by Diane Klein
The colors were eye catching, but not overpowering. They were simple primary colors, with text in contrasts with the windows, having subtle color. Graphics were striking, added to the appeal, and were not overstated. Data organization was reflected in the navigation bars, and subsequent pages had navigation bars matching the pull-down menus from the previous navigation. The organization facilitated navigation and enabled jumping directly to the selected area within the page, as indicated in the menus. Unfortunately, whenever graphics were part of the page, it took some time to load. Part of this is attributable to the speed of the modem connection. Overall quality of the website are highly useful--for faculty, staff, students, parents, and community members, alike.
The colors were simple, almost two-toned, and appealed for their simplicity. Graphics were animated on several pages, as was text on others. While the data was organized, the navigation was difficult. Links brought up secondary paging and did not go back to prior pages. Navigation was directed through embedded pull-down menus, but much of the data is still "under construction". Loading was slow, and not just because of the modem. Overall, if all of the links were working and navigation was more functional, the site holds promise for faculty, staff, students, parents, and community members.
Colors were simple, primary colors, enhanced by graphics. The graphics were cute, elementary school like, but there were periodic animated graphics that proved to be distracting. The pages were inviting. Data was organized, primarily, through a search engine. It takes a little scrolling to locate the navigation tools. Page loading was slow and kept you waiting. It used a standard raster scan, top-down. Overall quality is that of an emerging type of site. It needs work to be more useful and usable. But, it is off to a good start.
Deer Valley Unified School District
Colors were simple, eye catching, and appealing. The district logo was carried throughout the website. The text used multiple colors, fonts, and styles to emphasize various parts of the page. Graphics were simple and understated. Data was well organized and navigation was facilitated by the data organization. Layout of the website offered specific areas for district, education, students, community, schools, and "home". Loading time was very slow. Pages had so much information that they took too long to load. No screen sized pages were available, so you had to scroll to locate information, but the overall quality of information and utility for everyone in the district was high.
Colors were enticing, pinks, blues, and whites. The home page jumps out, with a catching "bravo" for the students and the schools. Graphics were understated, fit with the rest of the pages, and were simply stated. The data was well organized providing ease of navigation and pages were organized into related subjects, etc. The loading was relatively rapid, and provided a spreading technique for loading so that no area remained white and open for the entire load time. Overall, the website is quite useful, including historic, curriculum, business, community, and school specific as well as district information. Faculty, staff, students, parents, and community members should find it extremely useful and usable.
The colors leave much to be desired. While I like the graph paper look of the text background, the blues for the navigation bar are too pale, almost blending into the rest of the page. The navigation text is also pale, so that it is barely visible. Few graphics are used other than the school logo and an occasional photo, so there are few distractions from the information, but probably not very alluring to the students. The data is well organized, providing a basis for evaluating the school's programs, faculty, calendar, etc. The school's website follows the pattern (template) established by the district, so its organization fits with the district site. Depending on the page, loading time varies. Teacher pages load more slowly because they tend to have more graphics. Overall, the quality of the website is excellent. It offers sufficient information for contacts, etc. to satisfy faculty, staff, students, parents, and other community members.
Rose Lane has an inviting home page. The colors are muted, and not overstated. However, the text in the navigation bar leaves much to be desired. It is difficult to read because it is so pale. Graphics primarily included photos and buttons, and were wonderfully understated, emphasizing but not overpowering the site. The data was organized to facilitate navigation, and relied on a navigation bar to the left and at the bottom of the page. Loading took a little while, but was spread out so that the wait does not seem too long. Overall quality is high, providing utility for faculty, staff, students, parents, and community members.
Paradise Valley Unified School District
Colors are not particularly appealing. They are extremely pale. However, the graphics provide an interesting navigation bar. The navigation bar appears like folders in a file, with labels to the subsequent related links for the district--general, schools, governance, superintendent, etc. Otherwise, the only graphics are logos and occasional photos. The data is organized to facilitate navigation, grouping related areas together. Page load is not unreasonable, but not altogether fast. Overall quality provides utility for faculty, staff, students, parents, and other community members.
This site is still emerging. There is only the home page available, which opens with a photo of the school and general information about the school. Colors are simple black and white, with occasional blue text for emphasis--school address, phone, etc. There is no data organization other than the standard mission, goals, objectives, etc., listed in a document-like format, and definitely no navigation, yet. Page loading is fairly rapid, probably the best of the sites identified in this document. Quality is questionable since very little practical information is available for the stakeholders--faculty, staff, students, parents, and other community members.
Chandler-Gilbert Community College
The colors in this site are dramatic, yet inviting. The photo graphics and navigation bar show much information about the campus. Organization provides a navigable pathway to everything on campus. However, many of the secondary sites, departmental sites, fall short of fulfilling the promise given by the college's home page. Most of the sites have photos, and extensive text, and require an intermediate level of loading time. Quality is dependent on what information is sought and from which secondary sources within the campus. Many sites are still under construction, and there is little uniformity to the presentation from one department to the next. However, overall, the site provides the primary information sought by faculty, staff, students, parents, and other community members--admission & registration, departments & programs, courses, offices & people, etc. at the campus.