Download the 2010-2011 Annual Report - VTAC

Prefer websites:41%Prefer course guides:30%Key findingsThe VTAC websiteViews on the VTAC website were positive with 80% finding usefulness and clarity ofthe information very good or good. Most respondents accessed the website eitherweekly (41%) or around deadlines (34%). Respondents were less positive about thevisual appeal of the website and the balance between graphics and text, with 14%rating these aspects very good and 48% good. Website speed was rated very fastor fast by 69% and 59% reported they never or rarely had technical problems, but14% reported they had problems often or always.Sources of informationThe most popular means of finding out about courses was by visiting websites (41%)followed by reading course guide/handbooks (30%).Preferred ways of searching onlinePreferred way to find outabout courseswebsites41%infosessions17%counsellor12%courseguides30%Onlinesocialmedia1%Preferred online courseinformation sourceVTACwebsite30%Institutionalwebsites36%Google/searchengine33%The preferred methods of searching course information online were institutionalwebsites (36%), Google or other search engine (32%) and the VTAC website(30%).Course informationUnsurprisingly the information most commonly sought was in relation to courses,how to apply and due dates. 26% reported they did not need to research becausethey knew exactly the course and the institution they were applying for. 23% knewwhich course/s they wanted and searched for institutions, while 14% looked forcourses at a specific institution. 22% searched for both courses and institutions forparticular areas of study. The most useful course information was About the Course(63%).CourseSearch54% of respondents searched for courses on the VTAC website usingCourseSearch. 48% of CourseSearch users looked for specific courses they alreadyknew about. 40% reported that searching by Field of Study was the most useful.21% and 17% nominated institution type and keyword respectively as the mostuseful. Non year 12 respondents were more frequent users of CourseSearch, with61% using it, compared with 45% of Year 12 respondents. 86% of CourseSearchusers rated it as good or invaluable, and 46% rated the majors search as good orinvaluable. 28% of CourseSearch users did not use the majors search.Howtoapply15%Information searched on VTAC websiteInstitutions8%Scholarships8%ApplyingInterstate2%AdmissionsTests6%Courses18%CourseApplication18%Fees11%Dates14%30 Victorian Tertiary Admissions Centre (VTAC) Annual Report 2010-2011 31