BIBLIOGRAPHY MENDOZA, ABIGAIL C. APRIL 2007....
BIBLIOGRAPHY
MENDOZA, ABIGAIL C. APRIL 2007. Evaluation of Philippine Government
Websites by Information Technology and Development Communication Students of
Benguet State University. Benguet State University, La Trinidad, Benguet.
Adviser: Sheryl I. Fernando, BSc
ABSTRACT
The study was conducted to evaluate the Philippine government agency websites
particularly Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR), Department of
Education (DepED), Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA), Department of Labor and
Employment, and Housing and Land Use Regulatory Board (HLURB), regarding to its
publisher and author, content, structure and navigation, links, and integrity and access.
Specifically, the study aimed to evaluate the websites in terms of their site
publisher or author’s name on the websites; clarity, breadth of information, credibility,
currency, and advertising of the content; organization and navigation of the websites;
visibility and functionality of the sites; and integrity and accessibility of the government
sites.
The evaluators of the study were 10 IT fourth year students and 10 third year
students from BSDC. Evaluators were purposively chosen for they have a background on
creating and programming websites. A checklist questionnaire was used to gather data.
Descriptive statistics such as percentage and average were used to analyze the data.
Results show that site publisher, copyright and publisher contact of DENR,
DepED, DFA, DOLE, and HLURB were easily identified by the evaluators but most of
their weakness falls on to the sponsors, affiliation, and contact for authors.
Site content of DOLE has the most understandable and navigable content
according to the criteria given. DENR, HLURB, and DFA have close percentage which
has low averages in terms of credibility of source and breadth of information similar to
DepED site. Majority of the problem of the sites under the content is the currency of
information. Moreover, average of the sites does not have evidence of link checking. This
means that there are “errors” found wherein the page is deleted, contents changed or the
file is moved to a different directory or the site no longer exists.
In structure and navigation, every site was organized in a logical fashion except
with DFA website. Almost all of the sites are fairly readable and understandable.
Majority of the sites has good graphical design but DFA site with the lowest average,
failed to provide useful and adequate graphics. In contrast, some graphics detract from
the site. Most of the links of the sites were clearly identifiable and are quite descriptive so
as to clearly indicate where and what they lead most especially in DOLE and HLURB
sites.
All URL of the five sites were easily identified and can be easily located through
search engines or directories. Some sites have also indicated the contacts of their
webmaster. Most of the sites did not display security certificate seals and the full
information of their site’s privacy policy. On the other hand some websites have
indicated how personal their data disclosed to it to be used by the visitors.
ii
The study recommends that our government should set a standard evaluation tool
in assessing the different agency websites according to their usability, accessibility and
quality. Government agencies should also evaluate their own website for them to see the
weaknesses and incompleteness of the site. Moreover, web developers should always
check, monitor and update the site in order to provide a user-centric websites that would
bring easier, faster, and accessible services to Philippine citizens.
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
Page
Bibliography……………………………………………………………………….. i
Abstract …………………………………………………………………………
i
Table of Contents ……………………………………………………………….. iv
INTRODUCTION
Rationale ………………………………………………………………..
1
Statement of the Problem ………………………………………………. 2
Objective of the Study …………………………………………............
3
Importance of the Study ………………………………………………... 3
Scope and Limitation of the Study………………………….…………... 3
REVIEW OF LITERATURE
Electronic Governance …………………………………………………
5
E – Governance in the Philippines ……………………………………..
6
What is a Website ………………………………………………...........
7
Attributes of a Good Website ………………………………………….
7
Definition of Terms …………………………………………………… 10
METHODOLOGY
Time and Locale of the Study ……………………………………….
12
Respondents of the Study ……………………………………….......
12
Data Collection …………………………………………………......
12
Data Gathered ………………………………………………………
14
iv
Data Analysis ……………………………………………………….
14
RESULTS AND DISCUSSION
Indication of Publisher or Author’s
Name on the Website………………………………………………..
15
Clarity, Scope of Information, Credibility
and Currency of Site Content …………………… …………………
17
Organization of Information and Ease
of Navigation ………………………….............................................
24
Visibility
and
Functionality
of Links ……………………………….
31
Site Integrity and Access of Sites …………………………………..
33
SUMMARY, CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS
Summary ………………………………………………………........
36
Conclusions ………………………………………………………….
38
Recommendations …………………………………………………..
39
LITERATURE CITED ……………………………………………………..
40
APPENDICES
Appendix A: Communication letters …………………………….... 42
Appendix B: Evaluation Checklist ………………………………… 45
Appendix C: DENR Webpage ……………………………………..
53
Appendix D: DepED Webpage …………………………………….
54
Appendix E: DFA Webpage ………………………………………
55
Appendix F: DOLE Webpage …………………………………….
56
Appendix G: HLURB Webpage …………………………………..
57
v
1
INTRODUCTION
Rationale
There are about 7.82 million internet users in the Philippines as of year 2005
(CIA, 2006). People from different walks of life like students, teachers, businessmen and
professionals now prefer to use Internet as a source of information, for research and
recreation because of its availability 24 hours a day, seven days a week. In fact
dependence on the internet is continuously growing and the demands for the older
citizens who simply do not relate to the online world are now challenged to use a
keyboard and a mouse.
Based on the United Nations “World Public Sector Report 2003: e-Government at
the Crossroads”, the Philippines ranked seventh in the global web-quality index. This
index indicated the degree to which the country's e-government potential was utilized, as
determined by their telecommunications and human capital resources (Lee, 2004).
Electronic Government or e-government refers to the use of information
technologies like the use of internet and other Information and Communication
Technologies (ICTs) in order to improve the delivery of government services, better
interactions with business and industry, citizen empowerment through greater access to
information and to help come up with more efficient government management
(Worldbank, 2007). This provides a greater opportunity for the ordinary citizens to
participate more directly in the decision making that can be strengthened through better
sharing of information and increased involvement of stakeholders in the political process.
Now that the internet has become part of our life, website accessibility is
Evaluation of Philippine Government Websites by Information Technology and Development
Communication Students of Benguet State University / Abiguel C. Mendoza. 2007
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considered to be a civil right and laws are being passed in many economies to ensure
compliance. Those who are responsible for developing and maintaining websites,
government websites in particular should look into the issues and the barriers that affects
to their proper delivery of services.
The Philippine government created websites in order to bring easier, faster,
accessible services and most important to bridge the gap between the citizens and the
government. Websites costs money and are being paid with taxes and so the web
manager should see to it that the website is well written and is designed properly, easily
accessible, accurate and contributing to the development of the government agency’s
mission to the public and its advocacy. It is therefore very important to evaluate our
government websites that are usually used by the masses to help improve and develop
successful user-centric websites and provide opportunities to improve the relationship
between government and citizens in a better way and thereby contributing to the
achievement of good government goals.
Statement of the Problem
The Evaluation of Philippine Government Websites sought to evaluate the
websites based on the site structure and content, integrity and access, and links.
The study sought to answer the following questions:
1. Is the site publisher or author’s name indicated on the websites?
2. Is the content of the site clear; has proper scope of information, credible, and
current?
Evaluation of Philippine Government Websites by Information Technology and Development
Communication Students of Benguet State University / Abiguel C. Mendoza. 2007
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3. Is the organization of information and ease of navigation website well-
organized?
4. Are the links used in the sites visible and functions well?
5. Is the website easily identifiable?
Objective of the Study
Specifically, this study aimed to evaluate the websites in terms of the following
criteria:
1. indication of site publisher or author’s name on the websites;
2. clarity, breadth of information, credibility of source, and currency of content;
3. organization of information and ease of navigation;
4. visibility and functionality of links on the sites; and
5. integrity and accessibility of the government sites.
Importance of the Study
Evaluating websites especially local government websites will help in its
improvement and redevelopment. Assessing the service delivery of information and
communication technologies (ICTs) will provide justification to the government (web
manager and designers) whether the offered services meet the needs of our people in
terms of giving them services that is cheaper, more efficient and faster access.
In addition, results of this study can be used by our government web managers
and designers, Information Technologies and Educational Communication students for
Evaluation of Philippine Government Websites by Information Technology and Development
Communication Students of Benguet State University / Abiguel C. Mendoza. 2007
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creating websites that are user-centric, timely, accessible, effective and efficient .This
may serve as their guide in maintaining or improving the website.
Scope and Limitation of the Study
The study was conducted from January – February 2007. “Evaluating Web
Resources – Checklist by Eddie Byrne” was used by the researcher as an instrument for
the evaluation of government websites but modified it in order to fit in the
communication research study. The study focused on five government websites namely:
1. Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) – www.denr.gov.ph
2. Department of Education(DEped) – www.deped.gov.ph
3. Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) – www.dfa.gov.ph
4. Housing and Land Use Regulatory Board (HLURB) – www.hlurb.gov.ph
5. Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) – www.dole.gov.ph
In connection with the study, ten Information Technology students and ten
Bachelor of Science in Development Communication students from Benguet State
University have evaluated one website from those enumerated above.
The evaluators had visited the said sites once and had answered the questionnaire
while online. However, some of the evaluators revisited the website assigned to them to
countercheck their evaluation.
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REVIEW OF LITERATURE
Electronic Governance (E-Governance)
By Virtue of Republic Act No.8729 an act which mandates that all government
organizations must be able to deliver its basic services electronically, the Philippine
government has specifically pushed for E-governance.
Part IV, Section 27 of RA8729 specifically calls on all concerned government
entities to be able to recognize and process digital documents, provide electronic issuance
of permits and license as well as certificates and registration or approval, as well as
online payment (Jimenez, 2001).
The World Bank defines e-government as the use by government agencies of
information technologies (such as Wide Area Networks, the Internet, and mobile
computing) that have the ability to transform relations with citizens, businesses, and other
arms of government.
These technologies can serve a variety of different ends: better delivery of
government services to citizens, improved interactions with business and industry, citizen
empowerment through access to information, or more efficient government management.
The resulting benefits can be less corruption, increased transparency, greater
convenience, revenue growth, and/or cost reductions.
E-government is not a tool limited to the richer countries. Indeed, some of the
most innovative uses of the internet in governance are appealing in the developing world,
as ICTs are being used to streamline government and connect it more closely with the
people it is supposed to serve.
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E - Governance in the Philippines
According to Lee (2004) several laws, regulations and policies exist which
spurred the further development of ICT infrastructure, particularly the
telecommunications sector. These include the Telecommunications Policy Act of 1995,
the Satellite Communication Policy (Executive Order 467, s. 1998) and the Electronic
Commerce Act or Republic Act 8792. The Information Technology and Electronic
Commerce Council (IETECC) were formed in 2000 as the ICT policy-making body of
the Government of the Philippines. It brought together government and private sector of
efforts in the development of ICT. One of its goals is the implementation of E-
government.
Based on the United Nations World Public Sector Report 2003: “E-Government
at the Crossroads”, the Philippines ranked seventh in the global web-quality index. This
index indicated the degree to which the country’s e-government potential was utilized, as
determined by their telecommunications and human capital resources. The index also
determined the level of maturity or sophistication of e-government services provided.
Specifically, the report indicated that the Philippines and others had made, “much
faster and more effective progress in their e-Government programs than some of the
industrialized countries”. However, despite that good result, much still needs to be done
to implement e-government in the Philippines according to Lee (2004).
Findings from the Digital Philippines Foundation (Digital Philippines) e-
government assessment program as sponsored by the Asia Oceania Electronic Messaging
Association (AOEMA) last April 2003 said that of the 140 Philippine government
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websites evaluated there are about 14% of agency websites that were unreachable and
only 19% can be considered “interactive”.
According to the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) E-
Government Readiness Level Indicator, the Philippines is considered to be at the
“evolving” level or developing level while Vietnam, Cambodia, Myanmar and Laos are
all considered to be “emerging” or at rising level.
What is a Website
A website is a collection of web pages which can contain any type of information,
and can include text, color, graphics, animation, and sound. This can consist of one page,
or of tens of thousands of pages, depending on what the site owner is trying to
accomplish (Freeservers, 2006). A website is a means of communication, and it is only
successful when its message is received by the intended user.
Attributes of a Good Website
There are two primary reasons why people visit websites according to Freeservers
(2006). One is to find the information they need and secondly to complete a task.
It stated that the main thing to remember when creating a website is to construct it
for the users in a way that it should contain the content they want, and be organized in a
way that makes sense even to an outsider. It should be usable and accessible to everyone.
Steve Ballmer, President of Microsoft said that accessible design is a good design. Here
are the following attributes of a good website:
Evaluation of Philippine Government Websites by Information Technology and Development
Communication Students of Benguet State University / Abiguel C. Mendoza. 2007
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Site Publisher. A site publisher is a person or corporate body that is the primary
claimant to the rewards or benefits resulting from usage of website, incurs at least part of
the costs necessary to produce and distribute the site, and exercises editorial control over
the finished form of the website and its content.
Site Content. Berners – Lee (1994) stated that content developers should make
content understandable and navigable. This includes not only making the language clear
and simple, but also providing understandable mechanisms for navigating within and
between pages. Providing navigation tools and orientation information in pages will
maximize accessibility and usability. Not all users can make use of visual clues such as
image maps, proportional scroll bars, side-by-side frames, or graphics that guide sighted
users of graphical desktop browsers.
Structure and navigation. Consistency in navigation is one of the golden rules for
all designers. Redundancy of links both within a site and on your navigation bars,
(horizontal and vertical) are helpful as users explore and learn differently (Agelight,
2001).
According to Fleming (1998) there are ten qualities of a successful navigation:
1. Navigation should be easily learned
2. Navigation should be consistent
3. Navigation should provide feedback
4. Navigation should appear in context
5. Navigation should offer alternatives
6. Navigation should require an economy of action and time
7. Navigation should provide clear visual message
Evaluation of Philippine Government Websites by Information Technology and Development
Communication Students of Benguet State University / Abiguel C. Mendoza. 2007
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8. Navigation should offer clear labels
9. Navigation should be appropriate to the site’s purpose
10. Navigation should support user’s goals and behaviors
Links. A link expresses one or more (explicit or implicit) relationships between
two or more resources (Berners-Lee, 1994). According to the “Design Guidelines for
Users of All Ages”, links should be consistently underlined to make them identifiable and
so that “screen readers” can recognize them. Conversely, headlines which are not links
should not be underlined. It also stated that user should not have to guess or maneuver the
mouse to find a link. Additionally after one has viewed a link, the link color should
change from the traditional blue to purple or red. Links should be descriptive but no more
than maximum of 10-12 words for site readability and quick scans.
Site integrity and access. Site integrity relates to the stability of the site over time.
This usually relates to the work of the site manager or Web master (http://learning.
north.londonmetac.uk). In order to provide a web site with integrity, it must not just
perform well, look good or reliable, it must be a combination of all these things, which
means that its availability, usability, performance, security, and its reliability should be
observed (Testing Solutions Group LTD., 2002).
According to Webxact (2007) the privacy policy should be easy to find, provide
adequate information for the visitor and be enforced. A visitor must feel comfortable,
"trust" the owner of the website, and feel assured that personal information will be
protected and not misused. Studies indicate that website visitors will not provide personal
information over the Internet unless they are assured some degree of confidentiality.
Evaluation of Philippine Government Websites by Information Technology and Development
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Definition of Terms
Currency. How current is the information.
E – government. Refers to the use by government agencies of information
technologies that have the ability to transform relations with citizens, businesses, and
other arms of government.
External link. Hyperlink that point to another page in other website.
Hyperlink. Reference or navigation element in a document to another section of
the same document, another document or a specified section of another document that
that automatically brings the referred information to the user.
Integrity. Relates to the stability of the site over time.
Internal link. Hyperlink that point to another page in the same website.
Internet. Sometimes called simply "the Net," is a worldwide system of computer
networks.
Link. Reference to another document and sometimes called hot links because they
take you to other document when you click on them.
Website. Set of interconnected webpages, usually including a homepage,
generally located on the same server, and prepared and maintained as a collection of
information by a person, group, or organization.
URL. Abbreviation of Uniform Resource Locator, the global address of
documents and other resources on the World Wide Web.
Error. Page cannot be displayed, page is deleted or move to another page, or the
site no longer exist.
Browsability and navigation. The easiness of surfing on webpage.
Evaluation of Philippine Government Websites by Information Technology and Development
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Search engines. Search capability of the site where you can search for information
needed. Key words are typed inside the search box.
Design Consistency and logical hierarchy. Arrangement of information and
graphic styles in a consistent pattern through out the site.
Accessibility. Availability of information and adequate navigation aids.
Visibility. Hyperlinks are clearly labeled and easy to read.
Evaluation of Philippine Government Websites by Information Technology and Development
Communication Students of Benguet State University / Abiguel C. Mendoza. 2007
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METHODOLOGY
Locale and Time of the Study
The study was conducted in Benguet State University, La Trinidad, Benguet. La
Trinidad is the capital of the Province of Benguet. Benguet State University is located
five kilometers away from Baguio City and has a total land area of 658.6250 hectares
(Figure 1). BSU is one of the six state universities in the Cordillera Administrative
Region. It is known as the Center of Excellence in Agriculture Education.
BSU was chosen as the study area because students and instructors are using the
internet in accessing websites including government websites as their source of
information.
The study was conducted from January to February 2007.
Respondents of the Study
The researcher has purposively chosen ten (10) Bachelor of Science in
Development Communication students majoring in Educational Communication and ten
(10) Information Technology students in their fourth year as evaluators. They have a
background on creating websites.
Data Collection
The researcher and the respondents used “Evaluating Web Resources Checklist”
developed by Eddie Byrne as an evaluation tool. This is based on varying degrees of
criteria in assessing the source, the content, and the format of the website with primary
Evaluation of Philippine Government Websites by Information Technology and Development
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Figure 1. Map of Benguet showing the locale of the study
Evaluation of Philippine Government Websites by Information Technology and Development
Communication Students of Benguet State University / Abiguel C. Mendoza. 2007
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considerations on accuracy, authority, coverage, currency and objectivity. This checklist
was developed by Eddie Byrne, BA, DLIS who is a librarian with the Dublin City Public
Library Service which serves a population over half million through a network service
since 1980.
Only five out of 20 - E-governance websites were evaluated:
1. Department of Natural Resources (DENR)
2. Department of Education (DepED)
3. Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA)
4. Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE); and
5. Housing and Land Regulatory Board (HLURB)
Each website was evaluated by two Information Technology and two
Development Communication students.
Data Gathered
The information gathered was on the indication of site publisher or author’s name
on the government websites; clarity, breadth or scope of information, credibility of
source, and currency of site content; the organization of information and ease of
navigation of the websites; the visibility and functionality of links existing on the sites,
and the accessibility and integrity of the government websites.
Data Analysis
All data was tabulated, analyzed and consolidated according to the objectives of
the study. Descriptive statistics such as percentage and average was used in the study.
Evaluation of Philippine Government Websites by Information Technology and Development
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RESULTS AND DISCUSSION
This part of the study presents the result and discussion of the tables showing the
data gathered including the identification of site content, site publisher/author; Evaluation
of site content, structure/navigation, links, and site integrity of the five government sites
namely: Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR), Department of
Education (DepED), Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA), Department of Labor and
Employment (DOLE), and Housing and Land Use Regulatory Board (HLURB).
Indication of Publisher or Author’s
Name on the Website
Table 1 shows the criteria for evaluating the identity attributes of the websites and
the number of evaluators who were able to spot them. All four evaluators of each of the
five websites were able to spot the name of the publisher and the copyright statement.
The contact address for the publisher has also been spotted by almost all of the evaluators
except for one who was not able to see it in the HLURB website. The least observed
attribute is the affiliation of author which was seen in the DENR, DepED, and HLURB
websites by two evaluators each and in the DFA and DOLE websites by one evaluator
each.
The DENR and DFA websites had the most attributes identified by their
respective evaluators at 29 each out of a maximum of 36 points assuming that all four
evaluators spotted all nine attributes in each website. The rest are not far behind at 26
and 25 points. Since all attributes have been observed in all the websites, this indicates
that all of the website developers have taken into consideration the importance of letting
Evaluation of Philippine Government Websites by Information Technology and Development
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visitors know who the authors or publishers are. This is a strong point in a government
agency websites because visitors or target beneficiaries are given the opportunity to send
in their feedbacks.
Table 1. Indication of website publisher and author
CRITERIA GOVERNMENT
WEBSITES
DENR
DepED
DFA
DOLE
HLURB
No.
No.
No.
No.
No.
Site publisher is identified
4
4
4
4
4
Publisher details are available
2
4
3
4
3
Contact for publisher is provided
4
4
4
4
3
Sponsors are identifiable
3
2
3
3
2
There is link to sponsor's site
2
2
3
3
2
Site/material author(s) are
4 2 3 1 4
identified
Contact for author is provided
4
2
4
1
2
Affiliation of author is
identifiable
2 2 1 1 2
Copyright statement is included
4
4
4
4
4
TOTAL 29
26
29
25
26
AVERAGE
7.25
6.5
7.25
6.25
6.5
PERCENTAGE (%)
81%
72%
81%
69%
72%
Evaluation of Philippine Government Websites by Information Technology and Development
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Evaluation of Clarity, Scope of Information,
Credibility and Currency of Site Content
The following tables present the evaluation of clarity, scope of information,
credibility of source and currency of site content among the five sites being evaluated.
Clarity of site content. Table 2 indicates the clarity of the site content in terms of
its purpose, presentation of information and appropriateness of the materials to their
respective audience. Almost all of the evaluators agreed that the information on each five
websites is appropriate to the needs of their intended beneficiaries except for one who
was not able to decide whether the information in DepED website is right for its intended
audience or visitors. The information is also suitable for minors according to almost all
of the evaluators wherein one in DENR site and two evaluators in DepED website did not
determine it, same is through with the description of page titles. Each four evaluators of
DOLE and HLURB concurred that the purpose of these sites is clear while one evaluator
on each unmentioned sites were not able to understand the intention of the sites.
DOLE and HLURB websites had perfect points from the five criteria given which
means that their information is comprehensible and understandable to visitors. This is
very important because it is where one can determine whether the government agencies
meet their goals and satisfies the user’s expectations. The other sites have close averages
with 4.5, 4, and 3.5 as the lowest point.
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Table 2. Clarity of site content
CRITERIA GOVERNMENT
WEBSITES
DENR
DepED
DFA
DOLE
HLURB
No.
No.
No.
No.
No.
Purpose of the site is clear
3
3
3
4
4
Page title is descriptive of the
content 3
4
3
4
4
Information is presented clearly
3
2
4
4
4
Information is appropriate to your
needs 4
3
4
4
4
It is appropriate material for
minors 3
2
4
4
4
TOTAL
16
14
18
20
20
AVERAGE
4 3.5 4.5 5 5
PERCENTAGE (%)
80%
70%
90%
100%
100%
Breadth or scope of information. Almost all of the evaluators on each websites
believed that there is adequate coverage of the subjects contained on the said sites except
for two evaluators who were not able to conclude whether there is enough coverage from
DepED website as shown in Table 3. All evaluators of DENR, DOLE, and HLURB
websites also agreed that their site contents correspond with the stated scope, purpose,
and to their respective audiences.
Most of the evaluators had experienced to view “under construction” pages from
the website of DFA, HLURB and one evaluator from DENR site. This is an indication
Evaluation of Philippine Government Websites by Information Technology and Development
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that web developers of the mentioned sites were not able to complete the content of the
webpage which irritates surfers or the visitors who want to view the page.
Table 3. Breadth or scope of information
CRITERIA GOVERNMENT
WEBSITES
DENR
DepED
DFA
DOLE
HLURB
No.
No.
No.
No.
No.
Content matches stated scope,
purpose and audience
4
1
3
4
4
There is adequate coverage of the
subject 4
2
4
4
4
Site is still under construction and
therefore incomplete
3
4
1
4
1
TOTAL
11
7
8
12
9
AVERAGE 2.75
1.75
2
3
2.25
PERCENTAGE (%)
92%
58%
68%
100%
75%
Credibility of source. All of the websites have original works as the evaluators of
each site concurred (Table 4). Almost all of the evaluators also find the resources of the
sites attracting high quality articles which contribute to the reputation of the agencies like
DENR, DOLE and HLURB websites. Most of the evaluators of DENR and DepED sites
do not know whether the material or the article on the sites can be verified independently.
References to print and other non – internet source were spotted by the four evaluators
each on DOLE and HLURB websites while three evaluators each had seen it on DENR
Evaluation of Philippine Government Websites by Information Technology and Development
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and DFA websites. As seen below, DOLE and HLURB site had 15 points out of a
maximum of 20 points which means that their sources our credible and reliable for the
public.
Table 4. Credibility of source
CRITERIA GOVERNMENT
WEBSITES
DENR
DepED
DFA
DOLE
HLURB
No.
No.
No.
No.
No.
Material can be independently
verified
1 1 4 3 3
Resource is attracting high
quality articles/papers which lend
its prestige
4
3
2
4
4
There are references to print and
other non-internet source
3 2 3 4 4
Content is original work
4
4
4
4
4
TOTAL
12
10
13
15
15
AVERAGE 3
2.5
3.25
3.75
3.75
PERCENTAGE (%)
75%
63%
81%
94%
94%
Accuracy and correctness. Table 5 indicates that almost all of the evaluators on
each five websites agreed that the material found on the sites is supported by evidence
and there is corroboration of what the article says except one evaluator from DepED site.
Almost half of the evaluators each found out that five websites do have “errors” which
means that some pages cannot be displayed and evaluators have detected broken links.
Evaluation of Philippine Government Websites by Information Technology and Development
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Moreover, bibliography or references were not spotted by the evaluators most especially
in the website of DENR, DFA, and HLURB where three evaluators of each sites were not
able to find it. Information should not only be factually precise but should also highlight
accuracy and correctness.
DOLE website again has the most attributes observed by its respective evaluators
at 18 each out of maximum of 24 points. The rest have close points of 17, 16, 15, and 13
points.
Table 5. Accuracy and correctness of site content
CRITERIA GOVERNMENT
WEBSITES
DENR
DepED
DFA
DOLE
HLURB
No.
No.
No.
No.
No.
Material is supported by
evidence, there is corroboration of
what the article says
4
3
4
4
4
Bibliography present/references is
given 1
4
1
2
1
Appropriate citation style is used
3
4
2
4
2
Information is derived from a
print version, it is so indicated
1
2
2
4
4
It is free from errors
2
2
2
1
2
Information / article is available
in other formats of locations
4
2
2
3
3
TOTAL 15
17
13
18
16
AVERAGE 3.75
4.25
3.25
4.5
4
PERCENTAGE (%)
63%
71%
54%
75%
67%
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Currency. Date indicates currency. Almost all of the evaluators have seen “what’s
new” section and have observed recent changes like “updates”, “news”, and “calendar of
events” on five websites that can also be a way of emphasizing latest changes. The date
the article was written were easily identified by the evaluators of DENR, DFA and DOLE
websites (Table 6).
Table 6. Currency of content
CRITERIA GOVERNMENT
WEBSITES
DENR
DepED
DFA
DOLE
HLURB
No.
No.
No.
No.
No.
Date the article was written/site
created is given
4
2
4
4
2
It is indicated when it was last
updated or revised
3
2
2
2
1
It is indicated how often the
information/site is revised or
updated 2
0
1
1
1
Date where given - it is clear to
what it means
4
3
3
3
1
Site include "what's new section"
or highlight recent changes
2
3
3
4
4
TOTAL 15
10
13
14
9
AVERAGE 3.75
2.5
3.25
3.5
2.25
PERCENTAGE (%)
63%
42%
54%
58%
38%
However, majority of the weakness of the sites is the presentation on how current
are the information included or written in the site. The indications how often the
information or sites are being updated were not easily spotted by the evaluators where
Evaluation of Philippine Government Websites by Information Technology and Development
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only one from four evaluators has seen it particularly on DFA, DOLE, and HLURB
websites while none from the evaluators of DepED website were able to notice the
presence of date.
Advertising. Table 7 presents the criteria for evaluating the advertisements
present on websites. Most of the evaluators mainly on DENR and DFA websites have
obviously distinguished the advertisement from the content of the site. Each three out of
four evaluators of DepED, DOLE, and HLURB websites have classified the
advertisements. All evaluators of DFA website strongly agreed that the advertisement do
not interfere from the content of the said site while DENR, DepED and DOLE had the
same result of evaluation. On the other hand, only two evaluators of HLURB have
recognized it.
Table 7. Advertising
CRITERIA GOVERNMENT
WEBSITES
DENR
DepED
DFA
DOLE
HLURB
No.
No.
No.
No.
No.
It is clearly distinguishable from
the content
4
3
4
3
3
Advertising intrude on the content
3
3
4
3
2
TOTAL 7
6
8
6
5
AVERAGE 1.75
1.5
2
1.5
1.25
PERCENTAGE (%)
88%
75%
100%
75%
63%
Looking at the table, it shows that DFA website have a good presentation of
advertisement according to the criteria given which got perfect points. This only indicates
Evaluation of Philippine Government Websites by Information Technology and Development
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that most of the websites place proper and right ads which do not intrude from the content
of the sites.
Organization of Information and Ease of Navigation
Structure and navigation is composed of six categories: design consistency and
logical hierarchy, browsability and ease of navigation, readability and understandability,
use of graphics, accessibility of information, and the use of search engines.
Design consistency and logical hierarchy. Majority of the evaluators of the five
websites said that the headings of the webpage are descriptive and therefore assist in and
make easier for the user to find information quickly wherein only one evaluator from
DepED website opposed. As shown on Table 8, almost all of the evaluators of DFA
website concurred that the look on the site and its menu bars are inconsistent. In addition,
three evaluators agreed that it is unorganized and so supports the next criteria wherein
structure is inconsistent; therefore it is not clear where the location of the users is. The
table then indicates that the latter site is very poor on this category with 15 points out of
maximum of 28 points. DOLE and DENR websites got the same points with 27 each
which mean that they have established a consistent, logical screen lay-out throughout
their sites.
Surveys have shown that the most important thing about a website for the user is
the ability to find what they are looking for easily. Web surfers are generally impatient
and will want to quickly find out what they are after. And to find the information easily,
the key factor is to develop a user-friendly navigation system to prevent users from
getting lost (UNESCO, 2005).
Evaluation of Philippine Government Websites by Information Technology and Development
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Table 8. Design consistency and logical hierarchy
CRITERIA GOVERNMENT
WEBSITES
DENR
DepED
DFA
DOLE
HLURB
No.
No.
No.
No.
No.
Site is organized in a logical
fashion 4
3
1
4
4
Look is consistent throughout the
site 4
3
1
3
3
Menu bar is consistent throughout
the site
3
4
1
4
3
Site structure such that it is
always clear where you are within
the site
4
3
2
4
4
There is table of contents, a site
map, an index
4
3
3
4
3
Headings are descriptive
4
4
4
4
4
Headings assist in and make it
easier for the user to find
information and quickly
4
4
3
4
4
TOTAL 27
24
15
27
25
AVERAGE
6.75
6
3.75
6.75
6.25
PERCENTAGE (%)
96%
86%
54%
96%
90%
Browsability and ease of navigation. Table 9 shows that all three evaluators of
each five sites believed and have recognized that there are adequate navigation aids
within the page leading to the top. While three evaluators of DFA website and all four
evaluators of each respective websites stated that there is adequate user support.
However, almost half of the evaluators of each sites except with DENR website agreed
Evaluation of Philippine Government Websites by Information Technology and Development
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that there is excessive scrolling. This excessive scrolling can create difficulty among
users in navigating the webpage and might disorient the users. Ease of navigation is very
important for the users to navigate the website without hassle.
DOLE website have shown good browsability and ease of navigation which
means that it has provide adequate navigation aids where users are confident to surf the
site same is through with DENR followed by HLURB and lastly DFA and DepED with
11 points out of maximum of 16 points.
Table 9. Browsability and ease of navigation
CRITERIA GOVERNMENT
WEBSITES
DENR
DepED
DFA
DOLE
HLURB
No.
No.
No.
No.
No.
There are links back to the
"home" page from each sub page
3
2
3
4
3
There is adequate user support
(documentation, e-mail help, fax-
back service)
4
4
3
4
4
There is excessive scrolling
(horizontal/vertical) 3
2
2
2
2
When pages are long, there are
adequate navigation aids within
the page leading to the top, end of
document 3
3
3
3
3
TOTAL
13
11
11
13
12
AVERAGE 3.25
2.75
2.75
3.25
3
PERCENTAGE (%)
81%
69%
69%
81%
75%
Evaluation of Philippine Government Websites by Information Technology and Development
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Readability and understandability. Texts on the sites should follow basic rules of
grammar, spelling, and literary compositions. This means that they are free of
typographical errors, misspellings, and grammatical errors. In addition, keeping the most
basic and common fonts in use ensures that design is easily read by the audience. The site
is readable as concurred by almost all of the evaluators except for one who was not able
to conclude on DepED website.
Paragraph alignment such as left-hand alignment offers high level of readability.
Three evaluators believed that DENR, DepED, and HLURB websites content are legible
and is mostly highlighted in DOLE website (Table 10). The table below also shows that
three evaluators of each five websites had agreed that there are some typographical errors
within their contents.
DENR, DOLE and HLURB had the most attributes identified by their respective
evaluators where they got the average of 3.5 among the five criteria given and the others
got the average of 3.
Table 10. Readability and understandability
CRITERIA GOVERNMENT
WEBSITES
DENR
DepED
DFA
DOLE
HLURB
No.
No.
No.
No.
No.
Composition- appropriate literary
style has been adapted
4
3
3
3
4
Site measure up in terms of
readability 4
3
4
4
4
Site measure up in terms of
legibility 3
3
2
4
3
Any typographical errors
3
3
3
3
3
TOTAL
14
12
12
14
14
AVERAGE 3.5
3
3
3.5
3.5
PERCENTAGE (%)
88%
75%
75%
88%
88%
Evaluation of Philippine Government Websites by Information Technology and Development
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Use of graphics. Graphics and arts serve a function and enhance the content and
should be decorative. Icons and other graphic elements are commonly used to direct users
to the content rather than distract the viewers to screen. Most of the evaluators of five
sites had observed that their graphics are in good design and therefore proves to be
functional and contribute to the usability except with the DFA site where only half of its
evaluator agreed (Table 11).
Table 11. Use of graphics
CRITERIA GOVERNMENT
WEBSITES
DENR
DepED
DFA
DOLE
HLURB
No.
No.
No.
No.
No.
Graphics/multimedia - they are of
good design
3
4
2
4
4
Graphics prove functionality and
so contribute to usability
3
4
2
4
4
Graphics detract from the site
3
2
3
3
3
Background image where present
overwhelm the web page
2
2
3
2
2
It contributes to the slowness of a
page load
3
2
4
3
3
Background image adversely
affect the site's readability
2
2
3
4
2
Images provide alternative text
when switched off
3
2
0
3
1
TOTAL 19
18
17
23
19
AVERAGE 4.75
4.5
4.25
5.75
4.75
PERCENTAGE (%)
68%
64%
61%
82%
68%
Evaluation of Philippine Government Websites by Information Technology and Development
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Majority of the evaluators in almost all of the websites had seen that some
graphics detract from the site. Moreover, evaluators had also noticed that most of the
websites do not provide alternative text when photo or graphics is switched off like in
DFA website where all of the evaluators strongly agreed. To add to that, most of the
evaluators had also observed that some graphics contribute to the slowness of page
loading where some users easily get irritated. Background image present in DOLE
website overwhelm the webpage where all of its evaluators had strongly observed.
Accessibility of information. Three out of four evaluators each on DepED, DOLE and
HLURB sites were able to see the size of downloadable files while only one evaluator
each have spotted it on DENR and DFA websites. Links and downloading instructions
were noticed by all of the four evaluators of DepED and DOLE websites while only few
have noticed it on the website of DFA and DENR as shown on Table 12. According to
Freeservers (2006), one reason why people visit websites is for them to get the
information they need and so therefore articles or contents of the site must be adequately
available and there should be enough navigation aids and instructions on how to get the
information they need.
HLURB and DOLE websites have the highest points with 12 each out of a
maximum of 16 points followed by DepED and DENR websites.
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Table 12. Accessibility of information
CRITERIA GOVERNMENT
WEBSITES
DENR
DepED
DFA
DOLE
HLURB
No.
No.
No.
No.
No.
Size of downloadable images or
files are indicated (indicating
length of download)
1
3
1
3
3
There are links and downloading
instructions to any software
required to use the resource
1
4
2
4
3
Single downloadable text file is
provided for printing purposes
4
1
2
4
3
Downloadable file size is
indicated 2
2
1
1
3
TOTAL
8
10
6
12
12
AVERAGE
2 2.5 1.5 3 3
PERCENTAGE (%)
50%
63%
38%
75%
75%
Search engines. Table 13 indicates that all four evaluators easily identified the
search engines of DENR, DepED, DOLE and HLURB sites however most of the
evaluators failed to spot instructions and tips for searching in almost of the websites most
especially in DENR website.
Most of the evaluators also identified some additional features offered by all of
the websites like e-mail link, forums, online forms, feedback, message board and
guestbook. Providing interactive features most especially on government website
agencies create an effective communication between the government and the citizens.
Evaluation of Philippine Government Websites by Information Technology and Development
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Table 13. Search engines
CRITERIA GOVERNMENT
WEBSITES
DENR
DepED
DFA
DOLE
HLURB
No.
No.
No.
No.
No.
There is a search capability at the
site 4
4
0
4
4
There are instructions and tips for
searching 0
2
0
3
1
Site offers additional features (e-
mail links, ordering, chat forums)
4
3
4
3
4
TOTAL
8
9
4
10
9
AVERAGE 2
2.25
1
2.5
2.25
PERCENTAGE (%)
67%
75%
33%
83%
75%
Visibility and Functionality of Site Links
Links play an important role on websites. It connects and direct users according to
the information they need.
Visibility of links. As seen on Table 14, most of the evaluators have seen that links
implements colors changes. Links are also clearly identifiable according to the evaluators
of DOLE and HLURB websites. On the other hand only few of the evaluators recognized
the images as a link most especially in DOLE and HLURB websites. This indicates the
users can still be confused and where to find some navigation aids.
DOLE website proved that its links are visible which obtained 17 points out of a
maximum of 20 points. The rest are close with 16, 15 and 13 points.
Evaluation of Philippine Government Websites by Information Technology and Development
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Table 14. Visibility of links
CRITERIA GOVERNMENT
WEBSITES
DENR
DepED
DFA
DOLE
HLURB
No.
No.
No.
No.
No.
Links are clearly identifiable
2
3
3
4
4
Site implements link color
changes (on hover activated)
3
3
4
4
3
Clear that an image does indeed
act as a link
4
3
3
2
2
Text links are provided in tandem
with image links
4
2
2
3
4
Hotspots (section containing
links) on image maps clearly
defined or recognizable areas
2
2
3
4
3
TOTAL
15
13
15
17
16
AVERAGE 3.75
3.25
3.75
4.25
4
PERCENTAGE (%)
75%
65%
75%
85%
80%
Functionality of links. Majority of the evaluators concurred that links are
descriptive enough so as to clearly indicate where and to what they lead, same is through
with the appropriateness of the links present on the webpage which were mostly
highlighted in DFA, DOLE and HLURB websites (Table 15). On the other hand, the
weakness of the agency websites falls into the balance of internal and external links
where only two evaluators each from DENR, DepED and DFA websites were able to
determine that there was indeed an equal use of the said links.
Evaluation of Philippine Government Websites by Information Technology and Development
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DOLE and HLURB websites had all the attributes from the criteria given which
proves to be very functional in terms of its links with perfect points each followed by
DFA site with 10 points out of 12 maximum points.
Table 15. Functionality of links
CRITERIA GOVERNMENT
WEBSITES
DENR
DepED
DFA
DOLE
HLURB
No.
No.
No.
No.
No.
Internal, external links – there is
an appropriate balance
2
2
2
4
4
Links are descriptive enough so
as to clearly indicate where and to
what they lead
2
3
4
4
4
Links are relevant/ appropriate
3
3
4
4
4
TOTAL
7
8
10
12
12
AVERAGE 1.75
2
2.5
3
3
PERCENTAGE (%)
58%
67%
83%
100%
100%
Evaluation of Site Integrity and Access
Site integrity relates to the stability over time. Almost all of the URLs of the
agency of websites were easily identified by the evaluators most especially on DFA,
DOLE and HLURB websites while three evaluators agreed in DENR and DepED site.
Almost all of the evaluators said that the pages are consistently available wherein all four
evaluators of HLURB website have observed it. Moreover, five sites can be easily
located in the search engines as shown in Table 16. This is a good indication most
Evaluation of Philippine Government Websites by Information Technology and Development
Communication Students of Benguet State University / Abiguel C. Mendoza. 2007
34
especially for the government agency sites so that citizens or their target beneficiaries can
easily access the site whenever they need to get information.
Table 16. Site integrity and access
CRITERIA GOVERNMENT
WEBSITES
DENR
DepED
DFA
DOLE
HLURB
No. No. No. No. No.
Site URL is easily identified
3
3
4
4
4
Site is proving over time to be stable
4
2
2
4
4
Contact information for the
webmaster is given
3
2
4
2
3
Site is easily located (through search
engines,
directories)
4 3 4 4 3
Access is reliable (often overload,
off-line)
3 3 2 2 2
Pages are consistently available
3
3
3
3
4
Any special requirements re-access
(Registration, password, fee)
3
3
4
3
1
Security pledge given, the site display
security certificates seal
2
2
0
1
3
Full information is available as to the
site's privacy policy where user
information is disclosed to it
2
2
1
2
2
It is indicated how personal data
disclosed to it to be used
3
0
0
3
3
TOTAL
30 23 24 28 29
AVERAGE
7.5
5.75
6
7
7.25
PERCENTAGE
(%)
75% 58% 60% 70% 73%
Evaluation of Philippine Government Websites by Information Technology and Development
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Contact information of webmaster was strongly identified in the site of DFA
while three evaluators each have seen it on HLURB and DENR websites.
On the other hand, only few from the evaluators have spotted the security pledge
given and the certificate seals same is through with the full privacy policy statements of
the websites.
DENR website with 30 points out of 40 maximum points had the most attributes
for the criteria given for site integrity and access closely followed by HLURB and DOLE
websites with 29 and 28 points.
Evaluation of Philippine Government Websites by Information Technology and Development
Communication Students of Benguet State University / Abiguel C. Mendoza. 2007
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SUMMARY, CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS
Summary
Philippine Government is now committed in combining technology with new
ways of conducting their business to provide more effective, efficient, transparent, and
responsive delivery of channels to citizens.
Former President Joseph Estrada approved the Government Information System
Plan (GISP) under executive order No. 265 last July 12, 2000 which direct all
government agencies to align their respective computerization projects with the priorities
identified in the GISP.
Many online channels have been established by our government who thought they
knew what their citizens wanted, but found out later that they were only satisfying the
needs of government department and users were not interested in using the service.
Because of these, the means of implementing e-commerce do not reach its important
objectives and functions.
The study was conducted to evaluate several Philippine Government websites
according to their site publisher, content, structure and navigation, links, and site
integrity.
This was done through the use of “Evaluating Web Resources” Checklist as a
tool in gathering the data. Personal interviews were also conducted for additional
information. Study was conducted in Benguet State University La Trinidad, Benguet
from January to February 2007. Data gathered were analyzed and tabulated using
descriptive statistics such as percentage and average.
Evaluation of Philippine Government Websites by Information Technology and Development
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The main focuses of the study were the following government sites: DENR,
DepED, DFA, DOLE, and HLURB. Evaluators of the study were third year Development
Communication students and fourth year Information Technology students of Benguet
State University who were purposively chosen for having a background on creating and
programming websites. Each is asked to evaluate one from the five websites given.
The study undertaken resulted with the following findings. The site publisher,
copyright and publisher contact of DENR, DepED, DFA, DOLE, and HLURB were
easily identified by the evaluators. The DENR and DFA websites had the most attributes
identified by their respective evaluators.
As to evaluation of site content, most of the evaluators agreed that majority of the
government agencies have shown clarity in terms of purpose and information needs at
perfect points out of maximum of 20 points. The other sites have closed points with 18,
16 and 14 points. In breadth or scope of information all evaluators of DENR, DOLE, and
HLURB websites agreed that their site contents correspond with the stated scope,
purpose, and to their respective audiences. However most of the evaluators had
experienced to view “under construction” pages from the website of DFA, HLURB and
one evaluator of DENR site. All websites are credible in terms of the originality of works
but some websites are weak in terms of verifying the material independently. Almost all
of the evaluators strongly believed that majority of the sites’ materials are supported by
evidence. Almost half of the evaluators each found out that five websites do have
“errors”. Moreover, some bibliographies or references where not spotted by the
evaluators most especially in some websites. Majority of the problem is the currency of
information.
Evaluation of Philippine Government Websites by Information Technology and Development
Communication Students of Benguet State University / Abiguel C. Mendoza. 2007
38
In structure and navigation, every site was organized in a logical fashion except
with DFA website. Most of the websites have good ease of navigation same is through
with the readability and understandability of the sites. Graphics that was used on the
websites are quite good in design and are functional but some detract form the site and do
not provide alternative text when switched off. In terms of the accessibility of the
information, most of the websites failed to include the downloadable file size and
downloading instructions. All of the sites have search engines and have except with DFA.
Most of the links of the sites were clearly identifiable and are quite descriptive so
as to clearly indicate where and what they lead most especially in DOLE and HLURB
sites. All URL of the five sites was easily identified and can be easily located through
search engines or directories. Some sites have also indicated the contacts of their
webmaster. Most of the sites did not display security certificate seals and the full
information of their site’s privacy policy. On the other hand some websites have
indicated how personal their data disclosed to it to be used by the visitors.
Conclusions
Based on the findings, the following conclusions were drawn:
1. All sites have shown authorship and publisher which is the first step in
assessing the value of the site and its content for the user’s needs but is weak
in terms of contact for author, affiliations, and sponsors.
2. Site contents display clarity and presented factual information that is
appropriate to the needs of the users but were poor in accuracy and
presentation of references.
Evaluation of Philippine Government Websites by Information Technology and Development
Communication Students of Benguet State University / Abiguel C. Mendoza. 2007
39
3. Sites need more and properly designed navigation tools to assist users for
easier browsability and constant structural format.
4. Text links were not in tandem with image links which users are confused
whether it is a link. Some links were not monitored that caused some errors
and expired data.
5. URL of the sites was easily identified but some of the sites do not indicate the
site’s privacy policy and their security pledge.
Recommendations
Based on the conclusions, the following recommendations were made:
1. The government should set a standard evaluation tool in assessing the
different agency websites according to their usability, accessibility and
quality.
2. Web developers should always monitor, check and update their sites in order
for the visitors to be well informed and get the proper information they need
and to avoid “under construction” pages.
3. Links should always be checked in order to avoid broken links that would
usually irritate the users.
4. Web developers should include website counter to monitor if their sites is
visited by people or its corresponding audience.
5. Government agencies should also evaluate their own website for them to see
the weaknesses and incompleteness of the site.
Evaluation of Philippine Government Websites by Information Technology and Development
Communication Students of Benguet State University / Abiguel C. Mendoza. 2007
40
LITERATURE CITED
ANDRADE – JIMENEZ, H. 2001. Crucial to E – commerce Push. January 12-13, 2001.
Retrieved from http://www.itmatters.com.ph/features.php?id=011201b
ANONYMOUS. 2006. WebHosting 101: What is a Website. Retrieved September 18,
2006 from http://www.freeservers.com/WebHosting101/WhatIsAWebsite.html
ANONYMOUS. n.d. Evaluating Site Integrity. Retrieved September 18, 2006, from
http://learning.north.londonmet.ac.uk/uw100/search/webeval/levthree/siteitegr.ht
m
AGELIGHT LCC. 2001. Interface Design Guidelines for Users of All Ages. September
10, 2001. Retrieved from http://www.agelight.com/resources/webdesign.htm.
AOEMA. 2006. E-government for a User’s Perspective. Retrieved September 27, 2006,
from http://www.aoema.org/E-Government/Philippines.htm
BERNERS-LEE. 1994. Web Content Accessibility Guidelines 1.0. Retrieved September
20, 2006 from http://www.w3.org/TR/WEBCONTENT/
BYRNE, E. 1999. Evaluation of Web Resources. Retrieved August 09, 2006, from
http://www.clubi.ie/webserch/resources/integrity.htm
CIA. 2006. The World Fact Book. Retrieved September 07, 2006, from
http://www.cia.org
FLEMING, J. 1998. Web Navigation: Designing the User Experience. Retrieved
September 18, 2006 from http://www.aoema.org/Accessibility web site/Base
files/Usability.htm
INTERACTIVE WEBSITES. n.d. Advance Web Solutions. Retrieved February 07, 2007,
from http://www.interactivewebsites.com/SiteOptions?html/lingo.shtml
LEE, J. K. 2004. Implementing E-government Summary of Country Reports. November
5, 2004. Retrieved from
http://ww.adbi.org/book/2004/11/05/725.implementing.egovernment.book/2.sum
mary
THE WORLD BANK. 2007. Definition of E-government. Retrieved February 2, 2007,
from
http://web.worldbank.org
TESTING SOLUTIONS GROUP LTD. 2002. Website Integrity. Retrieved October 13,
2006, from http://www.testing-solutions.com/search.php
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Communication Students of Benguet State University / Abiguel C. Mendoza. 2007
41
UNESCO New Delhi. 2005. How to Create a Website: Guiding Principles. Retrieved
February 20, 2007, from http://portal.unesco.org/ci/en/files/20938/11401731359
How_Create_Website.pdf/How_Create_Website.pdf.
WEBXACT WATCHFIRE. 2003. Retrieved at January 03, 2007, from
http://webxact2.watchfire.com/report.asp
WIKIPEDIA. n.d. Retrieved at February 28, 2007 from http://en.Wikipedia.org/
wiki/Internal link
Evaluation of Philippine Government Websites by Information Technology and Development
Communication Students of Benguet State University / Abiguel C. Mendoza. 2007
42
APPENDICES
Appendix A. Communication Letters
Benguet State University
COLLEGE OF AGRICULTURE
Department of Extension Education
La Trinidad, Benguet
05 January 2007
ALMARIO ABENOJA
Chief of BSU-ICT Division
PIUC
Dear Sir Abenoja:
Warm Greetings!
I am Abigail C. Mendoza, 4th year BS Development Communication student
majoring Educational Communication and presently conducting my thesis study titled
“Evaluation of Philippine Government Websites.”
In this connection, I would like to reserve the CA computer Laboratory room on
January 08, 2007 at 4:00 – 6:00 pm for the said study.
Your participation on this study is very essential and highly appreciated.
Thank you very much and Happy New Year!
Respectfully yours,
ABIGAIL
C.
MENDOZA
Researcher
Noted by:
SHERYL I. FERNANDO
Evaluation of Philippine Government Websites by Information Technology and Development
Communication Students of Benguet State University / Abiguel C. Mendoza. 2007
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Adviser
Benguet State University
COLLEGE OF AGRICULTURE
Department of Extension Education
La Trinidad, Benguet
11 January 2007
DR. DARLYN D. TAGARINO
PIUC-BSU Coordinator
PIUC
Deat Dr. Tagarino:
Warm Greetings!
I am Abigail C. Mendoza, 4th year BS Development Communication student
majoring Educational Communication and presently conducting my thesis study titled
“Evaluation of Philippine Government Websites.”
In this connection, I would like to reserve 20 units in the computer Laboratory
room on January 19, 2007, Friday, at 4:00 – 6:00 pm or earlier for the said study.
Your participation on this study is very essential and highly appreciated.
Thank you very much again for your kind consideration. God bless you and your
good office!
Respectfully yours,
ABIGAIL
C.
MENDOZA
Researcher
Noted by:
SHERYL I. FERNANDO
Adviser
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Communication Students of Benguet State University / Abiguel C. Mendoza. 2007
44
Benguet State University
COLLEGE OF AGRICULTURE
Department of Extension Education
La Trinidad, Benguet
19 January 2007
Dear Evaluators,
Warm Greetings!
I am Abigail C. Mendoza, 4th year BS Development Communication student
majoring Educational Communication and presently conducting my thesis study titled
“Evaluation of Philippine Government Websites.”
In this connection, kindly fill up the questionnaire. Your cooperation in this study
will be of great help to me and is very essential. Rest assured that your answers would
only be used for the purpose of this study.
God bless you and thank you very much!
Respectfully yours,
ABIGAIL
C.
MENDOZA
Researcher
Noted by:
SHERYL I. FERNANDO
Adviser
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45
Appendix B. Webserch – Evaluating Web Resources Checklist
QUESTIONNAIRE
Name (optional): __________________________
Address: ____________________________________________
Age: ____
Course & year: _____
Evaluating websites particularly Government websites is a critical process. It
needs time, proper and careful studying of the content of the site.
Please read the following questions carefully, analyze it thoroughly and answer it
honestly. It is in your hands, the evaluator to establish the validity, authorship, timeliness
and integrity of the site.
Government website (abbrev.): _____________________
URL: _______________________________________
I. Site Publisher and Author
Notes:
Site publisher identified?
Yes
No
Publisher details available?
Yes
No
Contact for publisher provided?
Yes
No
Evaluation of Philippine Government Websites by Information Technology and Development
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Sponsor(s) identifiable?
Yes
No
Link to sponsor's site?
Yes
No
Site/material author(s) identified?
Yes
No
Contact for author(s) provided?
Yes
No
Affiliation of author(s) identifiable?
Yes
No
Copyright statement included?
Yes
No
Summary remarks: ______________________________________________________
II. Site Content
Notes:
Clarity
Is the purpose of the site clear?
Yes
No
Is the page title descriptive of the
content?
Yes
No
Is information presented clearly?
Yes
No
Is the content presented as fact?
Yes
No
Is information appropriate to your
needs?
Yes
No
Is it appropriate for minors?
Yes
No
Breadth/ scope of information
Does the content match the stated
scope, purpose, audience?
Yes
No
Is there adequate coverage of the
subject?
Yes
No
Is the site still under construction
and therefore incomplete?
Yes
No
Credibility of source
Evaluation of Philippine Government Websites by Information Technology and Development
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Yes
Can the material be independently
verified?
No
Is the resource attracting high
Yes
quality articles/papers which lend it
No
prestige?
Yes
Are there references to print and
other non-Internet sources?
No
Yes
Is the content original work?
No
Accuracy and Correctness
Is the material supported by
Yes
evidence, is there corroboration of
No
what the article says?
Yes
Bibliography present/references
given?
No
Yes
Is an appropriate citation style
used?
No
Yes
Is the information/article available
in other formats or locations?
No
Where the information is derived
Yes
from a print version, is it so
No
indicated?
Yes
Is it free from errors?
No
Currency
Yes
Is the date the article was
written/site created given?
No
Is it indicated when it was last
Yes
updated or revised?
No
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Is it indicated how often the
Yes
information/site is revised or
No
updated?
Yes
Date where given – is it clear as to
what it means?
No
Yes
Are changes/updates to information
easily identifiied?
No
Does the site include a 'What's New' Yes
section, or highlight recent
No
changes?
Advertising
Yes
Advertising - is it clearly
distinguishable from the content?
No
Yes
Does advertising intrude on the
content?
No
Summary remarks: ____________________________________________________________
III. Structure/ Navigation
Notes:
Design Consistency and Logical Hierarchy
Is the site organized in a
logical fashion?
Yes
No
Is the look consistent
throughout the site?
Yes
No
Is the menu bar consistent
throughout the site?
Yes
No
Evaluation of Philippine Government Websites by Information Technology and Development
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Is the site structure such that it
is always clear where you are
within the site?
Yes
No
Is there a table of contents, a
site map, an index?
Yes
No
Are the headings descriptive? Yes
No
Do headings assist in, and
make it easier for the user to
find information, and quickly? Yes
No
Browsability and Navigaability
Are there links back to the
‘Home’ page from each sub-
Yes
No
page?
Is there adequate user
support? (documentation, e-
mail help, fax-back service)
Yes
No
Is there excessive scrolling?
(horizontal/vertical)
Yes
No
Where pages are long, are
there adequate navigation aids
within the page leading to the Yes
No
top, end of document?
Readability and Understandability
Composition – has an
appropriate literary style been
No
adapted?
Yes
No
Does the site measure up in
terms of readability?
Yes
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No
Does the site measure up in
terms of legibility?
Yes
No
Are there any typographical
errors?
Yes
Use of Graphics
Graphics/multimedia – are
they of good design?
Yes
No
Do graphics prove functional
and so contribute to usability? Yes
No
Do graphics detract from the
site?
Yes
No
Does a background image
where present overwhelm the Yes
No
web page?
Does it contribute to the
slowness of a page load?
Yes
No
Does the background image
adversely affeect the site's
readability?
Yes
No
Do images provide alternative
text when switched off?
Yes
No
Accessibility of Information
Is the size of downloadable
images or files indicated?
Yes
(indicating length of
No
download)
Are there links and
downloading instructions to
Yes
any software required to use
No
the resource?
Evaluation of Philippine Government Websites by Information Technology and Development
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Is a single downloadable text Yes
file provided for printing
purposes?
No
Yes
Is the downloadable file size
indicated?
No
Search Engines
Yes
Is there a search capability at
the site?
No
Yes
Are there instructions and tips
for searching?
No
Does the site offer additional Yes
features? (ie. e-mail links,
No
ordering, chat forums)
Summary remarks: ____________________________________________________________
Visibility
Yes
Are links clearly identifiable?
No
Yes
Does the site implement link colour
changes? (on hover, activated)
No
Yes
Is it clear that an image does indeed
act as a link?
No
Yes
Are text links provided in tandem
with image links?
No
Are the hotspots (sections containing Yes
links) on image maps clearly defined
or recognizable areas?
No
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Functionality
Internal, external links – is there an
appropriate balance?
Yes
No
Are links descriptive enough so as to
clearly indicate where and to what
Yes
No
they lead?
Are the links relevant/appropriate? Yes
No
Summary remarks: ____________________________________________________________
V. Site Integrity/access
Notes:
Is the site URL easily identified? Yes No
Is the site proving over time to be
stable?
Yes No
Is contact information for the
webmaster given?
Yes No
Is the site easily located (through
search engines, directories)?
Yes No
Is access reliable (often
overloaded, off-line)?
Yes No
Are the pages consistently
available?
Yes No
Is there any special requirement re.
access? (eg. registration, password,
fee)
Yes No
Is a security pledge given, does the
site display a security certificates
seal?
Yes No
Evaluation of Philippine Government Websites by Information Technology and Development
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Is full information available as to
the site’s privacy policy where
Yes No
user information is disclosed to it?
Is it indicated how personal data
disclosed to it is to be used?
Yes No
Summary remarks: ____________________________________________________________
_end_
Appendix C. Department of Environment and Natural Resources Webpage
Evaluation of Philippine Government Websites by Information Technology and Development
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Evaluation of Philippine Government Websites by Information Technology and Development
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Appendix D. Department of Education webpage
Evaluation of Philippine Government Websites by Information Technology and Development
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Appendix E. Department of Foreign Affairs webpage
Evaluation of Philippine Government Websites by Information Technology and Development
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Appendix F. Department of Labor and Employment webpage
Evaluation of Philippine Government Websites by Information Technology and Development
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Appendix G. Housing and Land Use Regulatory Board webpage
Evaluation of Philippine Government Websites by Information Technology and Development
Communication Students of Benguet State University / Abiguel C. Mendoza. 2007
Document Outline
- Evaluation of Philippine Government
Websites by Information Technology and Development Communication Students of
Benguet State University
- BIBLIOGRAPHY
- ABSTRACT
- TABLE OF CONTENTS
- INTRODUCTION
- Rationale
- Statement of the Problem
- Objective of the Study
- Importance of the Study
- Scope and Limitation of the Study
- REVIEW OF LITERATURE
- Electronic Governance (E-Governance)
- E - Governance in the Philippines
- What is a Website
- Attributes of a Good Website
- Definition of Terms
- METHODOLOGY
- Locale and Time of the Study
- Respondents of the Study
- Data Collection
- Data Gathered
- Data Analysis
- RESULTS AND DISCUSSION
- Indication of Publisher or Author�sName on the Website
- Evaluation of Clarity, Scope of Information,Credibility and Currency of Site Content
- Organization of Information and Ease of Navigation
- Visibility and Functionality of Site Links
- Evaluation of Site Integrity and Access
- SUMMARY, CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS
- Summary
- Conclusions
- Recommendations
- LITERATURE CITED
- APPENDICES