Browsing by Subject "Website"
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Item Evaluation of Internet education to increase dietary calcium intake in youth(Texas A&M University, 2004-11-15) Henderson, Valerie SuzanneIn recent years, dietary calcium intake among children and adolescents has fallen sharply. This trend is alarming because childhood and adolescence are the primary ages for building bone mass. Therefore, an interactive website, Clueless in the Mall (http://calcium.tamu.edu) was developed targeting youth to increase knowledge, improve attitudes, and equip them to incorporate calcium-rich foods into their diets. This website was created with the help of adolescents at every stage of development and has been pilot tested with adolescents at home and in school, showing improvements in knowledge and attitudes. However, the website has not been tested for effectiveness in changing behaviors, specifically for increasing calcium intake. The present study was conducted to measure the effectiveness of the website for changing knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors. The hypothesis of this investigation was that the website intervention would significantly improve attitudes and knowledge about calcium and increase dietary calcium intake among adolescents and pre-adolescents who took part in the study. After the group-administered Food Frequency Questionnaire (FFQ) was validated among a local church youth group, a total of 126 middle school and high school students were recruited from 12 local public school classes to participate. Each student took three questionnaires during class time to measure baseline knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors (including calcium intake using the FFQ). Then each student took one class period to view the calcium website. Four to six weeks later, the investigators returned to administer the same three tests to each student. Demographic information was collected, and data were analyzed using paired samples t-tests and analyses of variance (ANOVA). Results demonstrated that the website alone was sufficient to improve knowledge scores; however, it was not enough to change attitudes and behaviors significantly. In conclusion, the website should be used to promote and reinforce health behaviors, but should not be expected to stand alone as an intervention.Item Exploring teaching Shakespeare with fan fiction(2013-05) Evans, Mathew, M.A.; Resta, Paul E.; Hughes, JoanAlthough students are exposed to the works of Shakespeare extensively from 9th -12th grade and sometimes at the postsecondary level, teachers are pressed to make the literature relevant and interesting for their classes. Fan fiction, which are stories written by amateurs out of a strong feeling of admiration and appreciation for an existing work, present numerous avenues to engage students with classic literature. I developed a fan fiction website called the Stratford Tattler which reimagines Shakespeare’s characters and world as if they were modern day celebrities which the website covers like an online tabloid. While I wrote fan fiction articles and developed the website, I received feedback, which in turn formed an iterative design. Three university Shakespeare scholars, two high school English teachers, and one legal expert on copyright provided the bulk of the feedback and advice. Over six months, I incorporated their suggestions as the project evolved from trying to build a participatory community to developing a stand-alone learning environment which teachers could readily incorporate in their classroom. The final result includes a website with teacher resources, namely a teacher’s guide with recommendations and lesson plans directed at high school English teachers, along with a model article of fan fiction that stays true to Shakespeare’s original text, a quality that most of the aforementioned experts who participated in the project found necessary for fan fiction to be educational. The teacher’s guide also includes guidelines for avoiding copyright infringement when repurposing existing digital images. Along with these teacher resources, the insights of my participants and my experience writing fan fiction as related in this report hopefully provide a first step toward high school English teachers being create their own fan fiction website and engage students with classic literature.Item Increasing online visitation to a travel website(2011-12) Rodriguez, Cynthia Marie; Wilcox, Gary B.; Mackert, MikeThe creation of a new travel website in the early 21st century can naively be mistaken as an easy open window to the world. LuminariaTravel.com is an online travel website recently created to inform visitors about San Antonio, Texas tourism. This paper seeks to analyze the challenges and offer solutions in entering an online market already entered. This paper presents insight into understanding the tourism industry online, and current marketing methods being used. In order for the small, privately-owned travel website to gain online visitors, LuminariaTravel.com must consider utilizing marketing tools for an integrated marketing plan. Luminariatravel.com must also be correctly positioned in the online travel market to have a unique stance and be able to communicate information that will set it apart from other San Antonio travel websites. This paper will include literature reviews and an industry case study. A final recommended marketing plan and strategy will be offered to LuminariaTravel.comItem Usability analysis of the USDA-ARS Ogallala Initiative Web site(2006-05) Axtell, Shelby L.; Davis, Chad S.; Smith, James H.; Akers, Cindy; Doerfert, DavidThis study tested the usability of the USDA-ARS Ogallala Initiative Web site to determine the external user preferences. Although testing Web sites for usability is still in the developmental stages, Nielsen (2000) says "usability rules the Web" (p. 9). A stratified purposeful sample (n = 49) of county extension agents, agricultural producers, communication professionals, and the general public was tested. A stratified purposeful sample was taken, because Nielsen (2000) and Krug (2000) state how important it is to test the target audience of a site. A usability survey instrument was developed for agricultural and natural resources Web sites by the researcher, based on standards set by Web site usability experts, Nielsen and Krug. The instrument included demographics, as well as 4-point Likert questions pertaining to these categories: general appearance, navigation, efficiency, and content of the site. More than 85% of the participants reported they were satisfied with the USDA-ARS Ogallala Initiative Web site. However, they did indicate a need for contact information and more content. There were no differences among audience responses. Each audience category indicated their needs were being met. The survey instrument yielded a Cronbach’s Alpha of 0.923. The researchers recommend adding the following variables to the survey instrument: age of participants, years in profession, and if participants have Internet in their home or business. The researchers suggest revising and adding content based on reported results for the Ogallala Initiative Web site. Then the site needs to be retested several times over. Future tests should be conducted with live audiences, allowing researchers to observe participants in a natural navigation setting.Item Usability testing and evaluation of the united sorghum checkoff research database(2011-08) Duysen, Corey A.; Akers, Cindy; Chambers, Todd; Irlbeck, EricaAs the Internet becomes available in more rural areas than ever before, there are new audiences looking to the web for information (Agri Marketing Editors, 2010). Sorghum producers and researchers have access to more sites, such as the Sorghum Research Database hosted by the United Sorghum Checkoff Program. The research database currently contains approximately 2,500 articles, with more being added daily. The large volume of information requires that the site be useable so that those interested in gaining knowledge about sorghum will continue to use the research database. When conducting usability testing, the main question is “can people use the site?” More specifically, “can our target audience use our site and will they?” There are multiple ways to test the usability. This study used contextual interviews to ask six sorghum producers and two sorghum researchers just how usable the site was. The study was conducted at the individual’s office location, to determine the effect location had on Internet capabilities. Overall, users were satisfied with the Sorghum Research Database. Recommendations were made to give a list of keywords, add current markets, and further advertise the website. None of the participants were aware the research database existed before the study was conducted. Producers found the articles particularly helpful when they were timely and related to the region in which they were a producer. Researchers identified the research database as a tool for housing all of the research completed, because it could be searched quickly and efficiently. Future research should look to include other user groups that were identified during the study including agricultural extension agents and Integrated Pest Management (IPM) personnel. More research should be conducted to see how producers prefer to receive their information and how they would possibly use the site more in the future.