Authors : Sajjad Zahir and Brian Dobing
Abstract: Despite differences among North American universities in mission, size and location, other researchers have noted a remarkable similarity in the appearance and function of their Web sites. This study surveyed those responsible for Canadian university Web sites to determine whether the similarity in appearance could be attributed to similarities in strategic goals, administrative policies, adherence to principles of academic freedom and the technology used. The survey was completed by 21 respondents out of the 44 universities that received it. The results show a high level of consistency in the first three areas above, but less in technology. However, while operating systems and Web software packages may be different, they have similar capabilities. This suggests that these university Web sites can be treated as a genre.
Sajjad Zahir and Brian Dobing , 2005. Canadian University Web Sites as a Genre:The Designers` Perspective . Asian Journal of Information Technology, 4: 276-290.