Institutional Web Management Workshop 2004: Full Details Of Parallel Sessions

This page provides the abstracts for the parallel workshop sessions. The parallel workshop sessions last for 90 minutes. Note that participants will be able to chose two of the sessions.

Parallel Session A: Tuesday 27 June 2004 from 16:00-17:30

Workshop Session A1: "Defining the Role of the Web Editor"

This page provides details for the workshop session on "Defining the Role of the Web Editor".

Title:: Defining the Role of the Web Editor
Facilitator:: Ian Upton, University of Birmingham
Abstract:: Until recently, authoring for the Web required a battery of technical skills and know-how. The role was seen as a technical one that required technical wizardry to undertake. Here at the University of Birmingham we are installing systems and processes that remove many of the technological hurdles that used to exist when creating Web pages for the corporate Web site. In the process we have to redefine our views of what is the role of the Web editor. This workshop will give the opportunity to discuss and define the role of the Web author as technology becomes more transparent.
Room Requirements:: PC and data projector.
Time:: This session took place from 16:00-17:30 on Tuesday 27^th July 2004.
Contact Details: Ian Upton
University of Birmingham
Birmingham
Email: i.p.upton AT bham.ac.uk

Materials

Notes: [HTML format] - [MS Word format]

Workshop Session A2: "Developing an E-content Strategy for your Web Site"

This page provides details for the workshop session on "Developing an E-content Strategy for your Web Site".

Title:

Developing an E-content Strategy for your Web Site

Facilitator:

Tracey Stanley, University of Leeds

Abstract:

Your Web site is one of your major public services, delivering your own brand of information and expertise, and as such is yone of our most potent marketing tools.
However, many websites are now reaching breaking point in terms of volume, and near-anarchy in terms of content creation. Many sites have a huge amount of content and a large a distributed group of web authors. As sites continue to grow at a rapid rate, volume becomes disproportionate to need, and the task of keeping content up to date becomes increasingly difficult. In addition, many sites are inconsistent in content or style, and fail to adhere to accessibility guidelines. Web site managers increasingly need to take a strategic standpoint on web content.
This workshop will use the Leeds University Library website as a case study for the development of a coherent e-content strategy encompassing design, accessibility, maintenance, editorial control and integration.
The primary audience will be those who may be new to leading project developments (suppliers) or people commissioning software development (customers).

Learning Outcomes:

At the end of the session participants will be able to:

Identify the key issues in relation to managing e-content effectively.
Consider a strategic approach to e-content management.
Identify a set of steps which they could take to review their e-content and the business processes associated with e-content creation and management.
Consider standards and policies in relation to e-content creation and management.

Room Requirements:

PC, data projector and flip chart.

Time:

This session took place from 16:00-17:30 on Tuesday 27^th July 2004.

Contact Details

Tracey Stanley
University of Leeds
Leeds
Email: t.s.stanley AT leeds.ac.uk

Materials

Not yet available

Workshop Session A3: "Blogs & Wikis: Herding Cats?"

This page provides details for the workshop session on "Blogs & Wikis: Herding Cats?".

Title:

Blogs & Wikis: Herding Cats?

Facilitator:

Paul Browning, Information Services, University of Bristol

Abstract:

Blogs & Wikis sit in the spectrum of Collaborative Groupware. This workshop will explore:

The relationship of Blogs & Wikis to other forms of groupware
The infrastructure required to implement Blogs & Wikis in-house
The externally-hosted options
The support issues of either in-house or externally-hosted facilities
The opportunities in terms of the current and future landscape (e.g. VLEs, VREs, ePortfolios)
The need (or not) for strategy or policy in this area

Learning Outcomes:

At the end of the session participants will be aware of what Blogs & Wikis are and the opportunities and risks they present.

Requirements:

PC, data projector and Internet connection. Flipchart & whiteboard

Time:

This session took place from 16:00-17:30 on Tuesday 27^th July 2004.

Contact Details

Paul Browning
University of Bristol
Bristol
Email: paul.browning AT bristol.ac.uk

Materials

Blog Feature List: See the Blog Feature List
Blog Product Matrix: See the Blog Product Matrix

Workshop Session A4: "Using your Ayes and Noes: Creating a Business Case for an Institutional Portal"

This page provides details for the workshop session on "Using your Ayes and Noes: Creating a Business Case for an Institutional Portal".

Title:

Using your Ayes and Noes: Creating a Business Case for an Institutional Portal

Facilitator:

Bo Middleton, University Of Leeds

Abstract:

Considering implementing an institutional portal but confused by some who say 'Aye' and others who say 'No'? An institutional portal is intended to provide a seamless, Web-based interface to a range of systems and services, potentially offering a customised and personalised Web environment for staff and students. A good idea maybe - but the days when a good idea was enough to convince are long gone; new projects need SMART objectives to progress. This session will provide an overview of creating a business case for an institutional portal using experiences from the University of Leeds and group discussion.

Learning Outcomes:

At the end of the session participants will be able to:

Identify types of Ayes and Noes and methods of getting feedback from them
Identify the cases for and against an institutional portal
Identify counter arguments for the Noes
Identify appropriate methods for collecting evidence to support the Ayes

Room Requirements:

PC, data projector and flip chart/pens.

Time:

This session took place from 16:00-17:30 on Tuesday 27^th July 2004.

Contact Details

Bo Middleton
Academic Services
Portal Project Manager
University of Leeds
Email: m.m.middleton AT leeds.ac.uk

Materials

Slides: [HTML format] - [MS PowerPoint format]

Workshop Session A5: "Paper Prototyping in Practice"

This page provides details for the workshop session on "Paper Prototyping in Practice".

Title:: Paper Prototyping in Practice
Facilitator:: Paul Milne & Peigi MacKillop, EDINA, University of Edinburgh
Abstract:: This workshop will give a practical demonstration of how paper prototyping can aid rapid Web development. Paper prototyping is a well-known method of simulating interface elements with low-res paper models.
Learning Outcomes:: Not yet available
Room Requirements:: A room with a table and a flipchart. No computer or network connection needed - that would defeat the purpose!
Time:: This session took place from 16:00-17:30 on Tuesday 27^th July 2004.
Contact Details: Paul Milne
EDINA
University of Edinburgh
Edinburgh
EH8 9LJ
Tel: 0131 650 4626
Email: paul.milne AT ed.ac.uk

Materials

Not yet available

Workshop Session A6: "Give the Dog a Plone"

This page provides details for the workshop session on "Give the Dog a Plone".

Title:

Give the Dog a Plone

Facilitator:

Dominic Hiles & Dr Kieren Pitts, ILRT, University of Bristol

Abstract:

This session will provide an introduction to the real-world implementation of the Plone Content Management System (CMS). The session will explore the problems and solutions that underpinned the commercial development of two Web sites. The presentation will be followed by a discussion session. Participants will be invited to contribute potential Plone use cases, for discussion by the group at large.
Users of Plone at other institutions are encouraged to attend and contribute their experiences, to aid the group discussion.

Learning Outcomes:

Participants will:

Have an understanding of how Plone works.
Have a better understanding of whether Plone is suitable for local use.

Room Requirements:

PC with Internet access, MS Powerpoint 2000 (or greater), a Web browser and Java Runtime Environment version 1.4.2 or greater installed (downloadable from http://www.java.com/en/download/windows_automatic.jsp)

Time:

This session took place from 16:00-17:30 on Tuesday 27^th July 2004.

Contact Details

Dominic Hiles & Dr Kieren Pitts
Internet Development Group
Institute for Learning and Research Technology
University of Bristol
Bristol
Tel: 0117 331 4280
Email: dominic.hiles AT bristol.ac.uk
and kieren.pitts AT bristol.ac.uk

Materials

Slides: [HTML format] - [MS PowerPoint format]

Workshop Session A7: "Measuring the Impact of a CMS Implementation"

This page provides details for the workshop session on "Measuring the Impact of a CMS Implementation".

Title:

Measuring the Impact of CMS Implementations: Is the Web Guru Dead?

Speaker:

Grant Malcolm, University of Western Australia

Abstract:

The impact and performance of a CMS implementation is traditionally measured against internally agreed objectives and key performance indicators. But how does your CMS implementation stack up against other implementations and what might this tell us about the relative in/effectiveness of differing strategies and CMS products in achieving particular goals?
Participants will be encouraged to critically examine the metrics that might be used in order to evaluate the comparative effectiveness of CMS implementations between organisations. A case study will examine the results of a detailed analysis of the impacts of a far reaching CMS implementation at The University of Western Australia.

Learning Outcomes:

At the end of the session participants will be able to:

identify frequently stated goals for CMS implementations
identify metrics useful in comparative evaluation of CMS implementations
understand limitations of comparative evaluation based on these metrics
apply this understanding to the measurement and comparison of the relative performance and impact of CMS implementations

Requirements:

This session will require a networked PC with a Web browser and MS PowerPoint together with a data projector for use by the workshop facilitator.

Time:

This session took place from 16:00-17:30 on Tuesday 27^th July 2004.

Contact Details

Grant Malcolm
University of Western Australia
Crawley
Western Australia
email: grant.malcolm AT uwa.edu.au

Materials

Slides: [HTML format] - [MS PowerPoint format] - [Adobe PDF format]

Workshop Session A8: "Integrating Legal Compliance into Web Management"

This page provides details for the workshop session on "Integrating Legal Compliance into Web Management".

Title:

Integrating Legal Compliance into Web Management

Facilitator:

Jason Campbell, JISC Legal Information Service

Abstract:

This workshop explores in practical terms how issues of legal compliance can be proactively included within web management. It will be shown how such preventative steps can avoid costly and troublesome problems and disputes later on. The session will be conducted through the presentation of scenarios related to the areas of intellectual property rights, e-security, ISP liability, data protection and privacy, freedom of information and cyber-crime. There will also be a question and answer session.

Learning Outcomes:

At the end of the session participants will:

have an awareness of the benefits of considering legal compliance within Web management
understand in practical terms how legal compliance can be combined into a Web management strategy

Room Requirements:

PC and data projector.

Time:

This session took place from 16:00-17:30 on Tuesday 27^th July 2004.

Contact Details

Jason Campbell
Service Manager
JISC Legal Information Service
Learning Services
University of Strathclyde
155 George Street
Glasgow G1 1RD
E-mail: jason.campbell AT strath.ac.uk

Materials

Summary

The aim of this workshop was to explore the ways in which legal awareness could be integrated into web management. The objective is to avoid legal problems later on by the use of quality assurance mechanisms as a part of web publishing and maintenance processes.

JISC Legal Information Service can help in this respect. It offers:

Practical, sector specific legal information on its Web site at http://www.jisclegal.ac.uk/
Workshops and events across the UK - refer to our events listing at http://www.jisclegal.ac.uk/events.htm
An enquiry service, with a three working day response target to most questions

After discussion the most common/important issues that were seen to arise were:

Copyright issues (and other intellectual property)
Data protection issues (and freedom of information)
Disability discrimination issues

Workshop summary by Jason Campbell

Parallel Session B: Wednesday 28 June 2004 from 16:00-17:30

Workshop Session B1: "It Always Takes Longer Than You Think (Even If You Think It Will Take Longer Than You Think)"

This page provides details for the workshop session on "It Always Takes Longer Than You Think (Even If You Think It Will Take Longer Than You Think)".

Title:: It Always Takes Longer Than You Think (Even If You Think It Will Take Longer Than You Think)
Facilitator:: Pete Walker, ILRT, University of Bristol
Abstract:: This workshop will provide hints and tips on project management and how to prevent time scale slippage in software development projects.
The session will not focus of major development methodologies (SSADM, UML, DSDM, Extreme Programming, etc.) but on a collection of practical, real-world techniques and lessons from 15 years of software development in Local Government, private industry and higher education.
The primary audience will be those who may be new to leading project developments (suppliers) or people commissioning software development (customers).
Learning Outcomes:: At the end of the session participants will be aware of techniques to identify and/or prevent development schedule slippage.
Room Requirements:: Data projector. Will bring own laptop.
Time:: This session took place from 16:00-17:30 on Wednesday 28^th July 2004.
Contact Details: Pete Walker
Institute for Learning and Research Technology
University of Bristol
Bristol
Tel: 0117 331 7192
Email: peter.walker AT bristol.ac.uk

Materials

Slides: [HTML format] - [MS PowerPoint format]

Workshop Session B2: "Implementing Web Standards Across The Institution - Trials And Tribulations Of A Redesign"

This page provides details for the workshop session on "Implementing Web Standards Across The Institution - Trials And Tribulations Of A Redesign".

Title:

Implementing Web Standards Across The Institution - Trials And Tribulations Of A Redesign

Facilitator:

Patrick H. Lauke, University of Salford

Abstract:

Coding to Web standards - only a few years ago considered the sole domain of fussy purists with little or no connection to the real world - has become a central concern for both designers and developers. The increasing number of large, commercial Web sites making the transition from "tag-soup", browser-specific code to clean, structural markup, is proving that Web standards may well be a viable technology of today, rather than just of a theoretical, utopian tomorrow. The benefits are many, and often highly publicised: separation of content and presentation, easier reusability of content, potential for increased accessibility (high on the agenda of anybody striving not to fall foul of SENDA), better search engine rankings and decreased bandwidth requirements, to name but a few. But the path towards achieving these benefits is not free of obstacles...
Having relaunched the core site for the University of Salford in September 2003, with a new design based almost exclusively on CSS-driven, table-less layouts, Patrick H. Lauke will provide the opportunity to consider and discuss the main motivations behind such a relaunch, the problems that can be encountered along the way, and the far greater (and, in the case of Salford, still ongoing) challenge of implementing web standards and good practices across the institution.

Learning Outcomes:

At the end of the session participants will:

Be familiar with the concepts of "standards-compliant coding"
Have gained an insight into the advantages of standards-based markup and the separation of content and presentation
Have identified areas in which this technology can be easily implemented
Be aware of potential barriers to effective use of this technology (particularly on large scale projects with multiple authors)
Be aware of possible solutions to some of the barriers to effective use of this technology
Have gained an insight into an actual test case in which this technology was implemented

Requirements:

This session will require a network access point and the ability to connect the facilitator's laptop to the Internet, together with a data projector for use by the workshop facilitator. An A2 flip-chart and marker pens will also be required.

Time:

This session took place from 16:00-17:30 on Wednesday 28^th July 2004.

Contact Details

Patrick H. Lauke
University of Salford
Salford
email: P.H.Lauke AT salford.ac.uk

Materials

Slides: [HTML format] - [MS PowerPoint format]

Workshop Session B3: "Taxonomy: the Science of Classification"

This page provides details for the workshop session on "Taxonomy: the Science of Classification".

Title:

Taxonomy: The Science of Classification

Facilitators:

Chris Milne, and David MacCabe University Of Abertay Dundee

Abstract:

A workshop to discuss the role of taxonomy within portals and to clarify the processes concerned with creating a Taxonomy by linking the stages of taxonomy development to the information retrieval techniques successfully used to effectively organise and retrieve knowledge within libraries.

Learning Outcomes:

At the end of the session participants will gain / develop:

A clearer perspective on the processes surrounding the development of a portal taxonomy, using the analogy of classification, cataloguing and indexing techniques as deployed in libraries to manage information
A realisation that the combined skills sets of 'information professionals' and 'Web developers' can be brought together to develop a relatively inexpensive 'in-house' solution to taxonomy development minimising the requirement to draw upon external consultancy

Room Requirements:

Will not need a network connection. Will bring own laptop.

Time:

This session took place from 16:00-17:30 on Tuesday 27^th July 2004.

Contact Details

Christopher Milne
Senior Information Specialist (Academic Librarian)
University of Abertay Dundee
Dundee
E-mail: c.milne AT abertay.ac.uk

Materials

Slides: [HTML format] - [MS PowerPoint format]

Timetable: [MS Word format]

Workshop Session B4: "From Swipe Card Machine to the Computer Screen"

This page provides details for the workshop session on "From Swipe Card Machine to the Computer Screen".

Title:

From Swipe Card Machine to the Computer Screen

Facilitators:

Heidi Fraser-Krauss and Ester Ruskuc, University of St Andrews

Abstract:

The workshop will be a hands-on/discussion session with the aim of making participants aware of e-business implementation issues. The discussions will be based on case studies and examples to illustrate the main changes required in business processes and the importance of tackling issues such as integration with legacy systems, the need for robust processes and procedures, fall-back options and a fit-for-all solution.

Learning Outcomes:

By the end of the session participants will be able to:

Assess what is involved in implementing a modern on-line payment system
Have an overview of external and internal user requirements
Be aware of the issues of conflict between the requirements
Examine the drivers and constraints of implementation

Room Requirements:

The session will require one networked laptop for the presenters, a data projector, two flipcharts, pens, some post-it notes of different colours. It would be good if we could have an additional four laptops (depending on the number of participants), preferably networked.

Time:

This session took place from 16:00-17:30 on Wednesday 28^th July 2004.

Contact Details

Heidi Fraser-Krauss
University of St Andrews
Email: hmfk AT st-andrews.ac.uk

Ester Ruskuc
University of St Andrews
Email: er3 AT st-andrews.ac.uk

Materials

Slides: [HTML format] - [MS PowerPoint format]

Workshop Session B5: "QA For Web sites - What Goes Wrong And How Can We Prevent It?"

This page provides details for the workshop session on "QA for Web sites - What Goes Wrong And How Can We Prevent It?".

Title:

QA for Web sites - What Goes Wrong And How Can We Prevent It?

Facilitator:

Brian Kelly, UKOLN

Abstract:

Putting procedures in place to maintain the quality and functionality of any Web site can be a daunting prospect but this session aims to explore simple methods which will help ensure functionality, useability and accessibility of your Web site.
This workshop will discuss Quality Assurance procedures for managing Web sites. Participants will be asked to consider what can go wrong on their Web site, why exactly things are going wrong, how Web site owners can find out when things go wrong and finally what can be done when things have gone wrong. In this session we will consider how you can integrate important QA aspects, like testing, into your current procedures and in doing so significantly improve your Web site, its infrastructure and content. The workshop will address both technical and non-technical issues.

Learning Outcomes:

At the end of the session participants will:

Be aware of how quality assurance (QA) procedures can help to minimise problems
Have seen how how QA can be used in the context of the provision of Web sites
Be aware of the QA resources which have been developed by the JISC-funded QA Focus project
Have explored the potential for embedding QA into their Web development work

Room Requirements:

Networked PC and data projector, together with flip charts.

Time:

This session took place from 16:00-17:30 on Wednesday 28^th July 2004.

Contact Details

Brian Kelly
UKOLN
University of Bath
BATH
email: B.Kelly AT ukoln.ac.uk

Materials

Slides: [PowerPoint format] - [HTML format]
Handouts: Exercises: [MS Word format]
Briefing documents on QA: [Various formats]
Briefing documents on Web: [Various formats]
List of QA Focus Briefing documents: [Various formats]
List of QA Focus case studies: [Various formats]
QA Focus evaluation documents: [Various formats]
Related Resources: [QA procedures for IWMW 2004 Web site]

Draft Timetable

A draft timetable for the session is given below. Please note the timings are subject to change.

Time	Topic	Comments
16:00	Introduction	BK
16:10	Group exercise 1: Introduction and identification of problem areas	ALL
16:20	Talk 1: About QA and QA Focus	BK
16:30	Group exercise 2: Simple Web QA	ALL
16:45	Talk 2: The QA Focus Methodology	BK
17:00	Group exercise 3: Further QA	ALL
17:15	Talk 3: The QA Focus Methodology	BK
17:20	Evaluation	All
17:25	Conclusions	BK

Workshop Session B6: "Cheesy And Sad Images"

This page provides details for the workshop session on "Cheesy And Sad Images".

Title:

Cheesy And Sad Images

Facilitator:

Joel Porter, St Martin's College & Claire Gibbons, University of Bradford

Abstract:

Why do Web sites and prospectuses look nothing like the experience we are trying to portray?
Tired and unimaginative images and text risk putting off the audiences most institutions are trying to attract.
With an ever-increasing image-conscious audience how can we adapt our brand and keep up with the trends, without losing sight of our message?
This hands-on workshop/discussion group addresses the diverse needs of the institution where image and message are concerned, and considers the requirements of the client (from researcher to academic department, from services to students to conference organiser and everything in between).

Learning Outcomes:

The learning outcomes from the session are:

What students really think about the images we use (do they believe what we tell them or what they see!?)
10 top tips for using (and re-using) images for the web and beyond
Photography/images on a budget
Useful web sites and books

Learning outcomes will come from the workshop/discussion group, as well as a range of Focus Groups conducted with students from Bradford and St. Martin's and the experience of Bradford's approach to 'photography on a budget'

Room Requirements:

Networked PC and data projector, 2 flip charts.

Time:

This session took place from 16:00-17:30 on Wednesday 28^th July 2004.

Contact Details

Joel Porter
St Martins College Rydal Road
Ambleside
Cumbria
LA22 9BB
Email: j.porter AT ucsm.ac.uk

Materials

Not yet available

Workshop Session B7: "Being Open Source"

This page provides details for the workshop session on "Being Open Source".

Title:: Being Open Source
Facilitators:: Sebastian Rahtz and Randy Metcalfe, OSS Watch, University of Oxford
Abstract:: This workshop session will provide practical guidance on how to set up projects using open source methodologies. What are Sourceforge and CVS? How do I put a licence on my software? How do I involve a community? How does a distributed set of developers work? How do you document the work? How do you keep control, or not?
Learning Outcomes:: Not yet available
Room Requirements:: Will be using PDF or HTML and CSS for presentatons, and not MS PowerPoint.
Time:: This session took place from 16:00-17:30 on Wednesday 28^th July 2004.
Contact Details: Sebastian Rahtz
OUCS
University of Oxford
13 Banbury Road
Oxford
OX2 6NN
Email: sebastian.rahtz AT computing-services.oxford.ac.uk

Materials

Session Notes

This workshop concentrated on the notion of community that is often associated with open source software. What sort of community (or communities) is it? How does one participate in it? And more important how do you generate and sustain a community around your own open source project? It's not easy, and no two projects need follow the same path.

Open Source Fundamentals

The workshop began with Randy Metcalfe giving an overview of some open source fundamentals, many of which were covered in Sebastian Rahtz' plenary talk Beyond Free Beer.

the licence: whether it's the GPL or BSD or anything in between, if it doesn't ship with an OSI certified open source licence, then it isn't open source software
freedom: there is no sense in pretending that open source software isn't tied to the concept of freedom promoted by the Free Software Foundation. Remember: it's about Free Speech, not Free Beer.
community: developers and users have a very close relationship in the open source world. In many cases they are one and same person. There is undoubtedly a sense of being part of something when using open source software, but what exactly?

Workshop participants contributed freely to discussion of these initial fundamentals before moving on to some of the specifics of community building.

Building Communities

In response to a series of provoking questions participants volunteered a range of characteristics that may individually or collectively be required for building a community around an open source project. Key, here, was the role of the project leader. The level of commitment, responsiveness, vision and personableness shown by the leader(s) of the project could have tremendous impact upon a project's success. This is perhaps even more important than the communicative tools deployed to support community interaction (yes, even wikis!).

Questions considered in this section of the workshop:

What are the essential criteria for initial community development?
How can an open source community be sustained over time?
If your software development is project-funded, how can you ensure that the community will continue to develop and sustain it after the project funding ceases?
Which is more important a) community building events or b) clear constitutions that make explicit the community role within the project?
How would you prevent forking of your project within your community?

Model Communities

Sebastian then picked up the thread and explored a range of open source communities each with a different take on developing and sustaining their community.

We considered:

Apache
Exim
MySQL
Bodington
OpenOffice
Text Encoding Initiative
Urchin
TeX

Final Thoughts

All thanks to the participants in the workshop for their useful input and suggestions. Please feel free to add your own thoughts and corrections to the above account. Or email OSS Watch at the address <info@oss-watch.ac.uk>

Randy Metcalfe and Sebastian Rahtz

Workshop Session B8: "Choosing a Search Engine for your Web Site"

This page provides details for the workshop session on "Choosing a Search Engine for your Web Site".

Title:: Choosing a Search Engine for your Web Site
Facilitator:: Helen Sargan, University of Cambridge
Abstract:: What does your Web site need from a search engine and can you find software that meets that need and a price you can afford or will be prepared to pay? The session will explore how to reconcile your needs with what is available.
Learning Outcomes:: TBC.
Room Requirements:: PC and data projector.
Time:: This session took place from 16:00-17:30 on Wednesday 28^th July 2004.
Contact Details: Helen Varley Sargan
University of Cambridge
Cambridge
CB2 3QH
Email: hvs1001 AT cam.ac.uk

Materials

Slides: [HTML format]
Exercises: [PDF format]