In this column, I make the case for Responsive Web Design in higher ed by sharing some data, examples and tips from early adopters (even the father of RWD himself, Ethan Marcotte). If you need to convince your boss to give you some time to work on RWD (or even maybe to sign you up for the 4-week online course on RWD for higher ed taught by Stewart Foss through my professional development company, Higher Ed Experts), this article should definitely help.

I’ve just started the course as a student this week (actually writing this post instead of doing my homework before the deadline – don’t I love my readers? ;-), and I can already tell you that the discussions about RWD websites among the higher ed web professionals in attendance are really interesting and engaging.

You might also want to have a look at the gallery of higher ed RWD sites I’ve put together (and that I’ll update soon with new websites) and the interviews with early adopters I published a few weeks ago.

After reading Todd Sanders’ blog post on how the official UWGB Facebook page was hijacked by Facebook (basically by switching the institutional page with the “community-generated” FB page), I asked Wednesday morning on Twitter and Facebook if anybody else in higher education had noticed any change.

Twitter / @karinejoly: Facebook has stolen offici …

And, it looks like a few other institutions are in the same boat including Ithaca College, Monroe CC, Radford University, etc.

Check yours and let us know if your official FB page has also been “stolen” by posting a comment below.

It’s official, the UWGB facebook page is no longer official | The Social Web at UWGB

UPDATE: According to a comment posted by Brad J. Ward, this might be a change in progress at Facebook.

UPDATE (Jan 26, 2012): Todd Sanders got HIS page back and a comment from a Facebook employee explaining this was due to a glitch. It looks like Brad J. Ward (who is not in Kansas anymore ;0) talked to the Wizzard of Facebook behind the curtain)

I got my baby back! | The Social Web at UWGB

It’s a useful tool, but here’s a selection (in chronological order) of the most interesting events with deadlines for registration, call for proposals and other interesting information like registration fees.

Web Redesign Bootcamp -3-Webinar Series – February 7-9, 2012

What you need to know to get ready for your next web redesign
This webinar series will feature 4 great higher ed web redesign experts: Stewart Foss (eduStyle), Mike Richwalsky (JCU), Shelby Thayer and Dave Housley (Penn State University).
Registration fee: $350
Register online by January 27, 2012 at www.higheredexperts.com/redesign.

Higher Ed Mobile Summit- 3-Webinar Series
March 13-15, 2012

Winning Strategies, Top Trends and Practical Solutions for Mobile in Higher Education
This webinar series will feature an all-star team: Dave Olsen (WVU & Mobile in Higher Ed), Stewart Foss (eduStyle) and Nick DeNardis (Wayne State University & EDU Checkup)
Registration fee: $350
Register online by March 2nd at www.higheredexperts.com/mobile.

CASE Social Media & Community Conference – April 18-20, 2012 in Chicago, IL
Members: $830, Nonmember: $1190
Register online
PSU Web Conference – June 11-12, 2012 in University Park, PA
Registration fee: TBA

UB Tech Conference – June 11-13, 2012 in Las Vegas, NV
Early Bird: $695, Regular: $895
Register online
SUNY CUAD Conference – June 13-15, 2012 in Syracuse, NY
Call for proposals is open until January 25, 2012.
Registration fee: TBA
Institutional Web Management Workshop 2012 – June 18-20, 2012 in Edinburgh, UK
Call for proposals is open until February 3, 2012.
Registration fee: TBA
PSE Web Conference – July 16-18, 2012 in Halifax, NV
The call for proposals is NOT open yet.
Registration fee: TBA
Register online (soon)
High Ed Web Arkansas Regional Conference – July 26-27, 2012 in Little Rock, AR
The call for proposals is NOT open yet.
Register online (soon)
EduWeb 2012 – July 30-August 1st, 2012 in Boston, MA
You can submit your proposal before March 30.
Early Bird: $595, Regular: $695
Register online by June 15 to get the early bird.
HighEdWeb Conference – October 7-10, 2012 in Milwaukee, WI
The call for proposals is NOT open yet.
Early Bird: TBA, Regular: TBA

Registration is NOT open yet

Another great way to keep an eye on the state of web design in higher education is to follow EDU Checkup, Nick DeNardis’ video blog.

Every week or so, Nick selects a higher ed website, reviews and grades it. He has done it since October 2008 – and thus has reviewed hundreds of websites from universities and colleges.

Given the interest for the rankings of top higher ed websites by EDU Checkup scores I published last year, I’m sure you will all be interested in this new edition of the rankings by overall EDU Checkup score combining grades for visual, information and code.

After reviewing all the scores, I noticed that a few websites share the same score, which is why this “top 11″ list features 12 institutions in total.

So, here are the top 11 performers of the class from January to December 2011:

Planning or working on the web redesign of your higher ed website? Register for Web Redesign Boot Camp (Feb 7-9, 2012) to learn what you need to know.

Beyond sharing in a timeline format all you ever did on Facebook (that is if you don’t edit your privacy settings), your new Facebook user profile has now a reserved space for a Cover Photo, the equivalence of the big banner image that is so popular on higher ed homepages – and other websites or blogs.

Some Facebook users have already come up with some VERY creative (or just plain fun like the one Todd Sanders, aka @tsand, from UWGB used on his profile as shown on the screenshot below) Cover Photos for their Timeline.

A few brands – including Moutain Dew as reported in this article published on Mashable back in December 2011 – have also identified a branding opportunity by providing nice banners designed and formatted to act as the perfect Cover Photos for their fans.

While Facebook warns users when they click on the “Add Cover” button that the intent of the Cover Photo is to showcase something truly personal and avoid using the space for blatant advertising or promotional purposes, the platform doesn’t use very strong (and clear) legal terms to forbid it either – as you can see in this screenshot of the message.

It’s probably borderline for traditional brands, but it looks like a fantastic opportunity for universities and colleges to spread and share the love for their brand among prospective and current students as well as alums.

Loyola University Maryland is among the first institutions (if your institution does it too, let us know by posting a comment below) to use this new branding opportunity with 6 customized and branded images, formatted to act nicely as Timeline Cover photos.

Loyola-themed cover images for Facebook Timeline \ Loyola University Maryland

Nick Alexopulos, Media Relations Manager at Loyola University Maryland, explained in the email exchange we had about this initiative earlier this week that folks from a dozen different states have downloaded one of these banners.

Loyola hasn’t done a big push yet, but the early response from a few members of the target audiences has been great. A senior even asked if the university plans to create a special Facebook Timeline Cover Photo for the Class of 2012. According to Nick, that’s definitely in the plans for the commencement ceremonies as well as the alum reunion or orientation week.

Unless Facebook makes a stronger statement in its terms of services (but again, I’m not a lawyer – and Facebook just showed that it won’t let you mess up with its TOS – under the spotlight at least) against the practice, this is definitely a great new channel to spread school love, pride and… brand.

And, if you want to get going and create Facebook Timeline Cover Photos for your institution, Mike Richwalsky even shares a photoshop template to get you started.

As you probably know if you are a regular reader of this blog, I always try to run my surveys on a yearly basis as I’m interested in measuring how trends evolve in higher education.

That’s the main reason for this 2nd edition of the survey about the State of the Mobile Web in Higher Ed.

Whether or not your institution has a mobile web presence, please take the survey as I’m trying, like I did last year, to assess the big picture.

The survey includes a few questions about your institution as well as questions about your mobile solutions (or plans), strategy, budget, tools, vendors, budgets as well as lessons learned.

If you’re in charge of the mobile web at your institution, it should take you between 3 and 6 minutes to fill out (25 questions).

The State of the Mobile Web in Higher Education (2012)

The survey is open until January 23, 2012.

Take the survey now to make sure you’ll get the results and get a chance to win a free pass to attend the Higher Ed Mobile Web Summit featuring Dave Olsen, Nick DeNardis and Stewart Foss.

Higher Ed Mobile Summit: Winning Strategies, Top Trends and Practical Solutions
March 13, 14 & 15, 2012 (1PM – 2PM ET)

No matter how the learning happens, it is always nurtured, welcomed and valued in our small community (and, I know, it makes sense as we are in the business of educating others whether we actually teach or not).

Since I started to work in higher education (wow, it’s going to be 10 years in a few months), I’ve learned a great deal of things, skills and lessons. Beyond the blogging and reporting about best practices in web, marketing and communication in higher ed I do on this blog, I spend a great deal of time designing, scheduling and promoting learning opportunities for higher ed professionals via my professional development business, Higher Ed Experts.

As a result, learning is part of my daily job: I’m always trying to find out what YOU will need to learn in 6 months, a year or 5 (and to be honest, I have no clue what you will need to learn in 5 years, but I do plan to stick around enough to be there in 4 to tell you then ;0)

Higher Ed Webinars, Master Classes & Online Courses | Higher Ed Experts

But, my interest for learning goes far beyond. I’m a life-long learner – and I don’t plan to become a recovering one any time soon ;0)

This year again, I have a long list of “things” I want to learn: responsive web design techniques (to learn the nitty gritty of what I’ve started to preach), quantitative business analysis, more advanced research methods and a few more things about entrepreneurship as well as marketing and communication.

I’m also very excited to teach the first session of the 8-week online course about social media marketing campaigns for higher education for Higher Ed Experts in just a few weeks as well as – if things go according to plans – the second session of the 11-week graduate course on social media marketing for the MBA in social media at SNHU later this Spring.

Responsive web design, mobile web, web analytics, social media, content strategy, web writing and project management among others are on my higher ed learning radar for 2012.

What about you?

What do you think higher ed professionals should learn in 2012?

What do YOU plan to learn this year?

Tell us by sharing your 2012 learning resolutions. Post a comment below!

Earlier this week, I asked the readers of my weekly newsletter (not a subscriber yet?) if they could send my way links to their 2011 holidays video cards (video is a great medium for this genre as it can convey emotions so well). I also got some suggestions via Twitter.

After reviewing all of them (while eating some well-deserved chocolate), here’s the selection of my favorites 2011 holidays videos (in no specific order) along with all the links I received so you can check out every single one.

If you have a holiday card or have seen a cool one that isn’t listed here, post a comment so we can all watch it.

Happy Holidays!

West Virginia University’s card

Columbia College Chicago’s card

Butler University Division of Student Affairs’ card

Marquette University’s card

American University’s card

Royal Roads University’s card

Carlson School of Management’s card (a YouTube hit with more than 800K views in 2 weeks)

William & Mary College’s card

Wofford College’s card

University at Albany’s card

Webster University’card

CSU Dominguez Hills’ card

Gettysburg College’s card

Bluffton University’s card

Eckerd College’s card

University of North Texas’ card

Washington State University’s card

University of Central Missouri President’s card (you can’t go wrong with chocolate cake :0)

Other interesting holidays cards from universities and colleges:

• The University of Warwick’s card (not a video, but a very original concept)
• Bowen School of Law’s card (simple, but to the point)
• UNL Institute of Agriculture and Natural Resources’ card (in Flash)
• SAIT Polytechnic’s card
• Westminster College President’s card

After Stewart Foss, eduStyle Awards founder and the instructor of the 4-week online course on responsive web design for higher education, here’s the interview I conducted with Erik Runyon, Manager of Interactive Development at AgencyND, the inside agency of the University of Notre Dame. His institution launched its redesigned responsive homepage in July 2011, a redesign that got the attention of the higher ed community – and even Ethan Marcotte’s who mentioned Notre Dame when I interviewed him.

1) Why did you choose to adopt the RDW approach? What were you trying to solve?

We’ve been providing mobile styles with our sites for several years now. As time has passed, we’ve been constantly adapting our approach to provide the best possible experience for our mobile users all the while working with limited resources. RWD was the next logical step. With the new ND.edu design that we launched July of this year, we really wanted to focus on improving the experience for mobile and low-bandwidth users. This included improving the design across all screen sizes, eliminating our Flash-based feature area and reducing the download size of the site from over 6 MB to less than 500 kb.

2) Do you think this is a good approach for universities and colleges?

Absolutely. However, RWD shouldn’t be viewed as a magic bullet for addressing small-screen users. Sites should also include media=”handheld” stylesheets for less capable devices, and developers as well as content providers should pay close attention to download size and usability of everything they put into the site.

3) How do you address the importance of context for mobile devices? Do you display only some part of the content on smaller devices?

I believe that making assumptions about context based on device can be a dangerous mindset to adopt. I’ve personally had issues with sites that detect my device, and then proceed to make it difficult, if not impossible, for me to complete the goal I went to the site to accomplish. If we assume we know what a user wants simply because they’re on a mobile device, then we’re ignoring research that shows people are using their mobile devices in many more situations than just “on-the-go”.

It’s much more important to design the content of the site in a way that will make sense when reformatted for smaller screens, all the while allowing our users to easily get to the content they want and need. That being said, I have been known to hide some non-essential elements of a design to improve the usability of a site on small-screen devices, but I intend to do this less in the future.

4) What kind of feedback did you get so far? Did you noticed any major changes traffic-wise?

Response has been great. We’ve received a lot of positive feedback on how great the site looks across a variety of devices. The majority of the feedback has been from tablet users and people who just happened to resize their browser window and notice the layout change. We’ve observed a steady increase in mobile traffic over the past year, both to ND.edu and m.nd.edu. The most noticeable change in mobile traffic with the new design was a spike after initial launch as people were visiting to check out the new design. But since the previous version of ND.edu was mobile friendly as well, this is not unexpected.

5) Any lessons learned you could share with colleagues working at other institutions on RWD projects?

The natural tendency when creating media query break-points is to use the dimensions of popular devices as a strict guide. I’ve found that it makes much more sense to let the design dictate the break-points. While testing the design at different resolutions, find out where it visually makes sense to reformat the content and add break-points at that size. My exception to this rule is that I add additional “mobile” features when I get down to the 480px size. This includes displaying “skip links” and our Mobile Resources drop-down.

4-week online course: Mobile & Responsive Web Design for Higher Ed
(asynchronous with weekly lessons and assignments)

This scholarship contest, embedded in the college application process, is an original twist on recent social media campaigns conducted by different institutions. Video contests are not new in higher education, but what’s different this time is the fact that the winning prize is significant to say the least.

Here’s the video that the University of Dayton used to promote the contest and explain its rules.

As explained in the news story posted by the University of Dayton, this is actually the second time they run a video contest. Last year’s contest resulted in 42 entries and over 10,000 votes.

Kevin Schultz, Assistant Director for University Marketing & Digital Innovation at the University of Dayton, was kind enough to answer a few questions via email so we can learn from this social media marketing campaign.

1) You ran a similar scholarship contest last year. What were the main lessons learned from this marketing campaign?

There are a couple of angles I’d like to take on this question. First, from a technical standpoint we learned it was a much better idea to use a hosted service for the contest. Last year we built our own system in-house for the video collection and voting. It was a hassle to maintain for our developers who don’t typically work on projects of this nature, and caused some real struggles during the competition. This year, we’re using a hosted solution through our Facebook page and the process is 300x times better. From the contest overall, we learned that for it to be very effective, the concept must include several levels of prizes. Last year, our prize tiers only included scholarship money for the 1st place winner (the 2nd and 3rd place prizes were cash & a camera, last year’s concept was a little different). Both the 2nd and 3rd place winners chose to convert their cash prize to a scholarship (an option we offered in part so the students could avoid being taxed on the cash prize), so this year we offered several levels of scholarship since that’s definitely what seems to motivate people to enter.

2) The college essay is viewed as a staple of the traditional college application. Why has the University of Dayton decided to let students submit videos – if they prefer – instead of essays? What are your goals?

We hear from many students that our traditional application process doesn’t let them express themselves in a full manner. Students are more than just a test score, grades and a GPA. A written essay helps us expand that view slightly, but a video takes it even farther. Students frequently submit all manner of non-required supplemental materials like a resumes, etc. – we’ve even had students send us scrapbooks showcasing themselves! Our goal with the video essay is to allow students who are interested to show us a fuller view of themselves. The author of this article did a nice compare/contrast on this very issue that also has some good quotes from me on the topic.

3) How do you plan to measure the success of this campaign?

Success will be measured in several ways: first, I’m curious to see the final number of students who choose to enter the contest in place of the traditional written essay. They can of course just enter separately (last year’s contest was totally separate) but I’m am very curious to see how students respond to this idea that changes the scope of the sacred sacred application essay. Right now we’re at just about 20 students who have selected the option on their application. Second, I’m hoping to notice an increase in the activity of accepted students on our Facebook page. We’re like-gating the entry form, and we’ve seen our number of likes almost triple at this point, which means I know we’ll have some ripe opportunities to engage with accepted students. Finally, we’ll look closely at the number of total applications/accepts from a specific set of about 300 high schools that we’re trying to build relationships with across the country. We targeted them with specific materials about the contest as part of an overall awareness campaign that has included offering guidance counselors the chance to award our scholarship money to their students and also sending iPads pre-loaded with our applications to select high schools.

8-week online course: Social Media Marketing for Higher Ed
February 6 – April 1st, 2012 (asynchronous with weekly lessons and assignments)