“This is a huge initiative – an investment in the future. Something we cannot afford not to do. In order to maintain our high application numbers and prepare ourselves for the coming years, we need to better showcase our wide range of programmes,” says Deputy Vice-Chancellor Lena Eskilsson, chair of the ESU project steering group.
The purpose is to guide the right students to the right course or programme, as well as improving and streamlining how we work with education information. The focus is on the potential student. Exploring our wide range of programmes is to be inspirational and easy to navigate.
“My vision is of even greater numbers of applications, a broader reach and satisfied students. This is also about widening participation, making sure no one gives up because information is difficult to find,” says Lena Eskilsson.
All the faculties were involved in the project, and a steering group worked closely with the Education Board. This is not just a new website; it is a new way of working collaboratively and on education information and communication.
“There is a great deal of hard work and enthusiasm behind it. The work has been very complex, involving altered working methods right the way through to the individual teaching staff member. We chose to give the project more time so that it could be done properly, which proved to be a wise move,” says Lena Eskilsson.
At the Faculty of Science,18 people have worked to update more than 550 courses and programmes.
“Working on this huge project has been great fun. In particular, the idea of inviting people to an exhibition at Skissernas Museum about the journey of being a student was inspired (see separate news item below). The goal of gathering everything in one place makes our work more efficient, reduces duplication of work and makes it more likely that the information will always be up to date,” says Nils Johansson, ESU coordinator at the Faculty of Science.
The design of the new website builds upon comprehensive user studies, journal studies and in-depth interviews with presumptive students. The result is a website that is designed to present information in stages, based on the student’s decision-making process. The information is to provide support and guidance about choices and decisions on which course or programme the student wants to apply to.
“One of the biggest challenges has been changing perceptions of what is relevant to prospective students. The goal of the project – to follow the student’s educational journey with a “less is more” perspective – has permeated the work. Avoiding information overload and highlighting the most relevant parts can be difficult when many people want to keep things the way they always have been,” says Nils Johansson.
The project has also meant major changes within the University.
- A new organisation including various roles at both local and central levels was established.
- A new content management system, PIM, has been introduced and around 100 people have been trained in the new system and revised working methods.
Despite challenges such as staff turnover, technical obstacles and the complexity of the design and search functions, the project will soon be ready for launch.
The project will be completed at the turn of the year 2025/2026, when Corporate Communication will take over the solution.
Read more about the project: A unified education website
