Do you know what complaint I’m sick of hearing? “Students don’t read anything.” Let me tell you why.
In order for students to apply to our institutions and proceed to work their way through a mountain of academic coursework while simultaneously managing the business and financial side of studenthood, they have to read a TON of content. Yet, when it comes to certain kinds of web content or instructions, our student-facing staff members often hold this negative perception of students.
In this talk, I’ll break down the most common reasons why students are not reading your text (or why it seems like they are not reading it) and what you can do about it. I’ll cover topics like eroded institutional trust and broken procedural knowledge along with some examples from usability testing. You can expect to learn the common reasons why students bypass explanatory text, make common errors, and miss important steps in forms and processes. And, you will learn some tricks and tips for connecting students to the content they need in ways that make the most sense for them.