LIU Website Needs More Work Than Expected

Byline: Andrea Deignan

Last Thursday there was a discussion in Professor Ryden’s Writing for Business class involving the school website. The contention  among the students was that the website, which just went though a major revision this past year, is still lacking. “On other schools websites, it is so easy to find what you are looking for. On ours you have to jump through so many hoops to find what you are looking for,” said senior Matt Marando.

Many students voiced comments about the ascetic look of the website, saying the focus seemed more on advertising the school than making the site user friendly for students. The web site is the image of the school. It is the first contact prospective students have with the school.

“Everything today is done online, high school seniors and parents are looking first at all the school websites,” says junior Natalia Zimnoch. “First impressions are really important; they could make or break a decision.”

The standout complaint is usability of the website. Students voiced their difficulty in finding information on the website. In comparison, students found the websites of other colleges in the area like Hofstra, St. Johns, and Stony Brook easier to navigate.

“Sometimes if I have to access my LIU from another computer I go to the C.W. Post website and stare for two minutes before I find the link to my LIU,” said Zimnoch “Everything is blended together and it’s all so confusing and complicated which makes everything harder to find.”

In Professor Ryden’s class the conversation turned to the location of the final exams schedule. On the old website the schedule was placed as a tab on the left side of the homepage. Now the schedule is located on the page that contains the academic calendar. Students joked that they had to Google, “C.W. Post final exam schedule” to even find the page. Comparing the other websites students found that finding their final exam schedules was a much easier process.

Not every student thinks the website still needs improving. “I like the website,” said Junior Taylor Williams. “It is self explanatory, and a much better set up then the older version.”

“The site needs to be easier to search,” says Marando. “We should not have to go to Google to find what we are looking for.” Many students agree the new website is a major improvement from the previous version; however, according to most students, there are still improvements to be made.