TEI_WebSite

1
A Framework For The Design Of An Extensible
Modular Academic Web Site
D. A. Dervos K.
Psarras (dad_at_it.teithe.gr)
(psarras_at_it.teithe.gr)
Assoc. Prof. Systems Administrator
I.T. Dept., T.E.I.,
Thessaloniki, Greece
2nd International Scientific Conference on Informa
tion Technology and Quality Spetses, 4-5 June,
2005
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Goals and Objectives

• I.T. Dept., Thessaloniki T.E.I.
  One-stop point on the Web
• Provide information to the public, plus
  serve the information needs of all (local)
  user communities
• Easy to use interface
• Implement modularity in design and content
• Decentralized administration

WP 03, Modernization of the Thessaloniki T.E.I.
I.T. Departments Program of Study, 2nd EPEAEK
Continuing Training, Action against Exclusion
for the Job Market Prof. D. Kleftouris,
co-ordinator
3
Conservative Approach

• Not a portal, yet
• Follow the 80/20 rule
• Play it safe in view of the upcoming
  developments (pervasive portals)
• Conserve energy and money (open source
  platform)

4
Key Requirements
The system should implement classification in
user access, and targeted presentation of
information everybody need not have access to
everything
Interest groups should exist in the user
community, enjoying privacy in their group
communication.

• Personalization
• Customization
• Grouping Team Working
• Simplicity of Use
• Modular Design
• Granular Administration

Collaboration should be encouraged by having the
system support threaded discussions, voting and
surveys, plus calendar sharing
The user should be able to configure the way
information is presented
Intuitive GUI
Each one group sub-environment need be identical
to the rest, and implement its own private
communal services
Each one group sub-environment need have its own
(local) moderator, plus one or more (local)
content managers
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Modular (Inner) Structure

• Announcements Board

• Discussion Fora

• Events Calendar

• Web Applications

• Web Links

• Subject Catalogs

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Web Site Model
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Open Source Platforms

• PHP-Nuke
• PostNuke CMS
• phpWebSite

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User Authorization Policy (UAP)
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Conclusion

• Conservative approach (80-20 rule)
• Emphasis on modularity, and decentralized
  user/content administration
• User authorization policy relating requirements
• phpWebSite found to support
• Model easily extended to become a
  School/Institutional web site
• Now working on harmonizing user management
  w.r.t third party campus-wide applications
  (e.g. Blackboard V.L.E., etc.)