1 August 1, 2017

Thrive Messages in MyUW: Year 1 Report Authors:JaniceFournier&WilliamWashingtonAcademicExperienceDesign&DeliveryUWInformationTechnology

Introduction

Duringthe2015-16academicyear,UWInformationTechnologypartneredwiththeOfficeoftheProvostandUndergraduateAcademicAdvising(UAA)tosendweeklymessagestofirst-yearstudentsviaMyUW,theUniversity’sportalforpersonalizedinformationforUWstudents.ThemessagesweretheprincipalcomponentoftheThriveInitiativeandweredevelopedbyUAAwithinputfromfaculty,advisers,andexperiencedstudents,aswellasothercampusunits.Themessagesprovideadviceandpointerstohelpfirst-yearstudentsexploreopportunities,makethemostoftheirlearningexperiences,andconnecttoimportantcampusresources. UW-ITproposedMyUWasadeliverychannelbecausestudentsfrequentlyaccessthesiteforadministrativeinformationtheyneed(HuskyCardbalance,classschedule,textbookrequirements,registrationdeadlines,etc.)Recentlyredesigned,thenewMyUWismobile-friendlyandstructuredtodeliverdynamiccontent.Ourresearchfortheredesignfoundthattheneedsthatdrivestudentstothesitearepredictableandcyclical.Consequently,thenewMyUWhighlightsdifferentinformationforstudentsatdifferenttimesthroughoutthequarter,presentingitona“card”(avisualcontainerforcontent)front-and-centeronthemainpage.Forexample,registrationresourcesarehighlightedtheweekbeforeregistrationbegins;theFinalExamschedule,whilealwaysavailable,ishighlightedonacardthedaysbeforeandduringfinalexamweek.Althoughthe#ThriveUWmessageswereadeparturefromthetypeofcontentnormallydisplayedonMyUW,theplatformwasideal,andthemessagesprovidedanopportunitytotestdeliveringtimelycontenttargetedtoaspecificgroupofstudents. FortheThrivemessages,wedesignedacontentcardtoappeartofirst-yearstudentsattheverytopoftheMyUWmainpage.Thecardincludedaconsistent“#ThriveUW”headerandheadersindicatingthemessagetopic,“TryThis,”and“ForMoreHelp”;thecontentundertheseheaderschangedweek-to-week.Thegoalofthisdesignwastomakethecardeasyforstudentstoscan,toprovidediscreetanddigestiblechunksofinformation,andtoprimestudentsforthetypeofinformationthatfollowed—themainmessage,anactiontotry,andadditionalresources.Inbothformatanddesign,theThrivecardwasconsistentwiththelookandfeelofothercontentontheMyUWsite.

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Figure 1. Original Thrive Card Design

MessageswerealsosharedwithFIGleadersandRAs,whowereencouragedtoaddressorelaborateonthetopicsaroundthesametimethemessagesappearedinMyUW.Theseeffortswerenotassessed,sowedonotknowhoweffectivetheywereinprovidingawarenessofthecontentinMyUW.ThisreportcoversonlywhatwelearnedinregardtodisseminationoftheThrivemessagesthroughMyUW.

Assessment

Assessmentofthiseffortincludedasurvey(ourmaindatacollectioninstrument)andanalysisoflogdata.Wedesignedthesurveytounderstand:

• Whetherstudentsfoundvalueinthemessages

• WhetherMyUWwasaneffectiveplatformfordelivery

• Whetherthevisualdesignofthecontentwaseffective

WesentasurveyinvitationviaemailtoallstudentsreceivingThrivemessagesinMyUW(n=6982)inWeek3ofspringquarter;wehada15%responserate(n=1077).Thesurveyremindedstudentsofmessagecontenttheyhadreceivedinautumnandwinterquarters(seeAppendixA). WealsocollectedlogdataonMyUWserverstotrackwhichlinksstudentsfollowedfromthemessages,ifany.VisitstoMyUW,calledsessions,andanylinksclickedonduringaparticularvisitwererecorded.

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Loggingandanalyzingsessiondatawasawaytocaptureactualstudentbehaviorthatwecouldcomparetoself-reportedbehavioronthesurvey.Bythemselves,recordsoflinksclickedcannottelluswhystudentsaccessedaparticularlink,orwhethertheyfoundituseful.Buttakentogetherwithsurveyresponses,thelogdatahelpedpaintamoreholisticpictureofstudentbehaviorandinformationneeds.

1. Survey Results 1a.READERSHIP DatafromthesurveyconfirmedthatstudentsaccessMyUWfrequently;92%ofrespondentsreportedthattheyloginatleastonceaweek,43%reportedthattheylogindaily. DespitethefrequencywithwhichtheylogintoMyUW,manystudentsdidnotnoticeorreadtheThrivemessages.

• 55%ofrespondentsreportedthattheyreadthemessages(readalmostallthemessages,readsome,orskimmed)

• 45%ofrespondentsreportedthattheydidnotread/didnotnoticethemessages

Weconductedafurtheranalysisofthedatatounderstandifandhowsurveyresponsesfromstudentswholivedinresidencehallsand/orparticipatedinaFIGdifferedfromstudentswhoneitherlivedinaresidencehallnorparticipatedinaFIG.Theonlysignificantdifferencewasinreadership:StudentswhodidnotparticipateinaFIGorliveinaresidencehallwerelesslikelytohavereadornoticedtheThrivemessages(x2(12)=27.494,p=0.007)incomparisontostudentswhodidhaveoneorbothexperiences. Thesedifferencesaremostapparentwhenresponsesaregroupedinto“Readers”(thosewhoreadalmostallthemessages,readsome,orskimmed)and“Non-readers”(thosewhodidnotread/didnotnoticethemessages).

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Wecannotaccountforthisdifferenceinreadership.ItmaybetheresultofFIGleadersandRAsmakingtheirstudentsawareoftheThrivemessagesinMyUW,orfromgreaterengagementonthepartofstudentswhochoosetoliveinthedormsorparticipateinFIGs,orforanother,unknownreason.Thesurveydataisnotdefinitiveinthisregard. Thesurveybranchedafterthereadershipquestions;thosewhoreadthemessages(readall,some,orskimmed)receivedonesetofquestions,thosewhodidnotread/didnotnoticereceivedanother. 1b.MESSAGEVALUE Thevastmajority(93%)ofstudentswhoreadthemessages(Readers)ratedthecontent“somewhathelpful”or“veryhelpful.”Only1%reportedthattheyfoundthemessagesannoying. Inaddition,91%ofstudentswhoreadthemessagesratedthemas“somewhatwell-timed”or“well-timed.” Whenaskedwhatactionstheyhadtakeninresponse,Readersmostfrequentlyreportedclickingalink(46%)ortryingasuggestion(36%).

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Neartheendofthesurvey,ReaderswereaskediftherewasanythingmoretheywantedtoshareabouttheirexperiencewiththeThrivemessages.Ofthe116studentswhoresponded,50%(58)wrotecommentsexpressingappreciationforthemessages.

Veryencouraging...helpsmerealizethatUWknowsalittlebitaboutwhatI'mgoingthrough. Thesetipsaregreatandhelpfulwhenfinalscomearoundandthereisalottodealwithsuchasstressandstudying.

Itremindsmeofthethingsthatishouldthinkaboutandshouldbedoing.

Ithasbeenalittlehelpfulboostinsomeweeks. Theygavemeaniceboostofmotivationanditwasrefreshingtoseemessagesonmyhomepagethatwasnotjustschool/classinfo.

Readerswereaskedwhichmessagesfromautumnandwinterquarterstheyrememberbeinghelpful.

• Morefrequentlyselectedweremessagesthatfocusedonpracticaladviceaboutstudyingandacademics,dealingwithstress,andmanagingtimeandmoney(>25%ofrespondentsselectedthesetopics).

• Lessfrequentlyselectedashelpfulweremessagesrelatedtolibraries,leadership,roommates,andexplorations(<15%ofrespondentsselectedthesetopics).

Bothgroups(ReadersandNon-readers)werepresentedalistofthemessagetopicsandaskedwhichmessagestheywouldliketoaccessandreadagain,orforthegroupthatdidnotreadthem,whichmessagestheywouldliketoaccessandreadnow.Thegroupschoseverysimilarly.Again,responsesshowedaclearpreferenceforcontentrelatedtostudying/academics,internships,stressreduction,andmanagingtimeormoney.Leastpopularwascontentrelatingtolibraries,leadership,androommates.

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1c.MYUWASADELIVERYPLATFORM MyUWemergedasthepreferredoptionformessagedeliveryforbothReadersandNon-readers. 96%ofReadersreportedthattheywantedtoreceiveThrivemessageseither“inMyUW”or“inMyUWandalso…”Forthosewhoselected“inMyUWandalso…”themostpopularadditionaloptionwasemail(65%).

Non-readerswereasked,“IsthereabetterwayforyoutoreceivehelpfultipsandadvicethaninMyUW?”Ofthe320respondentstothequestion,30%wrotein“No”(MyUWisthebestoption)while40%wrotein“email.” Thatbeingsaid,surveyrespondentsalsotoldusthattheyareaccustomedtousingMyUWasautilityapplication;theygotoitforspecificadministrativeinformationandtocompletetasks.Manystudents(bothReadersandNon-readers)reportedthattheyjustscrolledbythemessagesbecausetheywereaccessingtheappforadifferentandmorepressingreason.

Mostofthetime,lookingatThrivemessagesisnotthereasonwhyIloggedontomyuw

MyUWwasmoreofatoolthananything,sowhenIloggedinIwasalwaysfocusedongettingtowhatIneeded-classschedule,textbooklist,etc.Iwouldn'tmindtheoptionofreceivingthemessagesviaemail.

WhenIgoontoMyUWIdon'tgoontheretolookforadvice.Igotogetstuffdone.

1d.THRIVEMESSAGEFORMAT Bothstudentswhoreadthemessagesandthosewhodidnotwereaskedsimilaropen-endedquestionsabouthowtoimprovethedesignoftheThrivemessages.Readerswereasked,“DoyouhaveanysuggestionsforimprovingtheformatofThrivemessagesinMyUW?”Ofthe177responses,66%wroteinthattheydidnothavesuggestionsorwrote“no,keepitup,”while32%madesuggestionsrelatedtovisualdesign.

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Non-readerswereasked,“HowcouldtheformatofThrivemessagesinMyUWbeimprovedtoencouragestudentstoreadthem?”Ofthe320write-inresponses,56%relatedtovisualdesign. Thevisualdesignsuggestionswereconsistentacrossbothgroupsandincluded

• Changethecolorofthemessages(tomakethem“moreeye-catching”)

• Makeotherchangestomakethemessage“standout”inMyUW

• Includeimages(photos,infographics,video)aspartofthemessage

• Makethemessagetheheaderandnot“#ThriveUW”

BecauseoftheconsistentheaderandthewaytheThrivemessagesblendedintothedesignofMyUW,manystudentsreportedthattheydidnotnoticethatthemessageschangedweektoweek. 1e.OTHERSOURCESOFMESSAGECONTENT AlmostallsurveyrespondentsindicatedthattheyhadheardadvicesimilartothecontentcontainedintheThrivemessagesfromdifferentsources—fromorientationandtheU101course,residencehalladvisers,FIGleaders,facultymembersandTAs. Onlyafewstudentsnotedincommentsthattherepetitionwasunwelcome.

Theformatisverywelldesigned.TheonlyreasonIdon'treadthemoftenisbecauseI'vealreadyheardthemessage.

Otherstudentsexpressedapreferenceforhearingtheadvicefrompeopletheyknew.

Ipersonallylikeitwhenmyprofessorsgiveustips.We'realreadyinclass…

Havefacultystartclasswithone[Thrivemessage] BesidesgoingtoadvisorsMyUWisveryhelpful.

Inperson,fromaccessiblemembersoftheUWCommunity

Actualadvisorsmaybe. Ithinkthebestwaytoreceivetipsandadviceistogetaroundandtalktopeopleinperson.

Friendswhohavebeenthroughmysituation. 1f.ADDITIONALSURVEYFINDINGS Inotheropen-endedquestions,ReadersandNon-readersprovidedadditionalfeedbackonthecontentofthemessagesandotheraspectsoftheThriveInitiative.Findingsfromthesecommentsaresummarizedbelow. MessageSpecificity:Studentswantedinformationinmessagesthatwentbeyond“commonknowledge;”theyaskedfor“morefacts”andspecificactionstheycouldtake.Severalaskedformorelinkstoresources.

[Iwanttoknowabout]specificeventsgoingon,specificstudytips.

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[Themessages]seemtobejustthesameoldthingI'veheardmanytimes–advicebasedoncommonsenseorcommonknowledge.Thosecanbealittleannoying.However,theonesthataremoreuniqueandoriginalarereallynice.

Forme,manyofthetipsintheThrivemessagesaregeneralandnotsomethingIhaven'theardbefore.Directlylinkingtohelpfulwebsitescouldbemoreusefultostudents.

Thereshouldcontainmoreideastotryoutinordertobeabetteruniversitystudent.Insteadofsaying"gooutandtrysomethingdifferentthisweek,"trytogivemultiplesuggestions.

MessageTone:Severalstudentscommentedonthetoneofthemessages,describingthemashavinga“trite”orparentaltone.

Belesspatronizing.

Makeitlesscheesy....Maybemakeithumorousandlesscondescending. Don'tbesosquare.

Morespecificadvicethat’snottrite.

Makeitmorereal,notfluffywordsandtipswealreadyknow. Trytospeakonamorecasuallevelsoitfeelslikeastudentonstudentconversation

ThriveHashtag:Studentsexpressedastrongnegativereactiontothehashtag,#ThriveUW.

Removethehashtag..makesmenotwanttocontinuereading

Takeoutthehashtag,it'stoocheesy.

Getridofthehashtag.UsuallywhenIseeahashtagIthinkit'sapromotionsoIskipit. Itendtoread[thehashtag]asunofficialandthusnotparticularlyrelevanttome.

Idislikethehashtag,itformekindofminimizesthemessageforsomereason.Iendupignoringeverythingelseunderneath.

Onefindingoutsideofthesurveywasthatthesocialmediacomponentoftheinitiativewasnotwellutilized;fewstudentsfollowedthelinktothe#ThriveUWtagboardfromMyUWandfewerpostedonthetagboarditself.

ThriveUWMarketing:ManystudentsreportedthattheydidnotpayattentiontothemessagesbecausetheydidnotknowwhatThriveUWwas.

IdidnotknowwhatthriveUWwasbeforehand.IhadseenitinmyuwbutIwasn’texactlysurewhatitwasimplying.

Ithinkmostpeopledon'tknowwhatthriveissothat'swhytheydisregardthemessages

IwoulddeletetheHeaderbecause"ThriveUW"doesnotmeananythingtome—ithasn'tbeenbranded,andasaregularstudentIdonotwanthavetodedicatemoretimetofiguringwhatitisabout.

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2. Log Data Findings 2a.READERSHIPANDCLICKS Logdatareflectsclickactivity,butdoesnotindicatewhetherornotcontentisactuallyread;thisisaknownlimitationofmeasuringuserbehaviorontheweb. Inouranalysisoflogdata,wefoundthatclickactivityindicatedalowdegreeofengagementwiththeThriveresources.Therewereover6,000first-yearstudents,andthemostfrequentlyaccessedresourcewasclickedatotalofonly278timesduringtheweekthatitwasdisplayed.However,datafromthelogfilesshowthatstudentsaccessedThriveresourcesconsistentlythroughoutautumnandwinterquarters(thetwoquarterswemeasured),indicatingthatovertime,studentsdidnotexperiencemessagefatigue. Figure 2. Total number of times Thrive resources were accessed each month

2b.MESSAGEVALUE WhileananalysisofclickactivitydoesnotindicatewhatvaluestudentsplacedontheThrivemessages,itdoesindicatestudents’levelofinterestinindividualresources.EachThrivemessageincludedmultiplelinkstoresourcesundertheheader“Learnmore.”TounderstandwhichThriveresourcesweremostpopular,wenormalizedthedatatoaccountforweeklyvariationsintraffictoMyUW. Themostpopularresourcesasindicatedbythelogdatarelatedtostudying/academics,internships,stressreduction,andmanagingtimeormoney—thesamemessagetopicsthatstudentsreportedmostvaluableonthesurvey.Asshowninthetablebelow,otherpopularresourcesindicatedinthelogdataincludedthoseon“fittingin,”resourcesaboutco-curricularactivities,andresourcesabouthealthtopics.

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ThriveResource Theme

AU7:Adviser-suggestedcourses FittingIn

AU7:Adviser-suggestedcourses StudyingandAcademics

WI7:MyPlanAcademicPlanningTool StudyingandAcademics

WI10:ProvenTipsforFinalsPreparation StudyingandAcademics

AU10:6MoneyTipsforStudents ManagingTimeorMoney

AU0:U101:FindingYourPlace FittingIn

WI9:SummerStudyAbroad Co-curricularActivities

AU8:Meyers-Briggspersonalityassessment FittingIn,StudyingandAcademics

WI9:CoMotionSummerInternshipProgram Co-curricularActivities

AU6:Tipsforgettinggoodsleep Health

AU4:UWCLUEstudytips StudyingandAcademics

AU5:UAAAdvising StudyingandAcademics

WI6:UWInternshipFair Co-curricularActivities

AU11:Preparingfortests StudyingandAcademics

AU1:Appsfortimemanagement ManagingTimeorMoney

WI6:LearnaboutInternships Co-curricularActivities

WI10:IMAHours Health

WI8:LightTherapyforSeasonalAffectiveDisorder Health

Table 1. Top Third Most Popular Resources Logdataalsoindicatedthatresourcesrelatingtolibraries,leadership,roommates,andactivismweretheleastpopularintermsofclickactivity.Again,thedataechosimilarresultsfromthesurvey;studentsshowedtheleastinterestinaccessingandreadingagainmessagesonthesesametopics. Inaddition,thelogdataindicatedthatwithineachweek,studentsaccessedsomeresourcesmorefrequentlythanothers,suggestingthattheyfoundtheseresourcesmoreinterestingorpotentiallyuseful.Thefollowingchartsillustratethreesampleweeksandthepercentageofclicksreceivedforeachresourcedisplayedwiththemessage.

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Figure 3. Percentage of clicks on each resource, wk 7 autumn qtr

Figure 4. Percentage of clicks on each resource, wk 7 wtr qtr

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Figure 5. Percentage of clicks on each resource, wk 10 wtr qtr

2c.MYUWASADELIVERYPLATFORM TounderstandthelowdegreeofengagementwithThriveresources,ithelpstocomparetheThrivelogdatawithlogdatafromotherdeliveryplatforms,suchasemailnewsletters. WeanalyzedlogdatafromthestudentversionsoftheUW-ITConnectSeptember2016andOctober2016newsletters,whichweresenttotheentirestudentbody.AlthoughthepopulationforthenewslettersisnotidenticaltothepopulationfortheThrivemessages,thesenewsletterlogsprovidethebestrecordofstudentbehaviorthatcanbecomparedtotheThrivedata. “Clickrate”isthemeasurementweusedtocompareMyUWasadeliveryplatformtotheITConnectnewsletters.WecalculatedtheclickratesforMyUWandthenewslettersusingtheformulasbelow.

MyUW

Newsletter

Clickrate= #timeslinkdisplayed #clicksonthatlink

Clickrate= #peoplewhoopenednewsletter #clicksonthatlink

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Asadeliverysystem,MyUWappearstobetwiceaseffectiveasanewsletter.ForlinksintheSeptembernewslettertheclickrateaveragewas0.17%(standarddeviationof.21%),andthemostpopularlinkhadaclickrateof0.67%(234clicksoutofthe35,055thatopenedthenewsletter).IntheOctobernewslettertheclickrateaveragewas0.14%(standarddeviationof0.38),andthemostclickedlinkhadaclickrateof1.7%(525clicks,with31,328studentsopeningthenewsletter).Incomparison,ThrivelinksinMyUWhadanaverageclickrateof0.33%(standarddeviationof0.41%).ThemostpopularThrivelinkinMyUWhadaclickrateof2.79%,andtheclickrateofthenextmostpopularlinkwas1.44%.

Conclusions

VALUEOFMESSAGES ResultsofthesurveyshowthatrespondentswhoreadtheThrivemessagesinMyUWappreciatedthem.Moststudents(93%)foundthecontentofthemessages“veryhelpful”or“somewhathelpful,”and91%ratedthemessagesaswell-timed.Thesurveyresultsalsoindicatedthatasubsetofstudentsactedonthemessages,bytryingsuggestionsprovidedand/orbyclickinglinkstoresources.Surveyrespondentswhoreadall,some,orskimmedthemessagesidentifiedmultiplemessagesthattheywouldliketoaccessandreadagain.Inaddition,respondentswhoreportedtheydidnotreadordidnotnoticethemessagesalsoidentifiedmultiplemessagesthattheywouldliketoreadforafirsttime. MESSAGECONTENT Overall,surveyparticipantsindicatedaclearpreferenceformessagesthatconveyedpractical(andnotcommonlyknown)adviceregardingstudyingandacademics,stressreduction,managingtimeandmoney,andfindinginternships.Thelogdataalsoindicatedthatstudentsclickedonlinksinthemessagesmostfrequentlyrelatedtothesetopics.Manystudentsfoundthemessagestobeencouragingandmotivating.Morestudentsthannotfoundthemessagestobewellwritten,thoughafewcommentssuggestedthemessagescouldbeimprovedthroughmorespecificrecommendationsandalessparentaltone. MYUWASDELIVERYPLATFORM Readershipofthemessageswaslowerthanwewouldhaveliked.Boththesurveydataandlogdatasuggestthatoverall,agreatnumberofstudentsdidnotreadthemessagesorreadthemregularlyorintheirentirety.Thesurveyresults,however,alsosuggestwhythiswasthecase.Manystudentsreportedthattheysimplydidnotnoticethemessagesbecausethedesigndidnotstandout,ortheydidn’tknow

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whytheyshouldattendtothemessage,ortheyscrolledpastthemessagesontheirwaytocompletingamorepressingtaskinMyUW. However,overhalfthesurveyrespondents(55%)reportedthattheydidnoticeandreadthemessages,evenwithlittlemarketingabouttheThriveInitiativeorannouncementwithinMyUW.Inaddition,whenReadersandNon-readerswereaskedaboutwheretheywouldprefertoreceivethemessagecontent,theyselectedMyUWastheirfirstchoice.Thelogdataonclick-throughratesalsosuggeststhatMyUWisamoreeffectivedeliveryplatformthanemailnewsletters.Theseresultsareencouraging—MyUWstillmaybeaneffectiveplatformfordeliveryoftheThrivemessages,especiallyifitincludesanarchiveofthemessagesandanexplanationofwhattheThriveInitiativeis. VISUALDESIGNOFCONTENT Surveyfeedbackinregardtothevisualdesignofthemessagesclearlyindicatesthatthedesigncouldbeimproved.WhilemanystudentslikedtheformatoftheThrivecardwithinMyUW(sectionsforthetopicandmessage,“TryThis,”and“LearnMore”),ReadersandNon-readersprovidedmanysuggestionsforhowtomakethecontent“standout.”Chiefamongtheseweresuggestionstousebrightercolors,makechangestotheheaderstomakethembolder,andincludeimagesofsomekind(graphics,photos,videos).Whilethelastoftheseischallengingtoimplementfor2016-2017,theothersuggestionsarenot.MakingchangestothevisualdesignoftheThrivecardandmarketingtheThriveInitiative(includingmessages)maybetwosimpleyeteffectivewaystoincreasereadership.

Changes for 2016-2017

Inresponsetodatacollectedlastspring,werecommendedseveralchangestothecontentoftheThrivemessagesandtothevisualdesignoftheThrivecardinMyUWforYear2.Theseinclude: RECOMMENDEDMESSAGECHANGES Revisemessagecontent

• Toincreaserelevanceandvalue,rewriteorreplacemessageswithlowreadershiporlowvalueratingswithothermessagesthataddresspragmaticthemes(e.g.,studyskills,internshipsandotherwaystogainpracticalexperience).

Increasemessagespecificity

• Rewritemessageswhenpossibletoprovidemorespecificactionsstudentscantakeinregardtothetopic.

• Includelinkedresourcesthatprovidemoredetailedinformationaboutatopic,orinformationthatgoesbeyond“commonknowledge.”

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Lightenmessagetone • Rewritemessageswiththeintentiontoavoida“parentaltone.”

Createmessagearchive

• CreateanarchiveoftheThrivemessagesthatstudentscaneasilyaccess.Thisarchivecouldincludeallmessagesforaquarter,oronlythepreviouslydisplayedmessages.

RECOMMENDEDDESIGNCHANGESIncreasevisibilityofcardtitle

• Tohelpmakethemessages—andthechangesinthemessages—morevisible,maketheMyUW“card”titletheThrivemessagetitle,ifpossible.Inaddition,exploreincludingtheweeknumberinthecardtitle.

Improvecardcolororincludeaphoto

• Tohelpwithcardvisibility,usehighercontrastcolorsorothervisualelements(e.g.aniconorgraphicelement).

Improvebranding

• Studentswereveryvocalabouttheirnegativeimpressionofthehashtag(#ThriveUW);weshouldremovereferencetoit.

• IncludetheThriveUW(or“Thrive”)brandsomewhereonthecard,andlinktoapagewheretheprogramanditspurposeisexplainedtostudents(e.g.“WhatisThrive?”).Thisexplanationcouldappearonthemessagearchive,butitmayalsobeadvantageoustomoveittoaseparatepage(forlaterassessmentpurposes).

Eachoftheserecommendationshasbeenimplemented.Asshownbelow,thenewThrivecardisbrandedwiththeheader“Thrive-FirstYear”and“HuskyExperience”inthesamesizeandcolorasheadersonothercards.ThischangeallowsforthepossibilityofcreatingotherThrivecardsand/orothercontentrelatedtotheHuskyExperienceinthefutureforadditionalgroupsofstudents. Inaddition,alabelfortheweekinthequarteraswellasalabelandcolorforcategorynowappear.InreviewingYear1,wefoundthatthemessagesfellintooneoffivecategories:StudySkills,Life&Wellness,ExploringDirections,Planning&Goals,andLearningNetwork.Thecategorylabelandcolorhighlightthemessageanddrawattentiontothechangeincontentweek-to-week.Atthebottomofthecardarelinkstotwonewpages:onedescribingtheThriveInitiative(“WhatisThrive?”)andonelinkingtoanarchiveofmessagessentpreviouslyinthequarter(“ViewThriveMessages”).Screenshotsofthesepagesappearbelow.

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Figure 6. Revised Thrive Card Design

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Figure 7. Thrive Message Archive

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Figure 8. “What is Thrive?” Page

AssessmentoftheYear2efforttodeliverThrivemessagestofirst-yearstudentsviaMyUWwilllookmuchlikeYear1.Duringthethirdweekofspringquarter,allfirst-yearstudentswillreceiveasurveyinvitation.Thesurveywillagaingatherinformationaboutwhetherstudentsreadthemessagesand/orfoundthemtobeofvalue,andwillincludenewquestionsonvalueofthemessagearchiveandthe“WhatisThrive?”page.WewillalsocollectlogdataonMyUWandclick-throughstomessageresources,andforYear2,wewilltrackwhetherstudentsvisitthetwonewpages(archiveandThriveexplanation). WehopethattheThrivecardredesignandtweakstomessagecontent,alongwithgreatermarketingabouttheThriveInitiativefromUAA,willincreasemessagereadershipin2016-2017.Agreaternumberofreaderswillgiveusamorevalidandreliableunderstandingofthesuccessofthiseffortinachievingitsgoalsforfirst-yearstudents.

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Appendix: Student Survey – Thrive Messages in MyUW

MyUW Thrive Messages WeeklymessagesinMyUWundertheheading“#ThriveUW”includetips,resources,andotherinformationsuggestedbyexperiencedstudents,advisers,andfaculty.Thisgoalofthissurveyistounderstandthevalueofthesemessagestoyouasafirstyearstudent,andwhetherMyUWisaneffectiveplatformforcommunicatingthemessagecontent.Thissurveyisconfidentialandshouldtakeabout5minutestocomplete.Twenty-fiveparticipantswhocompletethesurveywillberandomlychosentoreceive$10creditontheirHuskyCard.

1. AbouthowoftendoyoulogintoMyUW?LessthanonceaweekAbout1-2timesaweekAbout3-5timesaweekAtleastonceaday

2.Whichofthefollowingistrueforyou?Selectone:

IhavereadthroughalmostalltheThrivemessagesinMyUW.IhavereadthroughsomeoftheThrivemessagesinMyUW.IhavebrieflyskimmedtheThrivemessagesinMyUW.Ididnotread,butnoticedtheThrivemessagesinMyUW.(*branch)IdidnotnoticetheThrivemessagesinMyUW.(*branch)

[pagebreak]3.ThrivemessagesfromAutumnandWinteraddressedthefollowingtopicsandtips.Whichmessages,ifany,doyourememberbeinghelpful?Selectallthatapply.

MakingConnections—howtomakefriendsandconnecttootherstudentsAlltheTimeintheWorld?—timemanagementLearningHappensEverywhere!—engaginginactivities,events,andotheropportunitiesLibrarians:AcademicSuperheroes—howlibrarianscanhelpwithresearchStudySmarter,NotHarder—studystrategiesandadviceAdvisersCanHelp!—howtouseanadviserFeelingStressed?—stressmanagementLetCuriosityBeYourGuide—followingyourinterestsRoommateIssues?—dealingwithinterpersonalconflictMoney,Money,Money—managingmoneyYou’reAlmostThere!—self-careduringfinalsLearntoLead—waystoincreaseleadershipskills

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ActivateYourActivism—gettinginvolvedforacauseResearchSmarter,Notharder—usingthelibrary’sresearchguidesInternshipsandExploration—findingtherightinternshipRevisitingPlans,ExploringOptions—decidingonamajorBattletheWinterBlues—howtoboostmentalandphysicalhealthWhat’sYourDreamSummer?—investigatingoptionsforsummerFinals:PaceYourPrep—studystrategiesforfinals

AlloftheseNoneofthese

4.Whichmessages,ifany,wouldyouwanttobeabletoaccessandreadagain?MakingConnections—howtomakefriendsandconnecttootherstudentsAlltheTimeintheWorld?—timemanagementLearningHappensEverywhere!—engaginginactivities,events,andotheropportunitiesLibrarians:AcademicSuperheroes—howlibrarianscanhelpwithresearchStudySmarter,NotHarder—studystrategiesandadviceAdvisersCanHelp!—howtouseanadviserFeelingStressed?—stressmanagementLetCuriosityBeYourGuide—followingyourinterestsRoommateIssues?—dealingwithinterpersonalconflictMoney,Money,Money—managingmoneyYou’reAlmostThere!—self-careduringfinalsAlloftheseNoneofthese

[pagebreak]5.Whatactions,ifany,haveyoutakeninresponsetotheThrivemessagesinMyUW?Selectallthatapply.

Itriedasuggestionincludedinamessage.Iclickedonalinkinamessage.ItoldsomeoneelseaboutwhatIreadinamessage.Ipostedtothe#ThriveUWtagboardoranothersocialmediaplatform.Other:(pleasespecify)IhavenottakenanyactioninresponsetotheThrivemessages.

6.Howwouldyouratethevalueofthecontent(tips,resources,information)includedinThrivemessages?

Veryhelpful—Goodadviceandinformation*Somewhathelpful—I’vefoundsomeinformationIcoulduse*Nothelpful—Advicedidnothelpme,orwasnotrelevant*Annoying—Iwasturnedoffbythecontent

*6a.DoyouhaveanysuggestionsforimprovingthecontentofThrivemessagessothattheyarebetterwrittenormorerelevanttoyourexperience?

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7.HowwouldyoudescribethetimingofeachThrivemessagewithinthequarter?Well-timed—Themessagesweredeliveredattherighttimeformetomakegooduseofthem.*Somewhatwell-timed—Onlyinsomecaseswerethemessagesdeliveredattherighttimeformetomakegooduseofthem.*Notwell-timed—Themessageswerenotdeliveredattherighttimeformetomakegooduseofthem.*Didn’tnotice—Ididnotnoticealinkbetweenthecontentofeachmessageandwhenitwasdelivered.

*7a.DoyouhaveanysuggestionsforimprovingthetimingofThrivemessagessothatyouareabletomakegooduseoftheinformationtheyprovide?8.ThrivemessagesinMyUWincludethefollowingparts:

[EXAMPLEwithcall-outs]Header—GrabattentionandannouncetopicMessage—Introduceissuebeingaddressed“TryThis”—ActionsyoucantakeinresponsetoissueLearnMore—Linkstoresourceswithmoreinfo

DoyouhaveanysuggestionsforimprovingtheformatofThrivemessagesinMyUW?[pagebreak]9.Inwhatotherplacesorfromwhatpeoplehaveyouseen/heardinformationandadvicesimilartothecontentinThrivemessages?Selectallthatapply.

ResidenceHallAdvisersFIGLeadersAcademicAdvisersFacultyorTAsLibraries/LibrariansU101courseandvideosAdvisingandOrientationOther:(pleasespecify)IhaveseenthistypeofinformationandadviceonlyintheThrivemessages.

10.WherewouldyouliketoreceiveThrivemessages?

InMyUW(existingchannel)InMyUW,andalso________(pleasespecify)NotinMyUW,butin________(pleasespecify)Nowhere;IdonotfindvalueintheThrivemessagesandwouldunsubscribeifIcould

11.IsthereanythingmoreweshouldknowaboutyourexperiencewiththeThrivemessagesinMyUW?

22 August 1, 2017

12.Selectallthatdescribeyou: IlivedinaresidencehallAutumnquarter IwaspartofaFirst-yearInterestGroup(FIG)13.YourUWNetID:(Optional)Thankyouforyourfeedback!_________________________*Branching:StudentswhoindicatedinQ2thattheynoticedbutdidnotread,ordidnotnoticethemessagesinMyUWbranchtothefollowingquestions:3.ThrivemessagesfromAutumnandWinteraddressedthefollowingtopicsandtips.Whichmessages,ifany,wouldyouwanttobeabletoaccessandreadnow?Selectallthatapply.

MakingConnections—howtomakefriendsandconnecttootherstudentsAlltheTimeintheWorld?—timemanagementLearningHappensEverywhere!—engaginginactivities,events,andotheropportunitiesLibrarians:AcademicSuperheroes—howlibrarianscanhelpwithresearchStudySmarter,NotHarder—studystrategiesandadviceAdvisersCanHelp!—howtouseanadviserFeelingStressed?—stressmanagementLetCuriosityBeYourGuide—followingyourinterestsRoommateIssues?—dealingwithinterpersonalconflictMoney,Money,Money—managingmoneyYou’reAlmostThere!—self-careduringfinalsLearntoLead—waystoincreaseleadershipskillsActivateYourActivism—gettinginvolvedforacauseResearchSmarter,Notharder—usingthelibrary’sresearchguidesInternshipsandExploration—findingtherightinternshipRevisitingPlans,ExploringOptions—decidingonamajorBattletheWinterBlues—howtoboostmentalandphysicalhealthWhat’sYourDreamSummer?—investigatingoptionsforsummerFinals:PaceYourPrep—studystrategiesforfinals

AlloftheseNoneofthese

4.Basedonthelistabove,inwhatotherplacesorfromwhatpeoplehaveyouseen/heardinformationandadvicesimilartothecontentinThrivemessages?Selectallthatapply.

ResidenceHallAdvisersFIGLeadersAcademicAdvisersFacultyorTAsLibraries/LibrariansU101courseandvideos

23 August 1, 2017

AdvisingandOrientationOther:(pleasespecify)IhaveseenthistypeofinformationandadviceonlyintheThrivemessages.

5.ThrivemessagesinMyUWincludethefollowingparts:

[EXAMPLEwithcall-outs]Header—GrabattentionandannouncetopicMessage—Introduceissuebeingaddressed“TryThis”—ActionsyoucantakeinresponsetoissueLearnMore—Linkstoresourceswithmoreinfo

HowcouldtheformatofThrivemessagesinMyUWbeimprovedtoencouragestudentstoreadthem?[pagebreak]6.IsthereabetterwayforyoutoreceivehelpfultipsandadvicethaninMyUW?Pleaseexplain.7.IsthereanythingmoreweshouldknowaboutyourexperiencewiththeThrivemessagesinMyUW?8.Selectallthatdescribeyou: IlivedinaresidencehallAutumnquarter IwaspartofaFirst-yearInterestGroup(FIG)9.YourUWNetID:(Optional)Thankyouforyourfeedback!