After more than a semester of work, the School of Arts and Sciences launched a new Web site last Friday.
A team made up of members of the School of Arts and Sciences and Web Communications created the site over the course of last summer and last semester. According to Dean of Arts and Sciences Robert Sternberg, the team was chosen "broadly" to represent the skills needed to put together a Web site.
"In 2007, a school absolutely needs a Web site," he told the Daily in an e-mail. While other schools within Tufts have Web sites, he said that this is a first for Arts and Sciences (A&S). Previously, information about A&S was on a joint Arts, Sciences and Engineering Web site. The School of Engineering also has a separate site.
"The main goal is to provide information about A&S in a manner that is easy to access and process, and to do so in a visually appealing way. We went from having no Web site to having what I believe is an outstanding one," he said.
At the top of the site there are five drop-down menus labeled "About," "Academics," "Teaching," "Research," "Faculty" and "Student Life."
These menus feature easy-to-find links for Blackboard, SIS Online and the Tufts WebCenter, as well as to information about housing, dining and faculty meetings and committees.
Senior Jamil Ludd is impressed with the new site. "I have a bias towards TuftsLife.com since I use it more," he said. "That being said, the usability of this new Web site has improved 100 percent. It is aimed at both prospective students as well as current students. Linking Blackboard and SIS are key."
Sophomore Arya Meydani also finds the new site to be helpful. "I will definitely use the new A&S site when looking for classes. It has everything I need," he said.
The Web site may be a clear improvement, but some students are also calling for updates to other Tufts related Web sites as well.
"The new Web site is great for prospective students looking at Tufts. It's not as bare-boned as the Arts, Sciences and Engineering Web site. I think they should now consider updating departmental Web sites. Some are not as good as others," junior Kyle Sinick said.
According to Director of Web Communications Pete Sanborn, the updating of departmental Web sites will not take place anytime soon, but different schools are teaming up with Web Communications to update their own Web sites.
"Updating and revamping Tufts' different schools' Web sites is the priority. New Web sites for the library and individual departments will take place in the long run," he said.
The School of Engineering, for example, is currently working alongside Sanborn and his team to update its Web site.
For sophomore engineering student Andy Mills, this is a main concern.
"As a chemical engineer living on campus it is difficult to keep up with what goes on in the Sci-Tech building," he said. "The building is far enough [away] that we often don't hear about new developments or even research opportunities. Having an updated engineering Web site would fix a lot of these problems."
Sanborn also said that students and faculty should expect to see new and improved Web sites for the School of Dental Medicine, the Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine, Dining Services and Human Resources over the course of the next six months.
The new sites will include modified homepages, using university Web site templates in an attempt to bring continuity to all of Tufts' different sites.
As for the future of the current Arts, Sciences and Engineering Web site, Sternberg said that it will continue to exist "in the short run" since it contains information pertaining to both schools.
"In the long term, I'm not sure," Sternberg said.
