Major Highlight: Management Information Systems (MIS)

Hi everyone! My name is Nina McKee, and I am friends with the girls at Friends at the Woods. I am excited to be writing this guest post for December! I am a junior and a Management InformationSystems (MIS) Major at William Woods University. MIS is a lot like Information Technology (IT) with a business component.

Some of the classes I have taken for my major include Website Development, Database Administration, and Project Management. I have enjoyed all my MIS classes because they are project-based and have given me the opportunity to practice using all the applications I have learned about such as Microsoft Access, Microsoft Project, and WordPress.

I am also part of two organizations on campus that go along with my MIS major: The Student Technology Advisory Group and the Student Website Advancement Team (SWAT). The Student Technology Advisory Group is a group of students that meet once per month with the IT Department, or University IT (UIT), on campus to discuss technology projects and inquiries. UIT receives student input and feedback on potential projects they are considering and recently implemented updates. Students also get to take time during the meetings to ask any questions they may have about UIT services and programs. I just joined the group this August, but I have already enjoyed participating in it so much. I have enjoyed having discussions with other students who have different perspectives using and interacting with the various mediums of technology on campus.

This brings me to my experience on the Student Website Advancement Team. (Jennah posted on that here too) SWAT is a student-run organization that creates and maintains websites for local businesses and nonprofits. I joined SWAT in October 2016. SWAT is different from any other club or organization I have belonged to previously. Each week, members log three hours of independent working time that is dedicated to making progress on their client’s website. Then each Monday, we meet as a group and discuss what we have each worked on and any problems we have encountered. Working with actual clients is one of the more unique characteristics about SWAT. In addition to building websites, SWAT also has a usability department. Usability testing is basically a method for determining if a website is easy to navigate for users. The test measures this by the number of clicks and time a user takes to carry out specific tasks such as finding products, pages, or pieces of information on the website. 
These results are then analyzed along with user feedback to determine any improvements that can be made to a website to make it more user friendly. I have held two roles since I joined SWAT: Usability Director and Director of SWAT. As Usability Director, I was responsible for carrying out the testing for two separate usability projects, analyzing the data, and presenting the findings to the clients. I now hold the position of Director of SWAT where I coordinate the team’s projects and clients, carry out correspondence between the organization with clients, and plan any events that SWAT hosts.

These experiences along with the assignments I have completed for my classes have given me a great foundation for the field of technology and any jobs I may pursue after I graduate.

~Nina