Welcome

Brian Kelly gave the welcome to the IWMW 2001 event.  

Now You See It, Now You Don’t – Policies and Practices for Updating a Web Server

Abstract

The Web service at the University College Cork has grown by accretion over a decade. Two recent revisions provided the opportunity to look again at a number of areas which needed updating. Many assumptions which were once valid have now changed, and the nature of the information itself has also changed, both in terms of what is available and what is sought. Some questions remain unresolved in the face of rapidly changing organisational requirements and user demands. New technologies can improve delivery and ease maintenance but changes have to be undertaken without disrupting access to information which users have come to rely on.

Resources

The slides are hosted on Slideshare. https://www.slideshare.net/iwmw/iwmw-2001-now-you-see-it-now-you-dont-policies-and-practices-for-updating-a-web-server

E-Learning at SHU: A Case Study

Abstract

This case study will outline lessons learned from previous elearning initiatives before considering how we have started to dismantle the barriers to staff who want to get involved; the consequent changes in technical and pedagogical support; the impact on the student experience; successes, things that didn't work so well, and the unexpected.

Resources

The slides are hosted on Slideshare. https://www.slideshare.net/iwmw/iwmw-2001-elearning-at-shu

What Students Want

Abstract

Before leaving university and starting Luminas Limited, the directors were all involved in running student union-backed web sites. While doing this, they obtained a unique perspective on what students want from a university site. In this talk, they present some ideas from this experience that you may not have considered before.

Resources

The slides are hosted on Slideshare. https://www.slideshare.net/asavory/what-students-want

PKI: The View from Down Under

Abstract

Australia has undertaken significant reform of its tax system, while at the same time endeavouring to bring government services online. The Australian Taxation Office (ATO) has been at the forefront of both these initiatives and has been widely seen as a leader in electronic service delivery in the revenue sector. Australia has also established a national framework for the accreditation and use of Public Key Infrastructure (PKI), known as Gatekeeper. In 1999-2000 the ATO conceived, developed and deployed a PKI to support the new tax system. This session looks at some of the lessons learnt in that process and discusses the value of a national standards regime and the role of government in encouraging the uptake of electronic service options and at the implications these have for revenue collection and regulatory agencies.

Resources

The slides are hosted on Slideshare. https://www.slideshare.net/iwmw/iwmw-2001-pki-the-view-from-down-under

Will The Virtual University Kill The Physical University?

Abstract

As the global leader in distance learning, the Open University is in an unusual position to observe the changing trends in online access to higher educational services. In Knowledge Media we are trying to define a new subject which explores the relationship of the semantic web to learning. One of our recent studies has been to connect a mega-university such as the OU with micro universities, like those operations which style themselves as corporate universities. I will give a brief snapshot where we are and how the emerging e-universities at a micro; macro and mega level will change the nature of our business.

Advertising On Web Sites

Abstract

Although electronic marketing on the Internet has been around for several years, until recently there had been minimal uptake within the Higher Education (HE) and Further Education (FE) sector. However the ever pressing need to supplement the funding of services has led to an increasing number of HE and FE institutions (as well as local and central government and other public sector bodies) introducing the hosting of electronic marketing material for 3rd parties (advertising, affiliate links, links to sponsors, etc.) on their Web sites. This talk describes current practice within the HE/FE sector and highlights the associated problems. (This research was carried out as part of a JISC funded study into "Advertising on JANET").

Resources

See slides hosted on Slideshare. https://www.slideshare.net/iwmw/iwmw-2001-advertising-on-web-sites

Linking Development & Innovation With Mainstream Activities

Abstract

The boundaries between mainstream traditional provision of ICT support for institutions and ICT research and development activities are starting to blur. There is a need to capitalise on the strengths of both areas and to ensure that they work in synergy with each other. The Institute for Learning and Research Technology (ILRT) consists of ICT-related externally-funded projects and services, but it is also part of the University's 'mainstream' Information Services division. The talk will outline how at Bristol we are trying to 'join-up' our approach to ICT use and development within the University and will report on the VIOLET project, which exemplifies our approach.

Resources

See slides hosted on Slideshare. https://www.slideshare.net/iwmw/iwmw-2001-linking-development-innovation-with-mainstream-activities

Webcasting In An Institutional Context

Abstract

We put our toes into the waters of Windows Media Broadcasting at last summer's graduation ceremonies. This talk will describe our experiences, confusion, frustration and finally satisfaction at reaching a workable solution for online and on-demand broadcasting of a variety of academic, social, educational and promotional events. A description of our methods and samples of recordings will be presented.

Parallel Sessions A

Delegates could attend one of the following half-day parallel sessions.

• E-Learning - Barriers and Enablers
• Users of our Services (Suits You Sir!)
• Practical Web Strategies: Conflict, Ethics and Your Web Site
• CMS Case Studies
• Intranets
• Web Site Redevelopment
• E-Business
• Update Your Web Skills

Parallel Sessions B

Delegates could attend one of the following parallel sessions.

• 'Legal, Decent, Honest and Truthful'
• CMS Buy or Build?
• XML and XSLT
• Automated News Feeds
• Hands-on Webcasting
• Addressing Usability Issues in HE Websites

Parallel Sessions C

Delegates could attend one of the following parallel sessions.

• Income Generation Options For Your Web Site
• Providing Information To Third Parties
• Promoting Your Web Site: Getting Your Site to the Top of the Search Engine Hitlists
• Zope From Absolute Zero
• Personalised Web Sites
• Benchmarking Web Sites

Regional Group Meetings

Regional group meetings took place from 09:15-10:15 on Wednesday 27 June 2001. The aims of the meetings are to (a) investigate the possibilities of the formation of regional groups for institutional Web managers and (b) to provide an opportunity to provide structured feedback on the workshop and suggestions for next year's event.

Report Back from Parallel Sessions

Report back from parallel sessions

E-Learning – Barriers and Enablers [A1]

Abstract This highly interactive workshop will enable participants to explore and engage with the issues raised by elearning from the perspective of staff and students. Participants will develop strategies for maximising implementation in their own environments. The difference between 'information for managing learning' and 'pedagogic' approaches will be explored. The outcomes for participants will include a heightened understanding of the experience [barriers and enablers] of elearning, and the sharing of good practice.

Users Of Our Services (Suits You Sir!) [A2]

Abstract Websites in higher education have tended to be a "one size fits all" sort of affair - the same set of pages is expected to meet the needs of a disparate range of students, staff, and visitors. If we consider students alone, common sense tells us how the needs of a campus based research student may differ widely from those of a mature undergradute enrolled in a distance learning programme. But how well do our websites cater for tailored information needs? In this workshop we will first attempt to characterise some key groups amongst our web site visitors. Next, we will take a look at some "typical" University websites and see how well or poorly they address the needs of our hypothetical visitors - a certain amount of role play will be necessary! Finally we will look at some specific instances of good and bad practice derived from our explorations and explore means by which we might better tailor our websites to suit specific clients. Ideally, we will get a mix of both content mangers and technical gurus in this session, as it is too often the case that the content providers are not aware of the technical possibilities, whilst the developers not always aware of the customer/information providers needs. This session will be very much a joint exploration rather than a demonstration of solutions, but between us we should be able to identify some useful ways forward in future developments.

Practical Web Strategies: Conflict, Ethics and Your Web Site [A3]

Abstract Are you being asked to implement cookies or other techniques to gather and reuse user information? Do you find yourself caught up in institutional conflict about standards or centralisation? Managing an organisational Web site raises lots of difficult questions, and it is important that those issues are dealt with in an informed way. We are advised that our Web sites should be "Honest, Decent and Legal". Ethics for the web editor will be within the limits of honesty, decency and the law, but exactly where is unclear. For instance, nowadays the Web editor has technical opportunities to gather and reuse user information through cookies. There is also the potential to use "subliminal images". Just because we can technically do something, does it mean that we should do so? This session will explore the kinds of conflicts experienced by web managers, and will encourage participants to share their experiences of handling those conflicts. We will discuss ways to influence decision making and examine our role in determining how our Web sites develop.

CMS Case Studies [A3]

Abstract Web-enabled databases are key to delivering and maintaining structured content. The first part of this session will be devoted to a "middleware head-to-head" - a compare and contrast exercise that will explore the software approaches that can connect databases to Web pages. Although structured content is important, the biggest challenge is managing less structured content. The second part of this session will present a case study of the Natural History Museum which uses a mixture of commercial and open source products to deliver an outward facing Web site and a departmental intranet.

Intranets [A5]

Abstract An intranet is a mechanism for the implementation of an organisation's information management policy and for realising its information strategy. The policy and strategy may be very centralised and homogeneous or, as is the case with the University of Glasgow, involve a high degree of devolution and heterogeneity and the intranet to support it must reflect the way that the organisation operates. Above all an intranet is about delivering information to those who need it, when they need it. The right sort of technology can oil the wheels, whilst the wrong sort will just get in the way. The implementation of an intranet involves a large number of components to deal with authoring, authentication, authorisation, content management, notification, searching, etc. This session will provide the opportunity for participants to examine different approaches, share experience and discuss difficulties across a range of issues and technologies.

Web Site Redevelopment [A6]

Abstract We all know now that having a Web site is not the end of the battle. Most organisations are now well past their first generation Web site, but how should we approach redevelopment (organisational, graphical and technical)? This session will address these issues through a series of short case studies, presentations of key issues, pointers to existing resources and discussions/group work.

E-Business [A7]

Abstract The outcome of the session will be to enable Web managers to:

• Identify e-commerce opportunities within your institution
• Apply appropriate business models
• Convince finance people of the benefits of e-commerce
• Understand design, technical and resource issues

E-commerce is on all our agendas as Web managers, whether we like it or not, but most institutions have yet to embrace its huge potential for both selling and buying. This session will look at various business models and at which in-house resources and/or outsourcing is needed to build effective online transaction sites. Group exercises will focus on usability and security aspects of e-commerce design. Case studies and analysis will illustrate the power, potential and pitfalls of e-commerce in Higher and Further Education, as well as providing practical starting points. A basic understanding of the use of databases for web site building and a rudimentary grasp of the financial structure of your institution will assist participants in getting the most from the session.

Update Your Web Skills [A8]

Abstract This session aims to provide an opportunity for Web managers to update their Web skills. The session, which is suitable for both new and existing Web managers will cover several areas including strategies and tools for indexing Web sites, models for HTML authoring, the role of CSS and Web site caching strategies. By the end of the session delegates will:

• Be aware of the different approaches to authoring on the Web and of the advantages and disadvantages of the different approaches.
• Be aware of the current recommendations for standards.
• Be in a position to make recommendations on local authoring strategies.

• Be aware of the different approaches to indexing local Web resources and of the advantages and disadvantages of the different approaches.
• Be informed of the potential for popular indexing tools such as Ultraseek and ht://Dig.
• Be in a position to make recommendations on local indexing strategies.

• Be aware of the role of caching, both nationally and locally and of advantages and disadvantages of providing caching facilities.
• Be aware of the legal and ethical aspects of caching.
• Be aware of the common problems encountered when providing a caching service and of solutions to the problems.
• Be in a position to make recommendations on local caching strategies.

XML and XSLT [B4]

Abstract These two technologies from the same family have a key role to play in helping Web professionals solve some of the most challenging problems that they face today. Here, Luminas Limited discuss the technical details, some examples of how they've used them in an HE environment and other possible uses.

‘Legal, Decent, Honest and Truthful’ [B1]

Abstract The aims of this session are threefold. The first is to introduce the JISC Legal Information Service (LIS) what it does, what it can do, might do and what it cannot do. The service aims to focus on the needs of those working in or with ICT, including web managers. The second is to provide an update on recent legislation in Information Technology Law and how it might affect FE and HE. The third is to give you, the 'user' of the service, an opportunity to say what you want from the service, what you don't want, what else might we do and to ask questions on legal issues. The LIS is in its pilot year and feedback is very important to us. The first version of our web site is at http://www.jisc.ac.uk/legal/. Comments on the site from a professional point of view welcome (but don't be too hard on us!)

CMS – Buy Or Build? [B3]

Abstract A discussion session based around a draft JISC TechWatch Report on Content Management Systems. Participants are expected to have read the report in advance (copies will made be available to participants of this session at the workshop) and to come prepared to engage with a panel of users who already have some experience in this area.

Automated News Feeds [B4]

Abstract This session will consider the requirements for automated news feeds, both on campus and in the wider context. It will investigate ways of sharing 'news' content between university departments, from commercial news providers to the campus and from the campus to external services. It will also consider whether the same techniques used to share news feeds can be re-used to share information about other digital resources.

Hands-On Webcasting [B6]

Abstract This session will focus on production of live and on-demand broadcasts using Microsoft Windows Media products. A demonstration will be given of how to encode video using a broadcast quality camera, a camcorder and a webcam! Audience should feel free to actively participate during this portion of the session (we get you back in the next!). Instructions will be given to enable participants to produce three types of broadcast web pages: (1) a live broadcast with an embedded media player (2) a live broadcast with a floating media player and (3) an on-demand broadcast with a floating media player. After this, participants will use Windows Media Tools to annotate their recording. If time permits we will also investigate MS Powerpoint broadcasts.

Addressing Usability Issues in HE Websites [B7]

Abstract This session will provide Web Managers an opportunity to test for usability on their own HE websites. The key concepts of user experience design will be introduced and explained. After which participants will then test HE websites using 'think aloud' and observational methods. Finally, techniques on how to incorporate participatory design into Web projects will be examined.

Income Generation Options For Your Web Site [C1]

Abstract This session will consider various options for generating income using Web sites, and discuss the pros and cons of different approaches. A case study on the potential for the use of Web advertising to generate income will be given.

Providing Information To Third Parties [C2]

Abstract Many institutions are finding themselves receiving increasing numbers of requests to provide information about their institution to third parties. This can include bodies within the HE and FE communities (e.g. UCAS, HERO, etc.) as well as other public sector organisations and commercial bodies. How should institutions react to such requests? Should you be prepared to pay companies which say that their portal will drive traffic to your Web site? Or should you be selling your information to them! There will be a number of bodies which you will wish to provide information to. This might include statistical information to HESA or course and research information to the HERO portal. What is the best way to do this? As a case study, examples of how institutions can submit information to HERO will be given. But what if your information is stolen? The session will conclude by considering ways in which you can monitor use and misuse of your information.

Promoting Your Web Site: Getting Your Site to the Top of the Search Engine Hitlists [C3]

Abstract Web search engines and directories like Altavista, Lycos, Yahoo and Google are commonly used by web users to find the information they require. However Web site owners and maintainers often find that their site cannot be found through search engines, even when an appropriate search term is used. Use of some simple techniques combined with a knowledge of the search engines can help to improve the chances of a web site becoming a highly valued service and getting to be number one in search results. Aimed those responsible for promoting Web services, this practical session looks at issues involved in submitting your web site to search engines and directories. It considers the use of metadata, keywords and careful design of content to help with retrieval. Other topics include using multiple domain names to improve coverage and other hints and tips on promotion including the problems associated with frames and dynamic pages.

Zope From Absolute Zero [C4]

Abstract In this hands-on session you will:

• Download, install and configure "core" Zope as an NT service
• Gain familiarity with the Zope Management Interface (ZMI)
• Author a Web page within the Zope environment
• Download and install additional Zope "Products" so as to extend the core
• Build a simple Web application that can browse and edit database records

Approaches To Personalisation [C5]

Abstract This session will look at the area of Web site personalisation and in particular examine online customer relationship marketing practices. Examples of how these techniques have been put to good practice in large commercial sites will be presented and then a general discussion on how these can be applied to the institutional Web site context.

Benchmarking Web Sites [C6]

Abstract In this hands-on session delegates will use a variety of Web-based tools to analyse their Web site and compare their Web site with others in the community. Delegates will discuss the findings and the implications of the findings. Delegates will provide suggestions for further benchmarking activities, which can be implemented locally, regionally or nationally.