Over the past years we have programmed the website to suite the needs of the institution. This has been tricky since CPUT’s needs continue to grow but the core code powering the website did not. As such the upgrade is not just a design issue but also a code architecture issue.
Brief Background
The current CPUT website is running on a Content Management System (CMS) called Joomla. It is one of the most popular CMS systems out there. It is Open Source. We love Open Source software and wish to stick with Joomla 🙂
Our role in all of this
The Web Office acts as the technically creative engine behind the website. The CPUT Web Editor, Ms Marick Hornsveld, partners with us to ensure that the website content is well represented. “website content” include text, images and functionality like online forms. As a team, we implement industry standard techniques (writing and programming) to ensure we provide a platform for CPUT’s online brand.
So, why change the website?
Several reasons exist. These are to (in no particular order):
- Simplify the menu for a better browsing experience to all visitors,
- Make important menu links stand out such as Blackboard/Myclassroom, email or OPA,
- Improve the layout of homepage,
- Provide more user-friendly content like search boxes to find course information or electronic forms,
- Update content to comply with web writing and plain-language needs,
- Make more ‘advertising space’ to showcase what is happening at the university,
- Share related content across multiple pages,
- List all CPUT social networks on one page,
- Make is simpler for Departments/Faculties/Units to update their own content,
- Showcase some Institutional statistics,
- Introduce semantic data (Ontologies/metadata) for Search Engines
- Support any device (mobile, smartphones, tablets)
We hope to bring you more news on this process soon.
Please leave a comment/question/suggestion below. We will answer every comment left.
Thank you