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MCC Daily Tribune Archive

FAQ About our Whole New .edu


As we get ever-closer to the launch of our whole new www.monroecc.edu <https://www.monroecc.edu>  this September, we know you have questions about the redesign project…and we have answers!

1. What exactly IS this “Whole New .edu” thing?
The College is in the middle of a three-part project that will improve our
www.monroecc.edu <https://www.monroecc.edu>  website.

*  First, key sections of
www.monroecc.edu <https://www.monroecc.edu>   -- including Admissions, Tuition and Financial Aid, and our Academics/Majors & Programs areas -- have been redesigned and refocused to provide the information and functions that prospective students and their families expect. It’s a whole new .edu that offers more value for our core Web audience.

*  Next, a new Web content management system (wCMS) called TYPO3 is being implemented to help MCC departmental Web Liaisons more easily and directly update their website content and pages.

*  Third, employee- and student-centered landing pages are being created in order to centralize where we find the content we use most in one place, making it easy for all of us to find the Web information and tools we use regularly as we live and work here at MCC.


2. Why are we doing this?
There are several important and strategic reasons behind this initiative:
* Technology evolves quickly, and it’s been 5+ years since we last overhauled our website– that’s a lifetime in digital time! We need to stay current with Web tools and functions, such as ensuring our website is fully mobile-responsive and usable on phones, tablets and other mobile devices.


*  Web use in general has increased, and we need to be sure we’re meeting our prospective students where they are – online – and providing them the best, most helpful digital experience. For example, in 2000, only 43 percent of Americans had access to the Internet, according to estimates on the website Internet Live Stats. By 2010, the figure rose to 74 percent, and by July 1, 2014, nearly 87 percent of Americans were online.

* Best practices suggest that we tailor externally-facing Web content and functionality to our main audience and that we publish information and images that reflect our school identity, our established brand, and our successes. Our website offers more than information; it tells our success stories, which is an effective way to reach prospective students.

In short, our website needs to be a more attractive, more useful resource that appeals to students by reflecting the excellence of MCC. We should think of
www.monroecc.edu <https://www.monroecc.edu>  as our digital front door where we welcome millions of visitors each year. That’s our focus, going forward.


3. What do we hope to accomplish?
The goal is to put the College’s Web mission into practice. Our intention has been to focus on our main Web audience of prospective students and to provide them with the best content – in familiar language and clear digital formats – so they can connect, apply, register, and plan the future success they desire.

We hope that making things on our website easier, more appealing and more functional will attract students and inspire them to continue their education here at MCC.


4. What changes can I expect?

Some of the modifications will be visual, some textual, and some functional.

The new design for
www.monroecc.edu <https://www.monroecc.edu>  will include a standard look and layout for pages, including the College’s color palette, easily-readable text areas, and strong visuals. Of prime importance is its new mobile-ready format that will increase student access to our website no matter what device (phone, tablet, desktop) they are using.  The written content will feature more natural, conversational language as well as more direct pathways and easier navigation to key content – all meant to create a more efficient and effective experience for prospective students.

The main technical modification for internal audiences will be where to go to access their resources. Employees will now scroll to the footer of any webpage to find the button for their own landing page that will lead to centralized resources like myMCC and the A to Z Index. Once there, faculty and staff should be able to easily follow the headings and buttons to find the pages, content and functions to do their jobs.

(Currently enrolled students, too, should find it easy to get to their own new Student landing page to help them access the resources they need to be successful students at MCC.)

Employees using Contribute, the outgoing Web content editing software, will soon transition to TYPO3, our new system.  Different levels of training will be offered, and departmental Web liaisons will be contacted directly – stay tuned for that.


This covers the most frequent inquiries about the Web Re-Envision Project, but if you have other questions, we’re happy to share answers! Visit our blog (
https://blogs.monroecc.edu/web/) for an expanded list of questions and answers, and feel free to contact Project co-lead Colleen Brennan-Barry (
<mailto:cbarry@monroecc.edu> ) if you have other thoughts or comments.

Colleen Brennan-Barry & Randy Bowen
Web Re-Envision Project
08/05/2015