PRE1: Developing & Maintaining Web Content: An Idea Generating Workshop

PRESENTER: Douglas Tschopp, Augustana College

ABSTRACT:
This popular WebDev workshop is a great way to start off the conference! Using some of the cornerstone topics in communications and public relations, this workshop examines the development of good Web content. The second half of the workshop looks at research techniques available for developing and assessing websites.

BIO:
Douglas Tschopp is the Director of Marketing and served as the college webmaster for eight years at Augustana College in Rock Island, Illinois. He is a full time administrator who teaches public relations and advertising. He created two innovative student Web groups, the Web Clique and the Augustana Web Authors Guild. These two groups have been used as organizational models for a number of schools around the country and have proven to be effective and cost efficient. He received a B.A. in Accounting and Business Administration (and a minor in Economics) from St. Ambrose College. His M.B.A. is from the University of Iowa. His areas of interest and expertise include: Web content design, research, consumer behavior, affecting organizational change, entrepreneurial strategies, and advertising promotion.

PRE2: How to ... Web 2.0

PRESENTER: Matthew Winkel, The College of New Jersey

ABSTRACT:
Does this scenario sound familiar? 1.) You a attended a conference or webinar and learn about Web 2.0 tools. 2.) You decide to try out one or more of these tools. 3.) You add this task to your to-do list for when you return to work. 4.) But weeks or months go by and you still have not found time to use these new tools. In this half-day workshop you will have the time (and guidance) to set up some of the most popular Web 2.0 tools available including: Facebook, LinkedIn, Del.icio.us, Google Reader, Wordpress, and Zoho Wiki. We will also discuss best practices for using these tools for higher education Web development. Bring your wifi-enabled laptop.

BIO:
As a Web architect, consultant, and educator, Matthew Winkel is dedicated to improving organizational and community development through his expertise in Web production, community building, and leadership development. He has provided Web consulting for a number of corporations, non-profit groups, and educational institutions including The College of New Jersey (TCNJ) and Princeton University. At TCNJ, Matthew specializes in user interface design and Web communications. He frequently presents case studies on Web usability and social software at regional and national conferences. Matthew also publishes Milliseconds: A Blog for Web Usability Professionals in Higher Education.

PRE3: Software Engineering in Higher Ed Roundtable

PRESENTER: Jason Woodward, Cornell University School of Hotel Administration

ABSTRACT:
The Web application shops that build today's high-volume Web sites use various traditional software engineering techniques to allow collaboration between developers and content maintainers and to ensure ongoing quality of the applications produced. But many times these techniques are not seen in small nonprofit Web application shops. This session will be conducted as a roundtable discussion led with examples from the Cornell University School of Hotel Administration's Web and database group and other industry experience. Topics include: defect (bug) tracking, configuration management, software development workflow, quality assurance, developer collaboration and customer interaction. Attendees are encouraged to come prepared to discuss what their shops do and what they would like to be able to do related to Web content and Web application creation and maintenance. While these topics transcend specific pieces of software, the discussion is intended to be technically detailed enough to include technique implementation specifics.

BIO:
Jason Woodward has been interested in improving software engineering techniques since his first formal introduction to them in 1995. After leaving school to jump head-first into the first dot-com boom in 1998, he continued to learn and apply these techniques while designing and building the software systems behind the world's first downloadable music subscription service, EMusic.com. Since returning to school in 2002, he has been building public and administrative Web systems for Cornell University. Jason holds a B.S. and M.Eng. in Computer Science from Cornell University's College of Engineering.

PRE4: The Ajax Bestiary

PRESENTER: Don Albrecht, University of Rochester Medical Center

ABSTRACT:
This is an introduction to the various AJAX toolkits and libraries available for development. The focus will be on choosing the right library, the benefits, features and drawbacks of each system and a brief introduction to the fundamental principles involved in the different tools. The presentation will focus on Atlas, YUI, Dojo, Rico, GWT, Mootools, Scriptaculous and jQuery.

BIO:
Don Albrecht, University of Rochester Medical Center Department of Microbiology Don Albrecht has been doing web design and custom web application development since 2000. He currently works for the University of Rochester Medical Center Department of Microbiology.

PRE5: User-Centered Design: A Hands-On Exploration of Collaborative Techniques

PRESENTER: Julie Strothman, Landmark College

ABSTRACT:
Whether you are creating a reporting interface, redesigning a website, implementing components of off-the-shelf software or creating a home-grown application, the strongest designs start with information from the users. Have you dabbled with user personas, paper prototyping, card sorts, field visits, etc., but want to know more? User-centered design (UCD) offers data-rich methods for creating successful, usable interfaces, while providing a common language for collaboration among all involved from end-user to designer, developer, manager, and marketer. Key to successful UCD implementation is knowing how to take scads of user data and turn it into usable, sharable evidence. Only then can the evidence reduce the likelihood of opinion battles over design decisions and priorities. In this workshop, we will take an in-depth look at how to use the data generated through various UCD techniques to inform our work. This will be a highly interactive session during which we will: Review the gamut of UCD techniques and their typical uses; dreate personas using notes from real contextual interviews and artifact gathering; discuss avoidable pitfalls in interpreting interview notes and how to share and use the personas; do a cognitive walkthrough of a paper prototype; practice neutral elicitation of the end-users; thoughts (no leading the witness!); perform an online card sort and work with the resulting cluster analysis of the data to draft a navigation structure for a higher ed Web application; review examples of paper and digital card sorts performed on higher ed Web applications and sites; review clips from usability tests of an online course and use transcripts to generate an affinity analysis that we will use to determine priorities for usability changes as well as holes in the data. Affinity analysis building is one of the best UCD opportunities for team-building among all project stakeholders. We will look at how affinity data can be shared and reused throughout the design process. Participants will learn how UCD techniques work together, the strengths and weaknesses of each technique, and how to decide which are most appropriate for a given project. Finally, we will discuss some of the project management aspects of UCD, such as planning for UCD, incorporating UCD into specific methodologies (e.g. agile or XP), and selling your team (and clients) on UCD approaches.

BIO:
Julie Strothman is a Web developer and user researcher with the Landmark College Institute for Research and Training (LCIRT). She earned an M.S. degree in Technology Strategy Management at the Marlboro College Graduate Center, where she focused on user interaction design, accessibility issues, and the use of technology in education. Julie has extensive experience in user-centered design and usability research with students and educators, and brings more than 10 years of project management experience to LCIRT grants and projects, with a current focus on LCIRT's NSF-funded projects.

PRE6: Getting Comfortable with CSS

PRESENTER: Michael Adams, University of Northern Colorado

ABSTRACT:
A workshop for those who know the basics of CSS, but are still frustrated at why somethings don't work right. We will review the basics, vocabulary, and rules, then work through some typical problems using CSS. We will cover styling, tags you might not know about and how to style them, the Mystery of the Float, and some basics of CSS layout. This will be a hands-on workshop, all materials needed will be furnished on CD, you just need a laptop loaded with a text or html editor and at least one browser (more browsers are good). We’ll save some time for some in-depth questions and answers.

BIO:
After a brief career as an actor, director and teacher, Mike wound up in the world of Publications. After ten years the World Wide Web seemed a natural extension of publications, and he's been wandering through those twisty little passages ever since. Mike is the webmaster of the University of Northern Colorado and plays electric/acoustic bass in a bluegrass band.

Post-Conference Workshops
DATE/TIME: Wednesday, October 17th, 1:00 – 5:00 pm

POST1: Workshop 2.0

PRESENTERS: Jeff Keeton, University of Alabama at Birmingham
Dimitri Glazkov, Estrada CMS

ABSTRACT:
Be warned, this is going to be unlike any workshop you've ever been to. Whether you are a techie or marketing type, a seasoned Web 2.0 junkie, or someone who doesn't know what tumbleblog means, this workshop is for you. Why? Because this is going to be the most fun you'd had in a while. And because learning should not mean sitting quietly while scanning through emails.

The UAB Web Communications team shares their story on how they used social networking and Web 2.0 tools to achieve success in communicating the mission on their university and promoting the work of their faculty. The basis for this workshop will be the recent UAB in Antarctica Web site, http://antarctica.uab.edu. This Web site, created by UAB Web Communications, Media Relations, and Estrada CMS, launched in Februaru 2007 and followed a team of UAB biologists as the did research in Antarctica. The researchers kept a blog of their activities and answered questions sent to them by the public. The team also shared many photos of their adventures through the popular photo sharing Web site, Flickr. The site and the team achieved instant and critical success: a lead feature on CNN.com with an audio slideshow; praise from the National Science Foundation and the International Polar Year program, primary funding sources for the research; NSF and IPY have asked the team to participate in communications planning for International Polar Year activities; live satellite conference with public high schools in Alabama; personally praised by Gov. Bob Riley; site used as a showcase in university advancement and student recruitment efforts. The workshop will outline the steps to successfully take a project from idea to conclusion, including: pitching the idea to reluctant faculty and administrators; defining goals and objectives; creating a media plan to get exposure for the site; using the social media press release (SMPR); creating a wire frame with content requirements and functionality; choosing a technology; design; incorporating social media and Web 2.0 elements; follow-through from all parties until competition.

BIO:
Jeff Keeton joined UAB in 2002. Prior to joining UAB, Jeff worked in the national media as an editor and technologist in Washington, D.C.

Dimitri Glazkov is the Chief Technology Officer at Estrada CMS in Birmingham, Ala. Before joining Estrada in 2001, Dimitri worked in the UAB Public Relations and Marketing Group, where he developed the Estrada Content Management System.

POST2: Advanced CSS Workshop

PRESENTER: Daniel M. Frommelt, University of Wisconsin - Platteville

ABSTRACT:
A hands-on opportunity to play with some advanced CSS concepts. Bring your laptops and an open mind. We'll cover many of the current hot design techniques: multi-column layout, faux-column layout, advanced image replacement techniques, advanced list manipulation, rounded corner boxes, son-of-suckerfish dropdowns, cross-column pull-outs, CSS hacks, and customized CSS for alternate devices. There will also be a discussion of emulators for alternate devices and a discussion about helpful tools for Web developers. Example files will be made available for the session that can be manipulated during the workshop. For those bringing laptops, please have a text editor and the current version of Firefox installed, as well as other browsers your institution may support. If you can not bring a laptop, you will be able to observe and work with the other participants. Final example files will be available on CD at the end of the workshop. This workshop assumes a basic understanding of CSS and XHTML principles.

BIO:
Daniel Frommelt has been the Web Coordinator for the University of Wisconsin - Platteville since 1997. Daniel has a staff of nine students who assist him in maintaining the core university Web pages, and with training faculty, staff and students on Web page maintenance and development. Daniel's background is in publishing, teaching, management, and computer technologies. Daniel is an executive committee member of the Campus Web Council of Wisconsin, a graduate of the State of Wisconsin's Club Tech 2000 program, and a graduate of Loras College. Daniel is very active in pursuing Web standards and advancing Web technologies. He has written multiple articles on Web standards and design techniques for A List Apart online magazine.

POST 3: Building a Data-Driven Application with PEAR

PRESENTER: Jason Pitoniak, Rochester Institute of Technology

ABSTRACT:
The PHP Extension and Application Repository (PEAR) provides many tools to help developers quickly and easily build complex Web applications. Built on top of native PHP functions, PEAR packages provide object-oriented interfaces to simplify complex tasks such as database abstraction, form validation, and tabular data display. This workshop will introduce the PEAR library and some of the many packages available. We'll look at how to get started using PEAR, how to build your own PEAR repository on Windows or Unix servers (even if you don't have root access), and how to install and manage packages. We will then build a basic database-driven student records Web application to demonstrate the power of PEAR. If time allows, we'll look at how to add advanced features to our application, such as JavaScript widgets or Web service integration. Participants should have some experience using PHP to build database-driven sites. The presenter encourages participants to bring their questions and ideas and will custom tailor the presentation as much as possible to accommodate the audience.

BIO:
Jason Pitoniak is a Jack-of-all-trades developer at Rochester Institute of Technology's National Technical Institute for the Deaf. At any given time he could be authoring an instructional DVD, building a sign language CD-ROM in Flash, or training faculty on RIT's learning management system. Jason's true passion, however, lies in Web development. A 10+ year veteran of back-end development and early adopter of standards-based design, Jason is a proponent of simple, elegant, usable, and accessible Web solutions. When not camped out in front of his computer, Jason can often be found camping in the woods as a volunteer with a local Boy Scout troop.

POST4: Deploying User-Centered Design Techniques

PRESENTER: Matthew Winkel, The College of New Jersey

ABSTRACT:
A user-centered design strategy facilitates your team's decision-making process by testing your design assumptions of each page element from the perspective of the various audiences that use your site. This workshop will cover a variety of usability techniques including: interviews, card sorts, co-design activities, paper prototyping, and performance testing. There will be an overview of each technique followed by hands-on exercises. This session will be valuable for any professional (i.e. marketing, technology, or communications) who is part of the redesign process for a Web site or Web application.

BIO:
As a Web architect, consultant, and educator, Matthew Winkel is dedicated to improving organizational and community development through his expertise in Web production, community building, and leadership development. He has provided Web consulting for a number of corporations, non-profit groups, and educational institutions including The College of New Jersey (TCNJ) and Princeton University. At TCNJ, Matthew specializes in user interface design and Web communications. He frequently presents case studies on Web usability and social software at regional and national conferences. Matthew also publishes Milliseconds: A Blog for Web Usability Professionals in Higher Education.

POST5: Herding the Cats: Blogs and Online Communities

PRESENTER: Larry Borowsky, Text Therapy Inc.

ABSTRACT:
Blogs have a tremendous capacity to foster the bonds of community: communities of interest and of practice; communities of faculty and students; communities of alumni and donors. The ultimate goal is for participants to think of your blog as *their* blog, *their* community, and to form a positive, lasting association with your institution. A well-executed blog will attract a self-regulating, self-renewing community that supports your mission and your institutional objectives. Let them slip out of balance, and you end up with either an online backwater that nobody visits or a chaotic mob in which people don't listen to each other—and, worst of all, don't hear your institution's message. Attendees will learn how to start a blog and see examples of successful online communities. They will learn what type of content, tone, and presentation style are best suited to building community. They will learn how to publicize their blog, drive traffic to it, and stimulate participation. And they will learn how to establish ground rules for the community, manage conflict, and inspire buy-in on the part of each member.

BIO:
Larry Borowsky is Director of Community Development/Baseball for SB Nation, the country's #1 sports-blog network. Borowsky blogs at >Viva El Birdos (http://www.vivaelbirdos.com), named one of the 5 most influential baseball blogs in America by Sports Media Challenge. He also maintains a blog for Denver City Councilwoman Judy Montero. A former journalist, Borowsky has been published at WSJ.com, Slate.com, Aspen Magazine, Sunset, and other national publications. He has provided editorial consulting services for Qwest, the Aspen Institute, National Jewish Hospital, TeleTech, the University of Colorado, University of Denver, and numerous corporate and nonprofit clients.

POST6: Writing for the Web

PRESENTER: Suzanne Wayne, Penn State College of Education

ABSTRACT:
The Web has become an extremely important communications tool. Prospective students, alumni, current students, faculty and staff, as well as a number of other university partners all rely on the Web as their initial—and sometimes only—source of information. It is crucial that our Web sites have all the necessary information for each of these important audiences. However, Web usability experts suggest that Web content should be 50% shorter than printed content to increase readability and reader retention. How do we communicate so much more information, with less content? In this workshop, we will discuss how to keep Web content concise while retaining the important information users are looking for. Designed specifically for higher education professionals, this workshop will help you understand the writing style that works best on the Web, with specific examples from a number of academic websites. Participants will leave with strategies to help produce appropriate Web content themselves or support communication staff in this endeavor. Topics to be covered include: Cutting content while retaining meaning • Organizing your site • Labeling your information and writing clear links • Knowing your audience and your purpose • Fitting your site into a larger communications plan • Converting printed content to the Web • Knowing what to avoid • Writing for search engine placement.

BIO:
Suzanne Wayne is the Coordinator of College Relations in the Penn State College of Education. Since taking that position in April 2006, she has redesigned the College's print materials, and is in the process of launching a new Web site with a new design and CMS. She has worked as both a print editor and a Web site content manager since 1997 in a variety of units at Penn State, including the Smeal College of Business, Undergraduate Admissions, and the College of Arts and Architecture. She has also consulted on a number of Web sites outside of Penn State. She has presented her workshop at the HighEdWebDev 2005 and 2006 conferences, at Cornell University, as well as at a conference on Integrating Technology into Admissions and Recruitment in Vail, Co. Suzanne has an M.A. in Comparative Literature from Penn State, and has completed all her coursework for her Ph.D. in the same subject. She has taught several courses at Penn State, including Comp Lit 106, "Arthurian Legend," and Latin 1, 2, and 3 in the Penn State Summer Intensive Language Institute.