Meeting Notes
6/17/03

Agenda

1. Review of Charge

a. Credible standards and guidelines in response to state
b. Establish database-driven web architecture
c. Develop multi-level templates to simplify web redesign

2. Web Standards discussion

a. Comments from group for standards sub-group

i. Confusion/conflation E-Pubs/University standards
ii. University has many web presences; E pubs controls only a small proportion
iii. Question of exceptions to state standards
iv. Qualify at what level we accept or comply
v. Don't understand the reasoning behind not allowing "pop-up" ADA requirement?
vi. Are frames ADA-accessible? some of our sites currently use frames
vii. Does 508 apply to Universities? Business issue or social issue?
viii. Could involve captioning and other tools to be completely compliant

b. What levels included

i. Externally funded sites-mandates from external funders
ii. External partnerships-whose requirements take precedence
iii. Faculty-generated course websites and course web pages-possible free speech issues
iv. Operations involved in research and innovation in the use of digital media-hold them back from cutting edge technology, e.g. CHNM

c. What are essential levels to include?

i. Official university business-ticket selling? Enrolling students? Many market-driven functions more than other state agencies
ii. Central university home page and links from that page; limit the compliance as much as possible; limit exposure
iii. Other sites where we encourage compliance-where students transact business, e.g. We set internal standards, not the state. Also HR web site, equity office; stupid for them not to comply.
iv. What about class pages created by students?
v. Perhaps a clause about material not essential to the content being exempt?
vi. List exceptions explicitly (see above)
vii. In addition, we have a set of good practices for all sites to follow.
viii. For example, rather than list specific sites.
ix. How to define what counts as a link from the top page-e.g. do links in the drop-down box count as links?
x. External and internal home pages with different standards?
xi. Privacy and other policies presented only once on University site rather than on every University page.

3. Sample GMU database-driven web sites

a. Three questions

i. Short demo
ii. Purpose
iii. How was it done?

b. Demo from Paras-Gazette and ViewFinder

i. MySQL and PHP (See Paras document for more detail)
ii. Primary goal-content management
iii. Same technology runs events calendar, Today at Mason, TAC gallery
iv. Uses open source solutions
v. Forms-driven

c. Demo from John-ITU Alerts

i. Business problem-four people involved in notifying university about a problem, took a long time to get notification. Needed more real-time notification.
ii. Has management capabilities to approve announcements (diff staff have diff capabilities to send and approve alerts
iii. Java server page, apache with tomcat server engine, execute java servlet, builds dynamic page
iv. Message goes out to listserv and web page simultaneously when supervisor approves
v. Another flavor of this is the news and events section of the ITU web page

d. Demo from Mel-CAS course application

i. Goal-make course info more widely available, paperless, more accurate and easily updated, searchable, prevent duplication of work
ii. Defaults to catalog description
iii. Uses Postgres SQL and PHP-open source database management system
iv. Future plans-input info by way of course proposal process; capture info at the source; online course proposal starts populating the database
v. Can find courses by level, time frame, etc.
vi. (current catalog is not a database, so couldn't link into catalog)
vii. draws info from registrar's page
viii. descriptions specific to individual section of course-unless not there, then defaults to catalog description

e. Suggestion to also hear from Banner Student implementation team

f. Also hear from catalog committee to see how it is currently done

4. Technical/Functional Requirements

a. Starting document for discussion (see document)

i. Anything missing you would add?
ii. Anything you would alter or delete?
iii. Priorities

b. Additions/Deletions
i. Use updated browser, not limit to Netscape 4.7; otherwise we can't meet other standards.
ii. Explanation/discussion of some of the suggestions on the starting document
iii. Same content can be used in multiples styles, formats; separate content and design
iv. Include a metadata/mapping structure?
v. Mechanism for publishing and subscribing to information; framework for access and publication
vi. Integrate content capture into business practices wherever possible
vii. This may involve changes/definitions of business practices
viii. Connections between print and electronic publications
ix. Changes should be reflected immediately in the database
x. Other services provided-build business processes on the web, centrally provided mechanisms for building processes on the web
xi. Units from the university would not need great technical skill to implement the architecture
xii. Compatibility with Banner database architecture
xiii. Members for this group?

1. John Creuziger
2. MeiHua Zhai
3. Creston Jamison
4. Ann Clare
5. Mel Nichols
6. Andrew Flagel or someone from Admissions/Registrar

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Members Attending:
Dee Holisky
Anne Agee
Lara Bushallow
Ann Clare
John Creuziger
Andrew Flagel
Jim Finkelstein
Cathy Hubbs
Creston Jamison
Paras Kaul
Deborah Keene
Ruth Kifer
Mel Nichols
Roy Rosenzweig
Sean Watkins
MeiHua Zhai
Stan Zoltek

Members Absent:
Farrokh Alemi
Mike Behrmann
Andres Fortino
Stephen Nash
Mike Wood

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