Needs Assessment
– See best practices in action
– Central place to learn about the program and connect with one
another
– Develop skills to provide high quality programs
Project History
– Needs Assessment
– Prototype development and user testing
– Designing a new model to incorporate MSG’s coaching module
and
dd
design
i studio
t di
Y4Y Schematic
Prototype Website: January 2010
• Prototype allowed us to test a
model including:
– Engaging
g g g courses
– Dynamic activities
– Commentary from field
experts
– Reflection and application
•P
Primary
i
navigation
i ti b
bar
included 5 key topic areas
• Home page links to several
areas
Refining the Design: Summer/Fall 2010
• User testing findings led
to changes in:
– Primary navigation
– 30 minute, sequenced
course supplemented
by a substantial library
– Just-in-time
J t i ti
resources
• MSG brought on board
to:
– Develop the social
networking/community
building features
– Create the Coaching
Module and Design
Studio
Home Page
• Feature-driven
primary navigation
• Link to “About 21st
CCLC”
• Promos for webinars
and program success
stories
• Find a program
• Suggestion box
Course Landing Page
• Brief descriptions of each
30 minute course
• Prepares the user for the
course by highlighting
important
p
features to
come
• Description of
supplemental course
features:
– My Notebook
– Learn More Library
Course Landing Page
• Page orients users to course
goals and topics, & tools to
reflect and learn more
• Highlighted descriptions to
acquaint users with the tools
to help them through the
course
• Back/Next buttons make
courses easy to navigate at
their own pace
• Page numbers cue users to
their progress within each
course; Progress bar also at
the top of the page
Project-Based Learning Course
• Course goals highlighted
so users can easily
access them
• Icons allow users to
easily
y identifyy the tools
from course-to-course
• Notebook readily
available at all times and
organized by chapter
• Learn More Library
always a click away
Sample Activity
• Interactive activities and
graphics keep users
i t
interested
t d and
d motivated
ti t d
• Activities vary to keep
user interested
• Activities reinforce the
learning in a fun way, but
are rich enough to
support course goals
Learn More Library
• Users can access
videos, publications,
downloads, and
web resources
through chapterbased navigation
• Resources are
targeted at the
chapter content and
course goals
• Resources carefully
chosen
h
so th
thatt
users have choice
among relevant,
appropriate content
Technical Assistance Landing Page
• Technical
Assistance can be
accessed through
easy-to-use form
• Other areas of the
website are
highlighted on the
right to keep users
moving forward
through the site
Resources Landing Page
• General sections
b k up resources
break
for general viewing
•A
An in-depth
i d th search
h
feature allows users
to find the resources
y need quickly
q
y and
they
easily
• All of the site’s
resources can be
reached through the
Resources ‘search’
feature
Next Steps
What’s Next?
– Develop module content for 5 Y4Y modules (Fall 2010 – Fall 2011)
– Video p
production for 3 modules ((Winter 2011))
– Launch the Y4Y site with 3 modules and the coaching module
Project Contact
Sherri Lauver, PhD
Project Director
Synergy Enterprises, Inc.
Silver Spring, MD
(240) 485-1700
Slauver@seiservices.com