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The process of writing this paper on cooperative web development gave us an opportunity to review where we have been and where we plan to go with the University's web server. Just as our energy waxed and waned in the process of writing our proposal for this session and the final paper, we have seen a similar pattern in tending our web site. The synergy of team development pulled us through both projects. Just as a writer has some vision for what she or he hopes to communicate, so too must a web development team.The shared goals and vision for our web site came to us in various forms including a meticulous planning process for the University's campus wide network (CLUnet) project. Many people and much hard work laid the foundation for the Board of Regents to approve the CLUnet project in February, 1994. With Internet access limited to the computers in the Library and three modems for dial-in users, life changed dramatically in August, 1994 when every office, classroom and dorm room gained a connection point to CLUnet.
The Internet Task Force has interpreted the CLUnet Project's goals and the vision for technology, and its role in the curriculum and daily lives of the campus community, into the nuts and bolts of implementing: general computing policies, University home page design, hardware and software selection and installation, Web publishing policies for community members, and training design and delivery. The University's web server has evolved into a central component of CLUnet. Our web server has changed the way our clients: do research; learn about campus events and activities; review the undergraduate and graduate catalogues; and communicate with each other. Careful attention to design and implementation along with vision have contributed to CLUnet's success .
"By 2001, California Lutheran University will be widely known and highly
regarded throughout California and the Pacific and southwestern regions
for its strong liberal arts and professional programs, for providing an
education rooted in religious and social values, and for graduating
students who are prepared for rewarding personal lives and careers of
distinction."
-- from California Lutheran University's Strategic
Plan
If, as California Lutheran University's (CLU) mission statement proclaims, we are educating students to become "...confident in their identity and vocation" we need to prepare them thoroughly for the technological requirements of their vocations. The integration of technology into the teaching and learning process is now a major academic objective in the University's Strategic Plan which proposes that we infuse technology into the curriculum content, pedagogical methods, and student proficiency standards. The University's mission "to educate leaders for a global society..." has been met by CLU's campus wide network (CLUnet) implementation in several ways, most notably through offering Internet access and providing easy, organized access to quality electronic resources.
Any student, faculty or staff at CLU has access to the Internet and the WWW. But access does not guarantee successful results. Training on how to use a web browser helps but does not ensure successful information retrieval. Web users need to have information literacy training and access to well-organized sites pointing to quality electronic resources. For that reason, CLU's approach to web design and maintenance involves a cooperative, decentralized approach with a clear understanding of what we hope to accomplish with our web site.
When the committee first discussed the CLUnet world wide web home page we concluded that the primary goal was to enhance the on-campus learning, research and communication environment. A secondary goal was to present California Lutheran University in the best possible light to web surfers world-wide with its implicit marketing potential. The belief is held that if we provide the CLU community with a web site of substance, that supports the goals of the University and needs of our local users the world can watch and learn about CLU's commitment to "strong liberal arts and professional programs, and providing an education rooted in religious and social values." This is marketing from the inside out.
Because CLUnet, the Internet and especially the world wide web were foreign to most members of the campus community, we knew that we needed to seduce them with tools that would be immediately useful. We also wanted to provide a template with which the academic departments could easily build their home pages. It was essential that academic departments get involved in designing departmental home pages and begin integrating research over the Internet into their curriculum. We also needed to serve students by providing simple tools for planning their academic career, giving easy access to library resources and becoming involved with CLUnet through our web site.
Providing easy access to library resources became the responsibility of the librarians on the ITF. Since these staff members have been on the front line in providing research assistance, they know what types of questions and problems our students need to answer. The librarians have also held responsibility for identifying quality reference print materials, so the librarians could perform the same screening and standard setting for materials presented from the library's section of the University's home page.
Reference staff reviewed many other college and university library home pages. CLUnet's virtual library has two main organizing components: CLU-provided resources and Internet resources. The CLU-provided resources accessible with web browsing tools include: CLU Library holdings (books, government documents, and serials holdings and periodicals ({http://oaks2.callutheran.edu/LIBINFO.HTML}) and ABI/Inform, ERIC, Periodicals Abstracts II, and Cambridge Scientific Abstracts via DRAWeb ({http://oaks2.callutheran.edu/DBCHOICE.HTML}). CLU participated in beta testing the DRA web interface and has successfully catalogued electronic resources that may be accessed from CLU's virtual library. The Web Resources database ({http://oaks2.callutheran.edu/WEBRES.HTML}) is a work in progress. We have about a dozen records which point to: books online which you can choose to read on screen or download to your own computer; other web pages; and graphic files. The bibliographic database for cataloguing electronic Internet resources is accessible through the DRAWeb search engine with URLs in the 856 field. These links point a resource back to the originating site. The Library also provides a web interface to Encyclopedia Britannica and Books in Print.
The Selected Internet Resources include:
Our reference staff wanted to identify quality electronic information sources for their use in responding to questions. They also want to direct students, staff, and faculty to reputable Internet resources. The resources on this page are a beginning point for our users and are being supplemented by additional specific resources identified by department home pages. Our goal is to merge these resources into the Pearson Library WEBRES(ource) database.
Supporting the development of departmental home pages is an important goal for our web site. We created the first one or two directory levels to aid in navigating CLUnet. We also needed to create a CLUnet "look" that would unify all of the CLUnet pages in order to make it clear that the user was still in CLUnet regardless of the level they were visiting.
| about CLU | [University Profile] |
| news & events | [General Information] |
| current information | [Campus Information] |
| virtual tour | |
| campus map | |
| campus directory | |
| hotline | |
| jobs | |
| college catalog | [Academic Programs] |
| courses | [Course Listing] |
| class schedules | |
| handbooks | |
| courses, catalogs, handbooks | [from Middlebury home page] |
| academic departments | [Faculty] |
| course-related projects using Internet | |
| administrative departments | [Governance] |
| admissions | |
| university publications | |
| CLU Magazine | |
| radio station/KCLU |
| student services | [student life] |
| student publications | |
| student organizations | |
| library & information resources | [Information Services] |
| Internet resources | |
| computer services | |
| help desk | |
After a month of editing, we agreed on the final list:
The Publications Office created an imagemap and hypertext directories based on the list. They linked the pages that were already developed and several "under construction" links too. By June 21 the CLUnet's first home page went online. Since then we have made several modifications, most notably buttons for:
"What's New." (we soon discovered how fast the web can change and grow)"Departmental Home Pages" -- The added prominence was given to make these pages easier to find and to encourage departments to develop home pages.
"Admission Materials" -- A very successful addition where prospective students can request additional information for all of CLU's academic programs and Undergraduate Applications can be downloaded or filled out online.
"Guest book" -- This has given us valuable feedback on how the server is working, and what users are looking for.
Simultaneous to the development of the home page, Publications created an online version of the Undergraduate Catalog. The highly interactive catalog provides links for all departmental home pages. Thus, departments link to the catalog for course, admission and faculty information allowing the departments to concentrate on creating discipline specific pages for pedagogical use.
To maintain design unity the departments are encouraged to use an existing departmental home page as a template. The Philosophy home page, the first departmental home page to be created after the CLUnet Web Site officially went online, is often used as a template. Graphic elements are linked to a central directory to ensure consistency and maximum efficiency in file storage.
First time departmental home pages are submitted to the Publications Office for design advice including placement of graphics, busyness, and visual effectiveness before placement on the CLUnet. The Publications Office reviews the page and checks the links and graphic elements. The Publications Office makes minor corrections or returns the home page to the department for major repairs. Once the home page is ready, the Publications Office places it on the server, links it to the CLUnet home page, and enters it on the "What's New" page. Updates are generally handled in the same manner.
The ISS and Publications Offices also teach departmental web developers how to maintain their own home pages. Once the publications staff is confident that a department will properly maintain their page, the system administrator creates a directory with access privileges allowing the department to maintain their own home page without further assistance.
Although there is no systematic review procedure practiced by the Internet Task Force or Home Page Committee, pages are checked periodically and comments from the CLUnet are monitored and forwarded to the appropriate department. If policy issues arise, the chair of the Internet task force is charged with enforcement. The director of publications is responsible for graphic or university image concerns.
Buttons over image maps -- Except for the Home Page where the graphics of an image map sets a tone for the University's Web Site, and of course, a campus tour imagemap.Small graphic over large -- Four or five small graphics can load faster than a single large graphic.
Text alternative directories -- Some visitors still use telnet and Lynx
Reducing the Color palette -- More color equals slower download.
Minimal use of frames. -- The catalog index might be one of the few logical uses of frames
Java and Shockwave -- We are still experimenting. Drama, Music and KCLU radio are ideal sites for these applications. Educational multimedia applications are also ideal a good match.