University Business - April 2012 - (Page 52)

internet technology The 2012 State of the Mobile Web in Higher Ed Mobile solutions now at the majority of institutions By Karine Joly hat difference can a year make? When it comes to the mobile web in higher education, it seems that it’s all it took to switch gears and respond to the needs of an increasing mobile user population on campuses—and elsewhere. in the 2012 State of the Mobile Web survey i conducted from January 9 to february 13, 2012, 59 percent of surveyed institutions reported having a “mobile solution” (mobile website, accessible website, native mobile device applications, etc.) in place. exactly 12 months earlier, according to the first edition of this survey, only 37 percent of colleges and universities provided a web solution adapted to the specific needs of their mobile users. This second edition of my online survey about the state of the Mobile Web was completed by 281 professionals working in web (41 percent) and marketing/communication (40 percent) offices at 267 different institutions. This year, again, the goal was to draw an accurate picture of existing and planned institutional efforts targeted to mobile users. to facilitate yearly comparisons and identify trends, most of the survey questions were kept unchanged. The survey, open to professionals working for colleges or universities, was publicized, online only, through several channels (email listservs, email newsletters, blogs, twitter, facebook, and other professional networking websites). as a consequence, it doesn’t rely on a scientifically determined dataset. however, the resulting sample seems fairly representative of the carnegie classifications. it’s 52 | April 2012 W When they exist, mobile web solutions are also getting a bit more attention from staff on a weekly basis. fair to assume that trend watchers and technology-minded people were more likely to take the survey. But, professionals were invited to take this survey whether or not they had a mobile web solution in place on their campus, so the results would not over-represent early adopters. also important to note: This year’s survey was not restricted to the 2011 survey respondents, but open to all. here are the highlights. • The Mobile Web has become a fact of life for most colleges and universities. according to the 2012 survey, higher education has reached the tipping point when it comes to mobile web solutions. While only 39 percent of respondents don’t have any mobile solution yet, three quarters of these institutions plan to implement such a solution in the future, within a year for 59 percent. higher ed institutions with existing solutions have embraced the Mobile Web very recently, as 72 percent of the dedicated sites or applications have been launched over the last 12 months. • There is a small but increasing number of mobile web budgets. The traditional expectation of adopting new online channels without any new budget is still the rule for the majority of “mobile-ready” institutions. however, the share of this no-budget category decreased from 75 percent of the existing mobile web solutions in 2011 to 65 percent in 2012. These yearly budgets are still very small, as more than half (57 percent) ranges from a few hundred dollars to $5,000 and only a third (34 percent) from $10,000 to $30,000. Yet, the global yearly trend is on the increase. When they exist, mobile web solutions are also getting a bit more attention from staff on a weekly basis: Only 12 percent (vs. 20 percent in 2011) now report no time allocated to these solutions, while 55 percent (vs. 50 percent in 2011) indicate weekly allocated staff time ranging from one to five hours. • Mobile First and responsive web design (RWD) are on the horizon. While the majority of surveyed institutions have wisely opted out from the “native app” game, the 2012 results still show a split between the advocates of dedicated mobile solutions supporting a family of mobile devices (56 percent) and the proponents of the “mobilization” of existing websites through a strategy of progressive enhancement via htML, cSS, Web Standards and other techniques (50 percent). universitybusiness.com http://www.universitybusiness.com

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of University Business - April 2012

University Business - April 2012
Editor’s Note
College Index
Ad Index
Behind the News
Financial Aid
Viewpoint
Independent Outlook
Models of Efficiency
Guns on Campus
Campus Finance
Internet Technology
End Note
Contents

University Business - April 2012