For a majority of students, the first interaction they have with the community colleges is online. Student-facing technology platforms touch all 2.1 million California community college students, yet design tends to prioritize institutional need over student experience. Without helping prospective students feel a sense of connection and competency in this unfamiliar environment, online experiences can contribute to feelings of confusion, incompetence, and isolation at a time when self-efficacy is essential. The Student Journey to Success Project and resulting report was a joint effort by the Chancellor's Office and the Foundation for California Community Colleges, developed to better understand the student experience in response to a core commitment in the Vision for Success: Always design and decide with the student in mind. The report details the foundation’s landscape analysis of existing student-facing registration, application, and matriculation tools, as well as efforts in student persona development and journey mapping.
From the Judges
This entry used strong images of students and their community to immerse readers in the world of the research. The clean, appealing treatment of key ideas and findings was very strong and visually appealing without feeling cluttered or forced. The images balanced nicely with the white space in the issue to ensure readers continued through the piece. The judges appreciated the editorial approach to the content and found it ideal for the research presented.
