June 2002 — Features

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Build It and They Will Not Necessarily Come

By Drs. R. Beebe, L. Trenta, D. Covrig, P. Cosiano, H. Eastridge

Features & Functions of the Program Web Site

The Northeast Ohio Principal's Academy EYP Web site was built on the framework provided by WebCT v1.3 course development software. The site offered eight program-related functions, which are identified below. (The following discussion is adapted from the WebCT v1.3 user's guide.)

1. Bulletin Board served as the main form of group communication for the project. All postings to the board were distributed to all program participants with a Web site account. The messages were also archived.

2. Mail allowed participants to send private messages to fellow participants.

3. Chat allowed participants to have real-time conversations with fellow participants. Chat included four general-purpose rooms that could be used simultaneously.

4. Overview of Program briefly described the purposes, funding and operation of the Northeast Ohio Principals' Academy EYP.

5. Participants in Program provided information on how to contact the program co-directors, fiscal agent, facilitators, entry-year principals, mentors and coordinating committee members.

6. Photos documented the general meetings of participants.

7. Electronic Resource Links provided hyperlinks to professional organizations, electronic periodicals, discussion lists and other regional EYP Web sites in Ohio.

8. Print Resource Information provided annotated references to print sources of potential interest to participants.

Lessons Learned

Important lessons can be learned from the Northeast Ohio Principals' Academy Entry-Year Program that can be incorporated into other similar endeavors:

  • Web sites for entry-year principal training and support need to be redesigned to simplify navigation to and within the sites.
  • There must be closer monitoring of participant problems and quicker response to these problems.
  • Hands-on training and practice with the participants' own computers need to be provided early in the program.
  • If such a program includes regular small-group meetings, the leaders of these groups should be knowledgeable enough to coach the group members on using the Web site in general and as a vehicle for communication.