Content organization in websites of Agricultural Universities in India: a web analytic study.
Suresh, Kothainayaki ; Gopalakrishnan, S.
Introduction
Today websites of any organization/service sector facilitates for
the information dissemination and reveals the reputation of the
organization since users are becoming net citizens. The websites are
primarily used as advertisement media or marketing technique for the
products and services. The content of the websites target the user
community and therefore, after ensuring that content is useful,
well-written, and in a format that is suitable for the Web, it is
important to ensure that the information is clearly organized in the
form of different web objects/links in the home page. Therefore content
of the home page must be well organized with the necessary information
in the home page, grouping related informational elements, etc.
Need for the Study
Users will consider the items that are placed in close spatial
proximity to belong together conceptually like Logo, Title, About
Us/History ... etc. For designing a site, which gives greater
satisfaction and faster retrieval of information, the users' mental
model or 'schema' for the characteristic location of web
objects on a website is considered an essential ingredient.
Web Objects is the elements on a web page which has a hypertext
link to another place in the same or to an entirely different document
such as text, graphics, URLs and scripts. Therefore, web objects can be
thought of as individual entities that represent some functional unit on
web page/site.
The different web objects in the Academic websites especially
University websites that are used is given.
1. About us / History
2. Academics
3. Administration
4. Admissions
5. Back to Home
6. Careers
7. Contact Us
8. Copyright
9. Current Events / News
10. E-Mail
11. Extension
12. Internal Search Engine
13. Library
14. Links
15. Logo
16. Photo Gallery
17. Publications
18. Research
19. Site Map
20. Title
Most of the studies conducted on location of web objects were done
in e-commerce websites. Also, there are studies on identifying the
location of web objects in library web sites (Vasantha Raju and
Harinarayana,2011). In the Indian scenario, there are research on Indian
users' expectations for the location of web objects on
informational websites (Shaikh, Chaparro and Joshi, 2006) and location
of web objects and links in the websites of universities in Tamil Nadu
(Narendra Kumar, et al.,2010). In this paper, an attempt has been made
to examine the content organization of websites i.e. location of web
objects in the Indian Agricultural Universities' websites since
these websites will be used by all walks of life.
State Agricultural Universities in India
Agriculture plays a very important role in the Indian economy, and
setting up of adequate number of Agricultural Universities were
considered very important in India. While the Royal Commission, set up
in 1926, emphasized the importance of a strong research base for
agricultural development in India, the second National Education
Commission (1964-66) headed by the University Grant Commission Chairman,
Dr. D.S. Kothari recommended the establishment of at least one
Agricultural University in each of the Indian state. The Indian Council
of Agricultural Research (ICAR) is an autonomous organization under the
Department of Agricultural Research and Education, Ministry of
Agriculture, Government of India. It strives for maintaining and
upgrading quality and relevance of higher agricultural education through
partnership and efforts of the components of the ICAR-Agricultural
Universities (AUs) System comprising State Agricultural Universities
(SAUs), Deemed-to-be-Universities (DUs), Central Agricultural University
(CAU) and Central Universities (CUs) with Agriculture Faculty. There are
54 agricultural universities spread across the country and ICAR is one
of the largest national agricultural systems in the world. The State
Agricultural Universities are major partners in growth & development
of Agricultural Research and Education under National Agricultural
Research System. For this study, all the agricultural universities
listed in the ICAR website [ICAR (2010)] (4) which offers agriculture,
or agriculture and veterinary are examined and are included.
There are 54 Agricultural Universities in India in which 44 are
State Agricultural Universities (SAUs), 1 Central University, 5 Deemed
Universities, and 4 Central Universities with agriculture faculty, which
is given in Table 1.
Table 1. Indian Agricultural Universities' websites and their
Uniform Resource Locators (URLs)
SI.No. Name of the URL
University
State
Agricultural
Universities
(SAUs)
Acharya NG Ranga http://www.angrau.net
Agricultural
University
Anand Agricultural http://www.aau.in
University
Assam Agricultural http://www.aau.ac.in
University
Bidhan Chandra http://www.bckv.edu.in
Krishi
Viswavidyalaya
Birsa Agricultural http://www.baujharkhand.org
University
Central http://www.cau.org.in
Agricultural
University
Chandra Shekhar http://www.csauk.ac.in
Azad University of
Agriculture and
Technology
Chaudhary Charan http://hau.ernet.in
Singh Haryana
Agricultural
University
CSK Himachal http://www.hillagric.ernet.in
Pradesh
Agricultural
University
Dr. Panjabrao http://www.pdkv.ac.in
Deshmukh Krishi
Vidyapeeth
Dr. Yashwant Singh http://www.yspuniversity.ac.in
Parmar University
of Horticulture &
Forestry
Dr.Balasaheb Sawant http://www.dbskkv.org
Konkan Krishi
Vidyapeeth
Dr.Y.S.R. http://www.aphu.edu.in
Horticultural
University
G.B. Pant http://www.gbpuat.ac.in
University of
Agriculture &
Technology
Guru Angad Dev http://www.gadvasu.in
Veterinary and
Animal Sciences
University
Indira Gandhi http://igau.edu.in/igkv/
Agricultural
University
Jawaharlal Nehru http://www.jnkw.nic.in
Krishi
Vishwavidyalaya
Junagadh http://www.iau.in
Agricultural
University
Karnataka http://www.kvafsu.kar.nic.in
Veterinary, Animal
and Fisheries
Sciences
University
Kerala Agricultural http://www.kau.edu
University
Maharana Pratap http://mpuat.digitaluniversity.ac/
University of
Agriculture &
Technology
Maharashtra Animal http://www.mafsu in
& Fishery Sciences
University
Mahatma Phule http://mpkv.mah.nic.in
Krishi Vidyapeeth
Marathwada http://mkv2.mah.nic.in
Agricultural
University
Narendra Deva http://www.nduat.ernet.in
University of
Agriculture &
Technology
Navsari http://www.nau.in
Agricultural
University
Orissa University http://www.ouat.ac.in
of Agriculture &
Technology
Punjab Agricultural http://web.pau.edu
University
Rajendra http://www.pusavarsity.org.in
Agricultural
University
Rajmata Vijayraje http://www.rvskvv.nic.in
Scindia Krishi
Vishwa Vidyalaya
Sardar Vallabhbhai http://www.svbpmeerut.ac.in
Patel University of
Agriculture &
Technology
Sardarkrushinagar http://www.sdau.edu.in
Dantiwada
Agricultural
University
Sher-e-Kashmir http://www.
University of skuast.org/new/index.html
Agricultural
Sciences &
Technology of
Jammu
Sher-e-Kashmir http://www.
University of skuastkashmir.ac.in
Agricultural
Sciences &
Technology of
Kashmir
Sri Venkateswara http://svvu.edu.in
Veterinary
University
Swami Keshwanand http://www.raubikaner.org
Rajasthan /index.asp
Agricultural
University
Tamil Nadu http://www.tnau.ac.in
Agricultural
University
Tamil Nadu http://www.tanuvas.tn.nic.in
Veterinary & Animal
Sciences
University
University of http://www.uasbangalore.edu.in
Agricultural
Sciences,
Bangalore
University of http://www.uasd.edu
Agricultural
Sciences, Dharwad
University of http://www.uasraichur.edu.in
Agricultural
Sciences, Raichur
University of http://www.
Horticultural uhsbagalkot.edu.in/#
Sciences, Bagalkot
UP Pt. Deen Dayal http://www.upvetuniv.edu.in
Upadhyaya
Veterinary Science
University
(DUVASU), Mathura
Uttar Banga Krishi http://www.ubkv.ac.in
Viswavidyalaya
West Bengal http://www.wbuafscl.ac.in
University of
Animal & Fishery
Sciences
Deemed-to-be
Universities
Central Institute http://www.cife.edu.in/
of Fisheries ifemod2/index.php
Education
Indian Agricultural http://www.
Research Institute iari.res.in
Indian Veterinary http://ivri.
Research Institute nic.in
National Dairy http://www.
Research Institute ndri.res.in
Sam Higginbottom http://www.
Institute of aaidu.org.in
Agriculture,
Technology &
Sciences (Formerly
Allahabad
Agricultural
Institute)
Central
Universities
with
Agriculture
Faculty
Aligarh Muslim http://www.
University amu.ac.in
Banaras Hindu http://www.
University bhu.ac.in
Nagaland http://www.
University nagauniv.org.in
Visva-Bharati http://www.
visva-bharati.ac.in/
Source: http://www.icar.org.in/files/agr-univ-for-ICAR-IFs.pdf
Related Studies
Bernard (2000; 2001; 2002) examined specific web-related objects,
location of common web objects and also expected location for a variety
of web objects. Nielsen and Tahir (2002) stressed the importance of
positioning the web objects in the websites. User expected locations for
web objects has been identified by Markhum and Hall (2003) and also
rated important ones in online purchase. Bernard and Sheshadri (2004)
discuss the placing of common web objects and their expected locations
that would give a competitive edge over the normal web pages.
Shaikh and Lenz (2006) examined whether user expectations for
location of web objects have changed since 2001 study done by Bernard.
They observed that changes were found in the expected location of the
web objects in the site and these changes have not been dramatic but
reflect updates in technology & advertising schemas.
Costa (2006) considered user expectations regarding the location of
common e-commerce web objects for a sample of Portuguese people and
found that the need to localize user-interfaces for specific regions
will be less important, if the users from those regions are expert in
the medium and have a cultural background that enable them to speak and
understand other language / culture.
Narendra Kumar, et al. (2010) observed that most of the web objects
are common among the universities. The placement of web objects is not
common among university websites. Roth, et al. (2010) indicated that the
users generally agree upon the fixed locations for certain common web
objects.
Vasantha Raju and Harinarayana (2011) examined the placement of few
web objects in library websites and revealed that the pattern of library
web object placement is different compared to online trade web objects.
Objectives of the Study
The following are the objectives of the study:
1. To study the various web objects or links that are available in
the websites of agricultural universities in India;
2. To study the location of various web objects or links found in
the websites of agricultural universities in India;
Hypotheses of the Study
1. There is a significant difference in web objects commonly found
in agricultural university websites.
2. There is a significant difference in the location of web objects
found in Agricultural university websites.
Methodology of the study
Sample
Among the 54 Agricultural Universities, the website of Uttar Banga
Krishi Viswavidyalaya cannot be opened up during the period of the
study. Therefore 53 universities were taken up for the study.
Availability of Web Objects
There are 20 web objects taken up for the study. Out of the 20 web
objects, seven web objects are available in all the agricultural
university websites. They are About Us/History, Academics, Back to Home,
Current Events/News, Logo, Title and Research. Therefore, remaining 13
web objects alone were taken up for the study.
The number of occurrences of the web objects or links in university
websites is shown in Table 2. Besides, the non-availability of the web
objects is also indicated in the Table.
Table 2. Availability of Web objects
S.No Web objects Available % Not %
Available
Administration 48 90.57 5 9.43
Admissions 44 83.02 9 16.98
Careers / Jobs 34 64.15 19 35.85
Contact Us 38 71.70 15 28.30
Copyright 40 75.47 13 24.53
E-Mail 32 60.38 21 39.62
Extension 40 75.47 13 24.53
Internal Search 20 37.74 33 62.26
Engine
Library 43 81.13 10 18.87
Links 36 67.92 17 32.08
Photo Gallery 34 64.15 19 35.85
Publications 33 62.26 20 37.74
Site Map 18 33.96 35 66.04
Total 229
Majority of the web objects are available in the Agricultural
University websites. The web objects that are not available in the
university websites were also calculated. Chart Control method has been
generally adopted for identifying the quality control of the attribute.
Normally different charts used are pchart, np chart, c chart, and u
chart. In this study, np chart is used to identify the quality control
of the attribute. Np charts may be defined as the Fraction of
non-conformants which is the ratio of the number of non - conforming
objects found to the total number of web pages actually taken up for the
study. np charts are statistical process control tools used to evaluate
the items of non-conformity in a process.
The value of [bar.p] is calculated using the formula
[bar.p] = [summation]np/ [summation]n
[bar.p] = Total number of web objects available/Total number of
universities x Number of web objects
While plotting the points in a graph, Control Limits, such as Upper
Control Limit (UC[L.sub.np]) and Lower Control Limit (LC[L.sub.np]) were
calculated using the formula
Control Limi[t.sub.np] = n [bar.p] [+ or -]3[square root of
(n[bar.p])](1-[bar.p])
Using the formula, UC[L.sub.np] was found to be 27.9, LC[L.sub.np]
7.3 and Central Line C[L.sub.np] 17.6. Based on the above, lines were
drawn for non-available web objects and the same is shown in Figure 1.
Position Identification Method
The position of web objects in the web page was measured using the
matrix cell approach. The web page was classified into Rows and Columns
and the intersecting point is specified as Cell. The no. of cells used
for web objects positioning studies has been shown in Table 3.
Table 3: Quadrants adopted for web object analysis study
SI.No. Author Grids Used
Bernard and Sheshadri (2004) 7 x 6
Bernard' (2000) 7 x 8
Costa (2006) 7 x 8
Di Nocera, Capponi and Ferlazzo 4 x 4
(2004)14
Markum and Hall (2003) 3 x 3
Narendra Kumar ... et al. (2010) 7 x 8
Roth ... et al. (2010) 12 x 8
Shaikh and Lenz (2006) 5 x 5
Shaikh, Chaparro and Joshi (2006) 7 x 6
Vasantha Raju and Harinarayana 5 x 5
(2011)
From the table, it can be seen that majority of the study were
adopting 7 x 8 matrix cell approach. In this study also, 7 x 8 matrix
cell approach has been adopted.
The screenshot of the university website has been taken and it is
divided into seven horizontal rows and eight vertical columns grid
squares. The starting point of the web object or link was considered as
the location of that web object or link. The depiction of a browser
window (university website) showing the eight columns marked alphabets A
to H and seven rows marked numbers 1 to 7 is illustrated in Figure 2.
The address of each cell is obtained by the intersection of a column and
a row such as A1, A2, A3, ..., B1, B2, B3, ..., C1, C2. ... etc.
The web objects and links which are placed in the grid are
identified and their respective addresses of the cell were noted for the
data analysis. It is shown in Table 4.
Table 4: Web Objects and their Positions
SI.No Web Objects Position Quantity Total no. of Percentage
universities
Administration B2 12 53 22.64
Admissions A4 8 53 15.09
Careers / Jobs A7 9 53 16.98
Contact Us E2, G1, 5 53 9.43
G5
Copyright Bottom 22 53 41.51
Left
E-Mail H3 5 53 9.43
Extension A7 8 53 15.09
Internal Search C4, 3 53 5.66
Engine F6,G1
Library A6 8 53 15.09
Links A7 9 53 16.98
Photo Gallery H7 6 53 11.32
Publications A6 6 53 11.32
Site Map G7 4 53 7.55
The web objects that are not commonly found in Indian agricultural
universities' are given in Table 5.
Table 5: Web objects not commonly found in agricultural universities
SI.NO. Web object not commonly found
Links to Agricultural Technology Information Centres
(ATlCs)
Weather Report / Forecast
Agricultural Experts Names
Links to Research Stations, Research Consortia, ... etc.
Pest Control
ICAR website
Directorate of Farms
Seeds
Other agricultural universities in India
Environmental Information System (ENVIS) India
Analysis and Discussion
* Among the 54 Agricultural Universities, the website of Uttar
Banga Krishi Viswavidyalaya cannot be opened up during the period of the
study. Therefore, 53 universities were taken up for the study.
* Web objects such as University Logo, Title, About Us/History,
Back to Home, Academics and Research, Current Events/News were found in
all the university websites, almost in the same location grids. It is
also located in a visible location and uniformity cannot be seen in the
positions. Hence, there is no significant difference in the web objects
commonly found in agricultural universities (Hypothesis 1 is not true)
* The web objects, Internal Search Engine and Sitemap, cannot be
expected in all the universities and they are not within the control.
* The web object, Administration, as the other web objects like
Logo, Title, ... etc. was found in almost all the agricultural
university websites and it is very much below the control of the
websites.
* Uniformity of the positions of 13 web objects can be seen in the
range from 5.66% to 41.51%. The web objects placed in different
locations and uniformity cannot be seen in agricultural university
websites. Hence, there is a significant difference in the location of
common web objects found in agricultural universities (Hypothesis 2 is
true).
* 81.13% of the agricultural university websites provide links to
library facility.
* Careers/job opportunities/photo gallery/publications are given
due importance in agricultural university websites.
* Important points noted from the websites of Indian Agricultural
Universities
* Link to National Information System on Agricultural Education
Network in India (NISAGENET) is found in most of the agricultural
universities.
* Agropedia is found in CCS Haryana Agricultural University.
* Link to AgriCat, Union catalogue, of the holdings of 12 major
libraries (IARI, IVRI, UAS, GBPUAT, CCSHAU, ANGRAU, NDRI, CIFE, CSKHPKV,
MPKV, TanuVAS, DIPA) of the ICAR Institutes and SAUs combined together
is found in the linking universities.
* Tamil Nadu Agricultural University is the only one university
which has a AgriTech Portal.
* Digital University Portal is found in Maharana Pratap University
of Agriculture & Technology.
Conclusion
The present study examines and explores the location of web objects
in various Indian agricultural universities and the positions of web
objects in the websites are also studied. It is found that there is no
much significant difference in the commonly found web objects in the
university websites. Also, there is a significant difference in the
location of web objects commonly found in the university websites.
Further research may be done which could be applied to other university
websites as well related to the location of web objects in the websites.
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Kothainayaki Suresh
Anna University, Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India,
kothai.suresh@gmail.com
S. Gopalakrishnan
Anna University, gopallong@gmail.com
Suresh, Kothainayaki and Gopalakrishnan, S., "Content
Organization in Websites of Agricultural Universities in India: A Web
Analytic Study" (2012). Library Philosophy and Practice
(e-journal). Paper 817.
http://digitalcommons.unl.edu/libphilprac/817
Mrs. S. Kothainayaki
Assistant University Librarian
Library, MIT Campus
Anna University Chennai - 600 25
Tamil Nadu, India
kothai.suresh@gmail.com
Dr.S. Gopalakrishnan
Assistant University Librarian
University Library
Anna University
Chennai - 600 044
Tamil Nadu, India
gopallong@gmail.com
