Website Critique - Admission/Application Essay Example

Website Critique Website Critique The website has turned out to be an increasingly important platform of fostering the mission of higher education and hence, it must be rigorously critiqued to ensure that high standards are maintained in an effort of effectively and efficiently serving the learning arena. Benedict (1996) urges student affairs professionals to consider being personally responsible in developing technology competencies, as he claims that technology will be part of a key experience in the 21st century.

This essay will provide a critique of the Carnegie Mellon website. The link to the website is http://www.cmu.edu/teaching/designteach/design/instructionalstrategies/index.html.Accessibility and UsabilityThe accessibility of the website has to be reviewed further. People who are disabled can have quite a difficult experience when interacting with the website. The website does not have screen magnifiers to enlarge the web pages in the event that an individual has eye impairments. It also lacks assistive technologies like screen readers and voice recognition software.

It is important to understand that access to information is a fundamental human requirement and that most of the accessibility guidelines also play a key role in improving usability for all and sundry.Availability of ResourcesThe home page serves as an important opportunity of letting the user know the information that is contained in the site. As it currently appears, the home page has not invited the user to interact with the website. In as much as links leading to other pages are available, this page has not been clear to ask the user to explore further on more information in the links.

The information given in the home page is quite helpful, but the user would need to click on the links in order to have a clear understanding of the information given. How the Faculty may use these ResourcesThe resources and information given will be key in determining the approach that a teacher can take in order to achieve his/her teaching objectives. They can be used by a teacher to create a learning environment and also to specify the kind of activities that a student and a teacher will be involved in during a lesson.

There are quite a number of helpful instructional strategies given. For instance, the instruction strategy on group projects, lectures and discussion amongst others helps a teacher to achieve his/her teaching goals. However, there are some instructional strategies which are not available even though they are important for example, independent study and instructional skills.ReferencesBenedict, L.G. (1996). Technology and information systems. In S.R. Komives, D.B. Woodard Jr., et al. (Ed.), Student Services: A Handbook for the Profession (3rd ed., pp. 476-493).

San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.Carnegie Mellon. (n.d.). Instructional Strategies - Teaching Excellence & Educational Innovation - Carnegie Mellon University. Retrieved March 25, 2014, from  http://www.cmu.edu/teaching/designteach/design/instructionalstrategies/index.html