The San Matean

Issue date: 9/22/08 Section: News

Media Credit: Leah Banks A screen shot of the new CSM website.

After preliminary work last spring, the new CSM website made its debut on Aug. 8, 2008, and is doing well.

The design team consisted of two CSM students that assisted with programming and layout, the CSM and district webmasters, a graphic designer, and a consultant.

"The web site was changed because we had substantial feedback and evidence that identified the need for an upgrade and redesign," said Valerie Tyler, the CSM webmaster. The need was identified through student focus groups and a web redesign survey.

There had been concerns regarding the website and how it worked or didn't work. "That really gave us the focus and leverage to move forward," Beverley Madden, director of college development and marketing said.

CSM saved a lot of money by designing the new website "in house," and by having its own faculty and staff work on it, said Madden. "All of us have very limited funding to do these things," she said. "We just rolled up our sleeves and said we wanted to do it."

Skyline is also redesigning its website, but is working with the company Interact, she said.

CSM and district employees spent a little over a year researching and testing the website's new style before finalizing it in August.

Madden said that the design team has received mostly positive feedback so far. The school did usability testing in June with current CSM students, San Mateo High School students, and members of the community with both good and limited computer skills. "We got a lot of kudos," Madden said.

Tyler also added that feedback has been "overwhelmingly positive" so far.

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