This is a status update on the Bellevue College website redesign project.
More Information:
As you may know, the Bellevue College website redesign project is well underway. The goal is to improve both the way our website looks and functions. The website is our most important marketing tool for prospective and current students, so we need to improve our searchability and accessibility to stay competitive and highlight all that BC has to offer.
While a tentative release has been set has been set for no later than Winter 2023, we wanted to let you know well in advance to help ease the transition. We will continue to send periodic updates along the way, with increasing frequency as we get closer to the release.
What We’ve Done
As mentioned in previous updates, much of the work conducted by our core team isn’t necessarily visible due to its technical nature. Some of this work includes:
- The ongoing review of existing pages
- The production of sitemap and wireframes: elements that inform the overall structures, relationships, and priorities of websites
- Updates to BC Pathways
- A content migration strategy (identifying how existing data and elements will make their way to the new site)
What We’re Working On
Our redesign partner and core team have been evaluating each subsite for consistency of content, design, accessibility, and community representation. BC students come from all walks of life, with a variety of needs: to earn a certificate or degree, to update a credential, to learn a specific skill or topic, or even to change careers altogether. Providing a path and resources for success is key to the online presence of any educational institution, and BC’s proximity to technology compels us to make that experience a meaningful one.
The redesign will include a comprehensive update to the web content style guide to help provide our web content creators with common standards for the production of copy and visual elements. It’s not enough that we update the college’s website to a more contemporary look and feel; the work needs to be sustained once published. These recommendations will help unify the website pages developed by our content creators. Look for training featuring the guide and other aspects of the website. They will be offered as work continues throughout the year.
Early Success! BC Pathways
The BC Pathways site itself has experienced abundant success, tallying over 30,000 views since its July 2021 launch. The bounce rate of its homepage (or percentage of visitors who leave rather than continuing to other pages) is less than 10%, and the average time spent on each page is over 2 minutes. This is high praise in an era of faster bandwidth and shorter attention spans. We’ve introduced a series of videos to accompany the Pathways site that help students identify areas of study and the courses necessary to achieve their career goals in a coherent fashion.
Finally, this update wouldn’t be complete without acknowledging the work provided by our advisory groups and stakeholders, notably our contributing faculty, our DRC and DEI constituents, the Student Success Council, and project co-sponsors Rebecca Chawgo and Rodger Harrison. Last, but not least, we’d like to extend our deepest appreciation to Katherine Hall, whose insight and guidance had a major, positive impact on this project.
I also personally want to thank everyone who has provided the insight into their respective units. We look forward to continuing our collaboration to better serve our students.
Eric Kong, he/him/his
Project Manager, ITS Division
Last Updated March 17, 2022