The Web Team for the University of Bath
For our September 2011 Open Day we put together a single-page destination specifically for the event.
The percentage of visitors to our site whom Google Analytics classifies as using "Mobile" devices currently runs at 3.4% (up from 1.4% this time last year) but since we always see a spike in mobile traffic on an Open Day and during the days leading up to it we thought we'd try and make a little more of it.
It's been just over three months since our glorious leader, Alison Kerwin, left on maternity leave - since then I'm delighted to be able to say that not only has she added two healthy bouncing babies to the fray but we've also had four new members of the team start!
Sophie has already said hello on this blog and over the next few weeks the other three (Julian Buchannun, Chris Shimmin-Vincent and Rich Prowse) will also be introducing themselves here -you can get a sneak preview on our Team page!. We're really thrilled to have them on board, helping us deliver the best web experience that we possibly can.
Of course having also recently said goodbye to both Andy Savin and Yvonne Aburrow we now have some vacancies in the team again which we'll be advertising as soon as we can, so keep your eyes peeled!
I'm leaving today, so I thought it would be fun to look back over the nine and a half years I have spent working here.
When I first came to work at the University of Bath in 2002, I worked as an Experimental Officer in the Psychology Department (covering maternity leave). None of my friends were quite sure what an experimental officer was - in fact I was there to build the website and catalogue the extensive library of journal articles and videos.
In 2003, I was recruited by Dave Cunningham to work for Computing Services, building a website called the Research Observatory, which provides an overview of how to get a PhD. The project eventually migrated to the University of the West of England, where it still exists.
Today, we're proudly opening our doors to hundreds of prospective students from across the country. It's an exciting occasion for us as not only is today our first open day to be held on a Saturday, it's the first time we've welcomed prospective students since becoming the Sunday Times University of the Year 2011.
There's a great atmosphere on campus, with something new to see on every corner. From performances by our very own Juggling and Circus Skills Society, to a steel band playing their own take on modern classics, there really is something for everyone. We've even witnessed a spectacular performance by the Bath University Student Theatre Society (BUST) in our amphitheatre.
While the parade is bustling full of students exploring our wide variety of facilities and eateries, the Info Fair in the Sports Training Village is a hive of activity. It's great to see prospective students and parents chatting with staff and students from all departments, finding out what our fantastic campus has to offer.
A real sense of pride and achievement is in the air today, with staff and students excited to be part of this special day. It's also our first opportunity to witness the full impact of the new University of the Year signage and we can happily report it looks incredible!
We hope prospective students and their families enjoy visiting today as much as we have enjoyed hosting the event. We look forward to welcoming the return of some of our visitors as they enrol as students next autumn.
Unfortunately, we must disappear now – the steel band is about to play the hits of ABBA!
It’s impossible to have picked up a newspaper or sat in front of the television during the last 12 months and not realised that there are great changes afoot in higher education.
Aggregate student numbers in the UK have doubled in 20 years with a downturn in the national economy prompting a review of higher education funding. In England the balance of funding is going to change – with much of the cost of courses switching from the taxpayer to the student.
Like many industry professionals I’ve worried how the changes will affect me personally – how will my role change and what challenges will I face in trying to fulfil it?
At the start of this month I attended the CASE Europe Annual Conference which was held in my hometown of Manchester.
'The Council for Advancement and Support of Education (CASE) is a professional association serving educational institutions and the advancement professionals who work on their behalf in alumni relations, communications, development, marketing and allied areas.'
As a group of professionals we are all interested in furthering higher education, promoting its benefits and aiding our institutions in recruiting the best students and getting the most funding possible.
Having attended the conference in Glasgow last year I was impressed with the level of knowledge of the speakers. They range from vice-chancellors, to marketing directors, to one of the founders of Facebook.
My new place of work!
It’s been an exciting few weeks for me, settling into my new role and exploring this amazing city. I’ve enjoyed spending the days learning new systems and meeting stakeholders, the evenings sight-seeing and discovering many of the fantastic restaurants and coffee shops around the city.
At the end of July, I made the move from sunny Yorkshire to join the team as Web Content Editor for the business and research sections of the site. After working in the Web Team at the University of Hull, I was excited to see how things work in another higher education environment.
So far, I'm really enjoying myself. I’ve been blown away by the friendly and welcoming nature of the team who have all done their best to make sure I settle in - taking me for lunch, helping me with directions and inviting me to join them in after work activities.
For the first few weeks, I've been focusing on the business website. I've buried my head in statistics, audited content and evaluated the journeys of internal and external users. After lots of hard work, I've formulated a plan for the new external-facing business website and have started developing content and mocking-up new homepage designs. Exciting stuff!
There are lots of interesting projects coming up in the next few weeks. I'm very excited about attending my first CS Forum next week in London, with talks from world leaders in content strategy such as Gerry McGovern and Karen McGrane. It’s going to be great learning lots of new ideas we can implement in the near future!
