The TUs new website is up and running and in need of some constructive criticism from the universitys foreign legion. Is it an improvement on the old website, does it serve foreign student needs, is it an effective communication and marketing tool in the universitys non-stop foreign student recruitment drive? Deltas English Page asked a selection of foreign students for their opinions.
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True to the Dutch polder-model style, everyones got an opinion about the new TU website, and the TUs foreign students are no exception. And their opinions are valuable, since the TUs current crop of foreign students were once out there in cyberspace searching for a foreign university to study at. You could even argue that nowadays the TU%s website is its most important recruitment and marketing tool, the face of the university, its calling card, the first impression cyber-seeking foreign students will get.
For this reviewer, visually, the TU websites photos are often dull glossy modern and occasionally embarrassing. Like the News & Agenda section lady profoundly contemplating an egg and glass of orange juice. And there are too many shots of mobile phones and laptops, which nowadays are as commonplace as teenage acne and dinner plates. And its surely bizarre that there isnt one photo of old Delft, arguably Hollands most beautiful small city. This view is shared by foreign student Anish Patil, who had hoped to show his friends and family in India and the States his university. He was so frustrated by the lack of campus and Delft city photos on the old and new TU websites that he had to design and build his own site, called the TU Delft virtual photo tour, http://www.tbm.tudelft.nl/webstaf/anishp/tour/ , which is visually superior to TU Delfts site.
Another frequent complaint is not available in English information and links. Yes, the sites a work in progress and English texts will gradually be added, but heres a professional tip: Instead of the site%s current, This information is not available in English, insert the word yet,…not yet available…. The poor English usage (the lack of a captivating writing style) should be improved, and sloppy spelling mistakes, magazins, and grammatical blunders, This portal site shows you how we are going about to achieve this, fixed. (DM)
Zhang Wei, China, MSc student TBM
The style of the old TU site was much more creative and eye-catching. The new site is informative but a bit dull. I suppose its because its a portal-oriented design. Having English as the default language is absolutely handy for foreign students. Its also easy to find info about enrollment procedures and scholarships on this site. And I especially like the new FAQ, which classifies FAQs in terms of education, research, business, etc. Very handy.
Nadera Alsarras, Palestine, student Architecture,
The old site was boring. The new site has improved some. But its a bit too busy now, too much text on the homepage. Homepages usually feature keywords that lead to information youre seeking, but there are too many keywords on the TUs homepage. I havent gone through the whole website but from my few mouse clicks I could see that most of what students need to know is there. The sites colors are too traditional though; they dont grasp your attention.
Hein Cuppen, Brazil/Netherlands, student Maritime Technology
The new website is much more user friendly, the blue colored style builds a better and more beautiful environment where information is way easier to find. The Dutch for foreigners page is the one that % together with the pages without information in English % receives a negative point, because of its missing and dubious information and lack of organization.
Anish Patil, India/USA, PhD TBM
This new TU website gives me the feeling that TU Delft isnt marketing itself properly. Its behind in its marketing strategies, it still thinks universities are just for education. But look at U.S. universities; they don%t portray themselves as just a place to be a bookworm and study, they sell the total education experience, comprising student life, campus activities, culture, feeling. They offer value. The new TU website doesnt make me feel I should go study at Delft; it doesnt add value; it makes no real effort to distinguish TU Delft from its competitors. Delft is an amazing city. We should market ourselves as the place to have that Experience – a place where we add value to students lives. The TU website focuses on technology, education, research, business. But thats only 50% of the experience. The website details campus life, Delft, students, diversity… Before coming here, I attended Vanderbilt University in the U.S. Visit Vanderbilts website. Having seen it, any student anywhere in the world would then want to study there. They sell the experience. Vanderbilts excellent website features a great virtual tour with nice autumn colors, snow photos…it makes you fall in love with the place. That feelings missing from the TU site.
Vanessa Sadi, France, exchange student ITS
The new website is very complete and well organized and the navigation is easy, which prevents you from getting lost. More pictures showing the university and its students would be good for attracting future students and also a special section for foreign students should be added, as you often find that on the websites of other universities.
Ekim Tan, Turkey, MSc Architecture.
Well, every eye can see (from the way the photos are presented, colors, text design…) that the websites design wasnt a major concern. Designs very important, though. As Marshall McLuhan said, the medium is the message. The websites navigation, structure and speed are okay. As for English-language content, too many pages “are not available in English”. In fact, recently a former classmate of mine in Turkey emailed to ask if I could supply her with some extra info about the TUs architectural PhD programs, because she said most of the TUs webpages were in Dutch and she couldnt get sufficient information. Comparing the TU site to U.S. university sites, the TUs lacks visual content about the university and Delft. The homepage is especially unfriendly. Too much text, which bores people and can even scare them at first sight % where to start reading on such a full page!? Also, the TU site should have its own internal search tool, not Google.”
Samir Saberi, Afghanistan/Holland, student TPA
Having once compared the TU website with U.S. and U.K. university sites, I can say the big, important difference is that U.S./U.K. universities promote their achievements. The MIT site mentions its number of spin-off companies and Noble Prize winners. The TU site should feature former students who write about how their TU Delft studies enhanced their career possibilities. And knowing that top researchers are doing groundbreaking research at this university says a lot to people. People want to identify themselves with somebody. But the TU websites lack of boasting is related to the Dutch culture of not wanting to show off, of just trying to be normal; but whats considered normal here isnt necessary considered normal elsewhere. Showing and being proud of your achievements is normal in many other countries.
The TUs new website is up and running and in need of some constructive criticism from the universitys foreign legion. Is it an improvement on the old website, does it serve foreign student needs, is it an effective communication and marketing tool in the universitys non-stop foreign student recruitment drive? Deltas English Page asked a selection of foreign students for their opinions.
True to the Dutch polder-model style, everyones got an opinion about the new TU website, and the TUs foreign students are no exception. And their opinions are valuable, since the TUs current crop of foreign students were once out there in cyberspace searching for a foreign university to study at. You could even argue that nowadays the TU%s website is its most important recruitment and marketing tool, the face of the university, its calling card, the first impression cyber-seeking foreign students will get.
For this reviewer, visually, the TU websites photos are often dull glossy modern and occasionally embarrassing. Like the News & Agenda section lady profoundly contemplating an egg and glass of orange juice. And there are too many shots of mobile phones and laptops, which nowadays are as commonplace as teenage acne and dinner plates. And its surely bizarre that there isnt one photo of old Delft, arguably Hollands most beautiful small city. This view is shared by foreign student Anish Patil, who had hoped to show his friends and family in India and the States his university. He was so frustrated by the lack of campus and Delft city photos on the old and new TU websites that he had to design and build his own site, called the TU Delft virtual photo tour, http://www.tbm.tudelft.nl/webstaf/anishp/tour/ , which is visually superior to TU Delfts site.
Another frequent complaint is not available in English information and links. Yes, the sites a work in progress and English texts will gradually be added, but heres a professional tip: Instead of the site%s current, This information is not available in English, insert the word yet,…not yet available…. The poor English usage (the lack of a captivating writing style) should be improved, and sloppy spelling mistakes, magazins, and grammatical blunders, This portal site shows you how we are going about to achieve this, fixed. (DM)
Zhang Wei, China, MSc student TBM
The style of the old TU site was much more creative and eye-catching. The new site is informative but a bit dull. I suppose its because its a portal-oriented design. Having English as the default language is absolutely handy for foreign students. Its also easy to find info about enrollment procedures and scholarships on this site. And I especially like the new FAQ, which classifies FAQs in terms of education, research, business, etc. Very handy.
Nadera Alsarras, Palestine, student Architecture,
The old site was boring. The new site has improved some. But its a bit too busy now, too much text on the homepage. Homepages usually feature keywords that lead to information youre seeking, but there are too many keywords on the TUs homepage. I havent gone through the whole website but from my few mouse clicks I could see that most of what students need to know is there. The sites colors are too traditional though; they dont grasp your attention.
Hein Cuppen, Brazil/Netherlands, student Maritime Technology
The new website is much more user friendly, the blue colored style builds a better and more beautiful environment where information is way easier to find. The Dutch for foreigners page is the one that % together with the pages without information in English % receives a negative point, because of its missing and dubious information and lack of organization.
Anish Patil, India/USA, PhD TBM
This new TU website gives me the feeling that TU Delft isnt marketing itself properly. Its behind in its marketing strategies, it still thinks universities are just for education. But look at U.S. universities; they don%t portray themselves as just a place to be a bookworm and study, they sell the total education experience, comprising student life, campus activities, culture, feeling. They offer value. The new TU website doesnt make me feel I should go study at Delft; it doesnt add value; it makes no real effort to distinguish TU Delft from its competitors. Delft is an amazing city. We should market ourselves as the place to have that Experience – a place where we add value to students lives. The TU website focuses on technology, education, research, business. But thats only 50% of the experience. The website details campus life, Delft, students, diversity… Before coming here, I attended Vanderbilt University in the U.S. Visit Vanderbilts website. Having seen it, any student anywhere in the world would then want to study there. They sell the experience. Vanderbilts excellent website features a great virtual tour with nice autumn colors, snow photos…it makes you fall in love with the place. That feelings missing from the TU site.
Vanessa Sadi, France, exchange student ITS
The new website is very complete and well organized and the navigation is easy, which prevents you from getting lost. More pictures showing the university and its students would be good for attracting future students and also a special section for foreign students should be added, as you often find that on the websites of other universities.
Ekim Tan, Turkey, MSc Architecture.
Well, every eye can see (from the way the photos are presented, colors, text design…) that the websites design wasnt a major concern. Designs very important, though. As Marshall McLuhan said, the medium is the message. The websites navigation, structure and speed are okay. As for English-language content, too many pages “are not available in English”. In fact, recently a former classmate of mine in Turkey emailed to ask if I could supply her with some extra info about the TUs architectural PhD programs, because she said most of the TUs webpages were in Dutch and she couldnt get sufficient information. Comparing the TU site to U.S. university sites, the TUs lacks visual content about the university and Delft. The homepage is especially unfriendly. Too much text, which bores people and can even scare them at first sight % where to start reading on such a full page!? Also, the TU site should have its own internal search tool, not Google.”
Samir Saberi, Afghanistan/Holland, student TPA
Having once compared the TU website with U.S. and U.K. university sites, I can say the big, important difference is that U.S./U.K. universities promote their achievements. The MIT site mentions its number of spin-off companies and Noble Prize winners. The TU site should feature former students who write about how their TU Delft studies enhanced their career possibilities. And knowing that top researchers are doing groundbreaking research at this university says a lot to people. People want to identify themselves with somebody. But the TU websites lack of boasting is related to the Dutch culture of not wanting to show off, of just trying to be normal; but whats considered normal here isnt necessary considered normal elsewhere. Showing and being proud of your achievements is normal in many other countries.
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