Whitepaper on Design and Collaborative Practices

Imagine a freshman student at the University of Missouri on the night before their first major exam. It is late at night and their nerves are now getting the best of them. They are stuck in front of a big stack of books and notes with no sense of direction and nowhere to turn for help. Coming to a large state university, many students have not yet mastered how to effectively learn and study. The Internet is the major medium of information for today’s students. Creating a freshman learning strategy website would be a step in the right direction to guide and inform students on topics such as time management, writing tips, and study strategies.

The goal of this document is to inform an Internet design team on the best practices and criteria for designing an instructive website. These best practices are divided into terms of attractiveness, usefulness, and simplicity of design. Secondly, apart from aspects of design it is critical

that the design team itself follow the best practices for working in a collaborative group. Elements of leadership, organization, and goal

setting are all components that make up a strong group environment. Putting these criteria and recommendations into use is the key to creating an effective “Freshman Learning Strategy.”

(Read the PDF version of this whitepaper.)