Better Signage and Notification System Discussion Sample
Please Note: All visuals have been removed from this sample.
Statement of Problem
Uncertainty about construction locations at Virginia Tech can affect everybody on campus. Since 2021, construction at Virginia Tech has increased significantly. As renovations and updates to the school progress, construction continues to affect faculty, staff, and students. In 2021, there are about a dozen ongoing capital projects at Virginia Tech, according to Chris Kiwus, vice president for campus planning, infrastructure, and facilities.[1] Projects such as the Multi-Modal Transit Facility take up a lot of space on campus and block off access to different paths and walkways. There are also a few construction sites for new buildings that are causing similar issues, such as Hitt Hall, located near West Campus Drive by the New Classroom Building; the Data & Decisions Science building, at the corner of West Campus Drive and Perry Street; and the Corps Leadership and Military Science building, located near Shanks and Major Williams halls in the Upper Quad.
Most faculty, staff, and students have a set path on campus that they take to work or to class each day. When the path that they normally take is obstructed or has to change, it can cause them to be late for work, class, or events. Although Virginia Tech attempts to publicize construction locations ahead of time through the campus closure map viewer (see Figure 4), many people are unaware of when the construction starts and what areas on campus it will affect.
In an anonymous poll of 30 Virginia Tech students of differing grade levels, the results revealed that 86.2% of students find their day-to-day routes and navigation disrupted by construction on campus, naming the Dietrick Hall Renovation and War Memorial Gym construction project as the most significant disruptions. Among other quotes, students asserted that construction has forced them to “tak[e] longer routes,” “walk further,” and “reroute multiple times due to sidewalks or roads being cut off by construction.” They also expressed that these disruptions cause “anxiety,” “backups during class breaks,” and have made it “harder… to make it to class on time.”
The current signage surrounding construction sites does not succeed in solving these issues, as signs are typically vague and provide little information on where the alternate route is located. Signs that include mere arrows and notices of closure rather than efficient directions, as shown in figure two, create confusion, making it difficult for faculty, staff, and students to swiftly navigate around construction sites and posing a safety risk to those involved (Figure 2).
Construction also poses a particular problem to anyone with disabilities. Virginia Tech provides an interactive map with accessible paths (Figure 3, Appendix A) around campus outlines, but construction can end up blocking these paths. According to a 2021 article by WDBJ7’s Rachel Schneider, new construction that “block[s] accessible routes” have made it difficult for students with disabilities to attend classes and complete their education.[2]
Pop-up repairs that close off pathways unexpectedly, such as the project shown in Figure 3, can also disrupt campus travel (Figure 3). While Virginia Tech does attempt to notify faculty, staff, and students about construction projects and to suggest alternative routes by interactive and accessibility maps, many are not aware that these services exist, with 96.6% of students polled stating they are not satisfied with the university’s efforts to notify students of construction. The campus map is also not updated before a path closes. Aside from the campus map, once an accessible path is blocked off, there is little helpful signage to direct students to another one.
This project would greatly benefit the students, faculty, and staff of Virginia Tech because it would notify people about upcoming and ongoing construction projects. With this information, they will be able to better prepare the routes they take to their destination on campus.
Possible Solutions
Construction on the VT campus is understandable, given the university's commitment to future growth, and we realize that having to navigate around it is unavoidable. However, the lack of awareness surrounding pop-up repairs and the disruptions construction causes to navigation is a problem that needs to be addressed. We suggest two solutions that would help the university accomplish this task: (a) clearer signage to show paths around the work and (b) real-time updates about campus construction.
Solution 1: Improved Signage
Students expressed a need for better signage surrounding construction sites, with 89.7% of students polled answering that they think campus could benefit from implementing more signs.
Not only do construction sites need more signage, but they need signs that are more descriptive and easy to understand, as the ones currently in place provide little direction. For signs to be effective in a construction environment, they must be clear and colorful so that viewers can gather information from a quick glance.
The current signs Virginia Tech has in place consist of warning statements like “Keep Out” and “Sidewalk Closed'' with no information directing viewers toward alternate routes. The image below demonstrates an example of such warning signs that lack necessary information for redirecting travel (Figure 5). The few areas that do have signs with directional information are still very vague, with mere arrows pointing in the direction of other paths, as shown by the image of construction surrounding the New Classroom Building below. (Figure 6). What these signs lack is any qualitative directional information. By implementing more directional phrases like “left”, “right”, “behind”, or “around x location”, Virginia Tech could prevent confusion from vague signs and any safety issues that might result.
Figures 7 and 8 below are examples of good construction signs with bright, visibly noticeable colors that grab a person’s attention. Note that these signs provide both a large heading with the most important word and information below about what your next steps should be. The yellow caution sign provides these next steps in the form of text while the orange detour sign simply provides an arrow.
Since signage acts as the last line of defense in preventing non-construction workers from entering unauthorized areas— areas where they could be hurt or killed— it is important that they communicate their intended purpose to even the most oblivious pedestrian. By implementing improved signage, Virginia Tech can ensure that faculty, staff, students, and visitors can navigate campus in an efficient and, most importantly, safe manner.
Solution 2: Real-time Updates/Text Notifications
Aside from signage, the university does provide information about construction projects on campus prior to their implementation, but most students are unaware of where to find this, with 96.4% of students polled stating they are “usually unaware of construction and repairs that are occurring.” By implementing a simple text notification system that alerts users where construction is occurring and when unlisted repairs will close off paths unexpectedly, the Division of Campus Planning, Infrastructure, and Facilities can ensure that faculty, staff, students, and visitors are made aware of these disruptions.
Notifications could include a link to the Campus Road Closure map, allowing students to quickly access navigation information. The image below represents what a potential text-notification would look like, including the time and location of the project as well as a link to the closure map (Figure 9). An email from the university sent out at the beginning of the year would make students and staff aware that there will be ongoing construction projects during the school year and include a link available to sign up for the text notifications. Additionally, QR codes posted around campus would allow students to sign up for this notification system at any point in the semester.
Other campuses have implemented a campus alert system and found them to be beneficial. For instance, according to the university website, Big Bend community college has a site that students and faculty can use to sign up for alerts that update students on campus closures, lockdowns, weather alerts, and crime alerts[3]. Figure 9 demonstrates how the university advertises this notification system with a simple link to sign up (Figure 10). Additionally, 51.7% of students polled stated that they would utilize a text notification system that alerts students of pop-up repairs. Of the remainder, 17.2% answered “maybe.” Twenty-four percent noted that, while they would not utilize this system, they do believe it would be helpful for other students, and only 6.9% of students stated that they would not use such a system.
It is evident that a text-notification alert system is something that is both necessary and desired by the student population. By implementing a system similar to the successful one at Big Bend community college, Virginia Tech can solve the problem of disruptive construction in a way that is easy to implement and has proven to be effective on other campuses.
These solutions will be inexpensive to implement and will benefit the larger student population. A text notification system would alert students of construction updates, providing them with the details of the construction and a link to the closure map. Better signage would save the construction teams on campus the trouble of having to work around students. Having clear signs would allow students to navigate around campus based on signs alone.
[1] https://vtx.vt.edu/articles/2021/07/campusplanning-summerconstruction21.html
[2] https://www.wdbj7.com/2021/10/27/virginia-tech-students-speak-out-about-ada-accessibility-issues/
[3] https://www.bigbend.edu/student-center/campus-alerts/