The University of Arizona College of Education

http://www.ed.arizona.edu/

The University of Arizona College of Education web site is concise and easy to navigate. On the opening page a red apple with The University of Arizona logo in blue appears. On this opening page Alumni, students, and faculty can find a wide variety of information. However, one drawback to the opening page is that it does not contain a navigation bar that gets the reader back to the U of A home page. Nevertheless, the navigation tool bars are contained on each page and the apple gif is utilized consistently on each page. The opening page also contains a drop down menu that assists with navigating the site quickly and easily. This site also appears to utilize tables to make each page readable and easy on the eyes. All of the pages have a white background with the red apple gif in the top left hand corner with the university logo alongside.

Teachers College at the University of Nebraska – Lincoln

http://tc.unl.edu

The University of Nebraska at Lincoln’s Teachers College web site is difficult to navigate. The opening page contains table after table of information to search. Instead of having four different sections with other headings listed below, I would recommend having the four main sections as drop down menus and provided more information. A red apple banner with the white university logo is contained on each page. However, the Education site does not include navigation bars to get from point A to B or from A to Z. In searching this site the Back button was utilized consistently. On a few of the pages the layout design of the initial page was not evident on other pages. On the Academic Departments page the only graphic utilized was a “Welcome” sign and a navigation tool bar along the side. The Academic Departments page was a waste of web space and energy.

School of Education at the University of Colorado at Boulder

http://www.colorado.edu/education/

The University colors of blue and white fonts were utilized consistently on this site. It is a simple site that is very easy to read and navigate. Tool bars are used consistently on each page that helps the surfer to get from point A to point B or Z. On the start up page the five main sections contain mouse overs that illustrate information contained in each section. Campus information such as address and telephone number are easy to locate. I would suggest that the jpeg of the campus and mountains be made a little bit larger and utilized on some of the other pages.

The University of Colorado at Denver

http://www.cudenver.edu/

KISS, KISS, KISS. There is so much information contained on the initial page that I cannot remember the colors or what my intention of going to the site was for. The University of Colorado at Denver is difficult to navigate let alone where one should begin their search either as a prospective or current student. The jpeg logo is only used on the initial page with a different logo on the remaining pages. Seven main sections are listed on the start up page with numerous headings listed below. One jpeg picture is on the main site but what the point of the picture is, is anyone’s guess. The picture appears to be a park with people sitting on benches? The site also does not contain any navigation bars to get from one page to another. If you would like to see an eyesore I recommend going to the Degree Programs page. No tables, no links to other pages, and no navigation bar. This page appears as though someone cut and pasted information onto a web page and added some clip art at the bottom. The University of Colorado at Denver’s web site is a disappointment and needs to be totally revamped.

Graduate School of Education at the University of California, Berkeley

http://www-gse.berkeley.edu/

Blue and gold are the highlights of this website. The initial site is five pages long when printed. A navigation tool bar assists with getting the reader from the top to pages two through five and back up again. The only way this site works is because of the anchors (bookmarks) throughout the first page. Navigation is easy but the site does not contain a lot of glitz or glamour. The University’s seal is the only gif utilized in this section. The tool bars contain a mouse over when you highlight the font changes from blue to yellow indicating a search engine. I would recommend that they eliminate the underlining for hyperlinks because it makes the page appear messy and difficult to read.

Rossier School of Education at the University of Southern California

http://www.usc.edu/dept/education/Untitled9.html

The Webmaster of this site enjoys jpegs and gifs. The jpeg contained in the center of the page took forever to load and to my knowledge has nothing to do with education. Not only that but the jpeg overlapped onto the toolbar cutting off words and navigation tools. It was very difficult to find the information that a potential reader might be looking for. Once a hyperlink was contacted the reader reaches another page with more hyperlinks. Navigation is difficult and the jpegs are overwhelming. University logos are difficult to locate until after the reader scrolls past the jpeg. If you want to change the current jpeg the Webmaster recommends clicking on the image or “Reload” button. Thanks for the advice!

Florida State University College of Education

http://www.fsu.edu/prospective/undergraduate/academics/programs/education.shtml

The College of Education page is simple, yet takes up a lot of space. Florida State University’s logo appears in the top left hand corner and in the bottom right hand corner of the initial page. A wonderful jpeg of the university is located in the bottom right hand corner and would make a better focal point at the top of the page. It is apparent that the Webmaster did not utilize tables to keep the type centered and readable. A tool bar along the right hand side is difficult to read and the bottom scroll bar needs to be utilized to read the remaining entries. Once inside the site, it is difficult to figure out where you are located. Michelangelo’s Creation painting appears on the top banner in the Curriculum and Instruction section without the slightest indication that you are looking at Florida State University. However, a navigation bar is included to get the reader back to the initial and home page of the University.

The University of Florida College of Education

http://www.coe.ufl.edu/

At least they have a decent football team. A white background with blue and orange font highlights this site. Credit to the Webmaster should be given for his/her use of tables since that is all the reader sees. A jpeg containing the university logo appears only on that page. Link after link is contained within the two page long table. Each link is designed differently without any apparent consistencies. Navigation tool bars are not utilized, thus making it difficult to navigate. My hopes for the site were once again dashed upon entering the Educational Technology section. Hover buttons of purple, black, yellow, and teal appeared before me. Two jpegs appear without the University logo. Once inside consistency between the initial technology page and hyperlinks does not exist. However, this section does link back to the College of Education and the University of Florida main page.

Iowa State University College of Education

http://www.educ.iastate.edu/homepage.htm

Consistency is one of the key points of this site. Navigation tool bars, colors, and the university logo are on each and every site. A downside to the jpegs is that underneath the Webmaster explains to the audience the events of each picture. I am not so sure that is really of importance. Five main sections in red, green, purple, and yellow outline the navigation. However, drop down menus would be more effective and take up less space. It also appears that size 10 font was used making reading the site difficult. Also, each hyperlink is underlined thus creating a mesh of information. Each page also contains the address and telephone numbers of the university.

The University of Iowa

http://www.uiowa.edu/

Superb site! Drop down menus make navigation easy to follow and find information. A banner centered at the top contains various jpegs of the campus and university logo. Although the font and borders are in yellow in black it is very easy to read and navigate. The only drawback to this site is the fact that once inside the site there is a lack of consistency and navigation tool bars. The University of Iowa’s site quickly loads onto any server and does not waste the time of the intended audience.