Discontinuous Change in University Web Sites: The Relative Importance of Reasons for Change

Abstract

An examination of prior Web pages shows that the typical university will sometimes make a discontinuous change to its Web site (i.e., a sudden, major shift in a Web site between two points in time). This exploratory empirical study examines reasons for such discontinuous changes, surveying university Webmasters at a variety of institutions where discontinuous Web site changes had occurred. Universities varied by type (public, private), by level (Bachelors, Masters, PhD), and by nation (Canada, USA). Four reasons for discontinuous Web site change, identified in an earlier study of discontinuous Web site change in state governments, were compared: rational, marketing, political, and institutional. According to the university Webmasters surveyed, rational reasons for change were most important, followed by marketing, institutional, and political reasons, in that order. The ordering of reasons reflects statistically significant differences among types of reasons. Results did not vary by type, level, or nation.