1 / 34

DIGITAL UNIVERSITY PROJECT

DIGITAL UNIVERSITY PROJECT. The Hull Portal - Gateway to Managed Information PEPC 2003 Ian Dolphin Robert Sherratt. The Digital University Project. Planned over the summer of 2001 Initially to develop a student intranet Senior Management buy-in and support

dedith
Download Presentation

DIGITAL UNIVERSITY PROJECT

An Image/Link below is provided (as is) to download presentation Download Policy: Content on the Website is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use and may not be sold / licensed / shared on other websites without getting consent from its author. Content is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use only. Download presentation by click this link. While downloading, if for some reason you are not able to download a presentation, the publisher may have deleted the file from their server. During download, if you can't get a presentation, the file might be deleted by the publisher.

E N D

Presentation Transcript


  1. DIGITAL UNIVERSITY PROJECT The Hull Portal - Gateway to Managed InformationPEPC 2003Ian Dolphin Robert Sherratt

  2. The Digital University Project • Planned over the summer of 2001 • Initially to develop a student intranet • Senior Management buy-in and support • Flexible structure with cross-institutional steering group • Four main development strands

  3. 1 2 3 Portal Layer Web Content New Services • AIPP • Aggregate • Integrate • Personalise • Present Resolving Chaos Processand Technology Accessibility A chance to get it right… Development Model Organisational Change Obstacles & Progress 4 External The UK Information Landscape The PORTAL Project BusinessPartners

  4. 4 1 2 3 External Portal Layer Web Content New Services The UK Information Landscape The PORTAL Project BusinessPartners • AIPP • Aggregate • Integrate • Personalise • Present Resolving Chaos Processand Technology Accessibility A chance to get it right… Development Model Organisational Change Obstacles & Progress

  5. Aggregate and Integrate what? • Core database applications - Ingres • Web based email client – IMP • Library systems - Innovative • Staff Intranet - home-grown, PERL etc • VLE/LMS/PFE – BlackBoard L1 + Merlin • External applications - identification

  6. Further Education Students: Postgraduate Students: Review marks Library admin Library admin Search favourite resources Deadline alerts Deadline alerts Careers info Teaching materials Library & Internet resource alert Access reading lists Higher Education Undergrad: Higher Education Staff: Deadline alerts Search favourite resources Review marks Library admin = 2nd Library admin Personal information = 2nd University e-mail Teaching materials Library & Internet resource alert Search favourite resources Forms & documentation

  7. Why uPortal? • Procurement = 1st with commercial offering • Against modified San Diego State U. rubric • Development community • Integration: more rapid, less effort • Ease of visual adaptation • Aesthetic & distinctive branding • Accessibility • Standards-based interfaces

  8. “Everything should be made as simple as possible, but no simpler.”

  9. Portal Deployment Timetable • Autumn 2001 • Portal Procurement • Content Management Development • Spring & Summer 2002 • Integration and testing • Autumn 2002 • Live with Geography, Internet Computing • Autumn 2003 • Live with all staff and students for key services

  10. Content Management: Resolving Chaos • The Web: it’s not amateur hour anymore • Web tools by Heinz – 57 varieties of editor • Technical support nightmare • Human Resource nightmare • Accessibility “test case” – any volunteers? • Aggregating web pages through portal: GIGO

  11. Content Management: Solutions • Solution for sites and portal channels • Caveat: 2 years ago, but watching… • Almost universally expensive/overpriced • Frequently inflexible • Not designed for use by HEI

  12. Content Management: Technology • Not “Build or buy, but build and buy” • db solution utilising current licences • Edit basic content within secure web page • Design templates • XHTML output (now) > XSLT (future) • “standard” design – WAI level 1 • “accessibility enhanced” design – WAI level 3 • Support rudimentary, but flexible workflow

  13. Content Management Process • Sensitivity to cultures of departments • “What do you need to do?” • Information design & architecture first • Flexible “toolkit” approach • Clear responsibilities and ownership

  14. eService Integration Interactive Media Corporate Systems Libraries Computing Corporate Systems Archives Libraries Computing Archives Proposed New Structures

  15. External Resources & Interactions • The UK FE/HE information landscape • JISC funded resources & services • JISC provided resources & services • Commercial subscriptions • Athens (central authentication service) • The bank, the bus and the bar …

  16. PORTAL • Presenting natiOnal Resources to Audiences Locally • JISC funded, U. Hull and UKOLN + RDN • Duration 18 months • Range of external quality-assured content • Meaningful integration (not lists of links) • Extracting functionality from external sites • Surveying stakeholder and user preferences

  17. PORTAL Survey • Method • Online card sort • Focus group • Interview (one to one)

  18. Portal Survey • Responses • 630 completed card sort • 50 involved in focus groups • 30 one-to-one interviews • PORTAL project URL: • http://www.fair-portal.hull.ac.uk

  19. Obstacles • Institutional readiness • Changing culture & process redevelopment • Technology issues include … • LMS/VLE: overfeatured, overpriced, and over here… • Readiness of external sites to disclose data or services rather than web pages • Human resource issues include … • Track emerging standards (who and how much time?) • Changing and redeveloping skill bases

  20. Risks • “Don’t like it, won’t use it” • Stakeholder survey work from PORTAL informs development • “Will it sort my network connection out?” • Managing expectations • Staff Development open sessions • Dissemination activities • “It’ll fall over” • Hardware identification and investment • Load balancing & SSL acceleration • Observe and stress test

  21. New Architectures: Web Services • Standards-based layer enabling inter-application communication over IP network • Addresses technology and HR issues • Legacy applications and developers • Informs the creation of new services … • … and the redevelopment of older services • Maintaining a “thin” portal layer

  22. JA-SIG UK • http://www.ja-sig.org.uk/ • Digital University Project • http://www.digital.hull.ac.uk • PORTAL Project • http://www.fair-portal.hull.ac.uk • i.dolphin@hull.ac.uk • r.sherratt@hull.ac.uk

More Related