Web Phase II Project

The Web Phase II project will ensure that the institutional web site reflects the University's core values and commitment to excellence for the benefit of its staff, students and customers.

Staff will benefit from:

• Easier publication of content
• Training, support and advice for web content providers
• Improved governance of the University's website

Students and users of the website will benefit from:

• High-quality, up-to-date information
• A user-friendly and consistent website
• More effective searching of the site
• More effective navigation across the site

Content Management System

The University purchased a new Content Management System (CMS) called OpenText, as part of the Web Phase I project.

The CMS enables staff to easily generate and maintain University web content via a standard browser window with little or no knowledge of web programming languages.

The CMS also makes it easier for the Web Team to maintain a consistent look and feel across the University web site and avoid duplication of content. Future web site development will be much quicker and more straightforward.

Technical

• Project Director: Mike McConnell
• Project Manager: Mike Patterson
• Web Team Manager: Mike Patterson

Colleges, Library and Administration Representatives

• CASS: Josephine George
• CLSM: Ian Clarke
• CoPS: Frazer Ramsay
• Library, Special Collections and Museums: Sheona Farquhar
• Administration: Alan Monteith and Shaunagh Kirby

Contact

Comments or queries should be directed to m.mcconnell@abdn.ac.uk  or +44 (0)1224 27 2602.

Content Management

We provide training for our OpenText Enterprise level CMS. Basic training introduces the user to the OpenText CMS and covers page creation, editing and working with assets while Advanced training introduces the MyAdmin system and the creation of Modules within the OpenText CMS.

See our CMS Training website for forthcoming training dates and an online booking form.

Please Note: Only apply for the CMS training course if your site is currently being developed in the new corporate template and is being migrated into OpenText, if unsure please contact the college or administration representitives noted above. Anyone applying for Advanced training should already have completed the Basic course.

Writing for the Web

We also offer a Writing For The Web course for members of staff who are directly involved in preparing content for the Web Phase II project and who have responsibility for college web pages, i.e. departmental site administrators and editors.

Please check the CMS Training website for full details and an online booking form.

Both courses are delivered by IT Services Training and Documentation (TaD) team.

During the migration process we will advise and train departmental site administrators and editors, enabling them to develop and manage their websites. By the time they complete our training they will be able to build a site that they can maintain and update themselves.

Information on key stages and useful resources can be found on or CMS Training website.

Please Note: do not start the migration process for your site unless you have been advised to do so by college or administartion representatives, or the Web Team.

When Will my Site Get Migrated?

This is a decision that will be made by college and administration representatives on the steering group, not the Web Team.

How Long Will the Project Take?

Similar projects at other institutions have got into difficulty when the rollout is too fast, resulting in insufficient training and support being available for staff. Aberdeen is keen to learn from the experiences of other institutions and will therefore take a staged approach.

There are well over 100 websites to migrate, hence our reluctance to give any definitive timelines. We know from past experience that some sites will be relatively simple to migrate and that others will not. However, we expect that we will be able to migrate sites more quickly as the project progresses.

Our current indicative planning suggests that the rollout may take up to two years. The Web Team will continue to maintain legacy sites during this period as deemed appropriate by the college and administration representatives.

How will Project Developments be Communicated?

There will be regular meetings with representatives of the colleges and administration and updates will also be sent out via this web site.

How Widely Will the Web CMS be Rolled Out?

The expectation is that all Colleges, School, Departments and Administration will use the Web CMS. The order in which sites will be moved will be dictated by representatives of the colleges and administration.

Will the use of Templates be Compulsory?

One of the main user complaints about the University's website is the lack of a unified look and feel and the consequent difficulty in finding information.

Standard templates address these issues by providing a design with standard page elements placed consistently. This helps users find their way around the whole site easily, gives a much better impression, and is a far more positive experience for users.

We welcome feedback and recomendations but sites will be produced from a set of master templates agreed in negotiation with the Colleges and Adminstration and appoved by the University Web Strategy Group. Bespoke elements for indiviual sites are harder to implement and can impact on other sites.

What do I Need to Do?

Once it is time for your site to be migrated into the OpenText CMS, you will be contacted by the web team who will take you through all the steps involved in the site migration process.

How Will I be Trained in the New System?

We will be providing a combination of hands-on class room training, user guides and video tutorials.

What Software Will I Need to Use the New CMS?

You won't need any specialized software to manage your site anymore, just a compatible Web browser.