District Administration - October 2009 - (Page 66)

How Well Does This Web Site LEARN WHAT OUR WEB ANALYST SAYS IS RIGHT AND WRONG WITH THIS DISTRICT SITE Beaufort County (S.C) School District www.beaufort.k12.sc.us By Laura R. Bona SERVING OVER 19,000 STUDENTS in 30 schools, the Beaufort County School District is located in one of South Carolina’s fastest-growing counties. Design is site is very well organized and presents content of interest in an intuitive, easy-to-access manner. e home page has a satisfying selection of general information, including a four-color slide show highlighting featured topics, a “welcome” announcement, a list of upcoming events (along with direct, clickable access to the district’s complete interactive calendar) and a roster of recent news releases. e district logo (at the top left center throughout the main district site) does not provide a clickable link back to the home page. However, there is a consistent “Home” link provided nearby. Many of the district’s school sites share the same overall design framework, although there appear to be several diﬀerent layouts. Some oﬀer a handy breadcrumb navigation trail that maps a path back to the main district home page. ere is no district logo linked back to the home page—that is now likely a common expectation among site visitors. Navigation e top, left and bottom navigation bars are consistent across the site. In the top bar, there are links (with photos icons) to “Students,” “Parents,” “Community” and “Employees.” Also, at the top right side, there is a consistent navigational section with links to the district’s blog (with postings from the superintendent), podcast, frequently asked questions (FAQs), employment opportunities and RSS feeds. 66 October 2009 This site is very well organized and presents content of interest in an intuitive, easy-to-access manner. The home page has a satisfying selection of general information. Generally speaking, just about every question a visitor of any kind (parent, student, community member or the press) might pose will have an answer on this site. Featured in the left-hand nav listing are expandable and collapsible links to content such as “About Us,” “Board of Education,” “Departments,” “Directories” and “Our Schools.” A prominent Search box appears at the top right throughout the main district site. e returned results are relevant and helpful. However, no advanced search functions are available that could oﬀer, for example, ways to further ﬁlter search results to make them more speciﬁc. While a detailed site map is oﬀered, the link for it is buried in the bottom nav list; it would be more helpful to locate access to it adjacent to the Search box as an alternate form of browsing particular content. Usability A thorough “About Us” section includes information on the district mission, vision, means of contact and much more. Generally speaking, just about every question a visitor of any kind (parent, student, community member or the press) might pose will have an answer on this district site. Each individual school site oﬀers similar contact and school information. A complete A-to-Z district faculty and administration directory oﬀers a clickable, alphabetical listing. Additionally, an organizational chart is included. is site is not optimized for access by disabled users. District Administration http://www.beaufort.k12.sc.us

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of District Administration - October 2009

District Administration - October 2009
Contents
From the Editor
News Update
Security
College Prep
Stimulus Monitor
Administrator Profile
Professional Opinion
Crisis Response
Tech Disruptions
Digital Classrooms Take Flight
Measuring Success in Harrisburg
Reaching Graduation with Credit Recovery
Almost There?
Back to School for Retired Baby Boomers
Problem Solution
New Products
Product Focus
How Well Does This Web Site Work?
Understanding the Times

District Administration - October 2009