ICT Services

Web Developments

The Web Development Team (WDT) is situated within the department of ICT Services. The main function of the WDT is to develop University web services.

The team is currently working on a two to three year development plan involving the deployment of Microsoft Sharepoint. It is envisaged that Sharepoint will ultimately be used to deliver a range of web services. These services will include; a public marketing web site aimed at recruiting students and selling University services, a public information site which will focus on supporting faculty and department specific marketing, an internal site that will include a digital repository, personalised student and staff information portals, Blogs, and Wikis.

Below is an abridged version of the Sharepoint development plan.

Development plan for the university web site(s) using Sharepoint

Introduction and background

The university made the decision to redevelop its web site using Sharepoint. This decision came about as a result of a number of different things.

• The results of a comprehensive survey carried out by the Marketing Manager and the Web Development Manager at the beginning of 2006.
• Initial recommendations in the UoG Draft Strategic Plan.
• The declared need to develop personalised student and staff portals
• Future marketing plans.
• The need to replace the content management system (Shado).
• The need to develop new web services.

A development plan was produced which focussed on a number of key areas. These areas were:

1. The production of a promotional (public) web site for the purpose of recruiting students, promoting the university and selling university services.
2. The creation of a second (public) university web site to provide space for information which needs to be publicly available but which is not deemed suitable to be part of the marketing site. Also to facilitate the need for a more flexible approach to faculty and department branding. This site is to be called ‘insight’.
3. The creation of an internal (private) web site to contain information specific to the university community.This would include the creation of a university wide digital repository as well as a number of web services that Sharepoint provides (eg blogs and wikis). This site is to be called ‘infonet’.
4. The introduction of personalised student and staff portals.
5. The development of a public university blog site.

The plan was separated into a number of distinct phases.

Phase 1

The production of a promotional (public) web site for the purpose of recruiting students, promoting the university and selling university services.

This phase is now complete.

Phase 2

The creation of a second (public) university web site to provide space for information which needs to be publicly available but which is not deemed suitable to be part of the marketing site. Also to facilitate the need for a more flexible approach to faculty and department branding.

The site became live on the 9th of November 2009. Some of the proposed features of the site are still being finished off.

Phase 3

The creation of an internal (private) web site to contain information specific to the university community.This would include the creation of a university wide digital repository as well as a number of web services that Sharepoint provides (eg blogs and wikis).

The technical work on this phase began in April 2010. It is intended that the new site will start to be built in October 2010.

Phase 4

The introduction of personalised student and staff portals.

Work on this phase has yet to begin.

Phase 5

The development of a public university blog site.

Work on this phase has yet to begin.