Content Management System Project
The Content Management System Project involves a
phased migration of web content into the new system, Contensis.
Stage one involved the launch in April 2007 of StaffNet, the University's first intranet site.
Stage two incorporates a refreshed design and a new information structure for the core pages of the external website, including the launch of a new home page in January 2008.
Faculty and departmental pages will be migrated into the content management system, in consultation with web authors. A proposed migration programme, together with key project documentation is now available on this site.
Benefits for the University
The key overall objective of the Content Management System Project is to replace FrontPage as the primary mechanism for getting content into the website. The new CMS, Contensis will provide the means to make a better website, by making creating and updating pages easier, by improving QA processes and by enhancing user management.
The CMS should bring a range of improvements:
- Make creating web pages easy (easier than with FrontPage)
- Make updating web pages easy
- Improve the whole QA process within the site
- Provide a reliable and unique central source of information
- Reduce training time for web authors
- Improve the website so it becomes easier to navigate and more up to date
Project teams
Web Development Team (part of Corporate Information Services)
This team handles day-to-day website maintenance, overall public website
strategy and structure, and technical support and advice for colleagues. (More
about this team)
Domain Services (part of Computing Services)
Computing staff supporting and administering the hardware and software
elements of the University’s web provision including the university’s VLE
and other web-enabled applications. (More
about this team)
Learning and Teaching Enhancement Unit (LTEU)
Responsible for running IT workshops and one-to-one sessions training
University staff in Microsoft FrontPage and the correct use of the standard
University website templates. (More
about this team)
Current departmental web authors will be offered training in Contensis in tandem with the migration of their sites into Contensis. Deans of Faculty and Heads of Department will be approached as the project proceeds to discuss the schedule for migration.
A conversion course from FrontPage to Contensis will be given by the LTEU trainers in sessions for 5 to 6 web authors. The course will be of one day's duration.
Once departmental sites have been migrated into Contensis, and existing web authors have been trained, Contensis training will become available to new web authors.
Training in FrontPage
LTEU will continue to offer FrontPage training to new departmental web authors whose websites have not yet migrated to Contensis. For more details, please visit the LTEU website.