Web 2008 Conference Agenda

Registration opens at 7:30 at the former Registration Desk

Steve Krug's Book Signing, Poster Sessions, Vendor Displays and continental breakfast begin at 8:00 in the Senate Suite

Opening Keynote Presentation

Everything You Need to Know about Usability (47-minute version)

Steve Krug, author of Don’t Make Me Think: A Common Sense Approach to Web Usability

Higher education has some unique challenges—and, oddly enough, one or two significant advantages—when it comes to developing a useful Web presence. Using examples drawn from the Penn State Web world, Steve will explain why making your Web sites and applications more “user friendly” is actually much easier—and much harder—than you think.

Time: 9:00 - 10:00

Location: Presidents Hall

Welcome and Opening Remarks begin at 8:50

(Note: Lunch will take place from 12:30 - 1:30pm in President's Hall.  Kevin Morooney will speak at 12:45)

Conference Session Schedule At-A-Glance

Closing Keynote Presentation

Town Meeting

This year we are trying something different for our closing keynote presentation. Rather than the usual general session that closes the conference at the end of the day, Kevin Morooney, Vice Provost for Information Technology at Penn State will moderate a Town Meeting. Panelists will include our invited colleagues from other higher education institutions including Mark Greenfield - Director of Web Services, University at Buffalo, The State University of New York,  Daniel Frommelt - World Wide Web Coordinator, University of Wisconsin-Platteville, Steven Lewis - Web Manager / Information Security Coordinator at The College at Brockport, State University of New York, and Matthew Winkel - Communications Officer for Web and New Media at The College of New Jersey. Conference attendees will have an opportunity to submit questions to the panel. Audience participation will be essential!

Time: 4:00 - 5:00

Location: Presidents Hall

Restaurant Hops to follow Town Meeting

NEW! SCHED*Web2008

Create your personal Web Conference Schedule and see who else is attending! Find out what sessions your friends and colleagues are going to. View the conference and tutorial schedule at a glance. Get started at http://psu08.sched.org/!

Session Tracks

• Progressive Strategies (PST)
• Penn State Services (PSS)
• Web Development (WED)
• Best Practices/Usability/Accessibility (BPU)
• Communications (COM)
• Building Community (BUC)

Progressive Strategies (PST)

PST1: Do-It-Yourself User Testing: The Live Demo

Steve Krug, author of Don’t Make Me Think: A Common Sense Approach to Web Usability

When he wrote Don’t Make Me Think eight years ago, Steve recommended do-it-yourself usability testing as the best way to improve your Web site. Since then, he’s spent a lot of time trying to teach people exactly how to do it.

In this session, Steve will spell out his detailed, easy to follow plan for low-cost/no-cost do-it-yourself Web usability testing (“A morning a month; that’s all we ask”) and do a live demonstration of a user test on a Penn State site. His objective is to convince you that it’s something you can and should be doing now for your own site or application.

Prerequisite Skills: No Experience or prior knowledge.

Time: 10:15 - 11:15

Location: Room 207

PST2: The 7 Habits of Highly Effective Web Teams

Mark Greenfield, Director of Web Services, University at Buffalo

Stephen Covey’s “The 7 habits of Highly Effective People” is a best-selling business book that has become a blueprint for personal and professional development. The 7 Habits also provide a framework for highly effective web teams. This presentation will introduce the principles of the 7 habits and provide real-world examples of how they can improve the effectiveness of Web teams at both the personal and organizational levels.

Prerequisite Skills: No Experience or prior knowledge.

Time: 11:30 - 12:30

Location: Room 207

PST3: It’s the End of the Web as We Know It Redux

Mark Greenfield, Director of Web Services, University at Buffalo

The rules of the game have changed. We are going to have to rethink a few things. The web is evolving at exponential speed and many of our basic assumptions and approaches need to be reexamined. This presentation challenges the audience to “think about how they think about” the web. It will review recent trends in web communications and provide strategies on how to leverage new technologies to connect and collaborate with constituents as we enter the Participation Age.

Prerequisite Skills: No Experience or prior knowledge.

Time: 1:30 - 2:30

Location: Room 207

PST4: Why Microformats?

Daniel Frommelt, University World Wide Web Coordinator, University of Wisconsin-Platteville

Designed for humans first and machines second, microformats are a set of simple, open data formats built upon existing and widely adopted standards. Instead of throwing away what works today, microformats intend to solve simpler problems first by adapting to current behaviors and usage patterns (e.g. XHTML, blogging).

Microformats solve a specific problem, as simply as possible, using highly semantic XHTML (already adopted by the W3C.) Microformats are designed for human readability first and machines second providing a new way of thinking about data. Get a crash course in Microformats today!

Prerequisite Skills: Knowledge of XHTML and basic web design helpful.

Time: 2:45 - 3:45

Location: Room 207

Penn State Services (PSS)

PSS1: Roles and Attributes with Groups

Jimmy Vuccolo, Manager/Research Programmer, ITS, Penn State

The purpose of this talk is to describe how Penn State is solving some problems related to authorization and affiliation representation. The core of the solution to this problem is to use roles represented in our enterprise LDAP directory. Two case studies and other examples will be presented. The first case study is related to the financial community. We will discuss how it uses roles with carefully planned-for attributes to control access to certain financial applications and/or transactions. The second case is related to the multiple affiliations that a person may have, in particular how these different affiliations apply to different campuses or locations.

Given that people can and do have multiple affiliations that can vary by location, and typical LDAP object classes can't address all of these affiliations or roles, we will discuss how we are using LDAP roles to keep people's affiliations sorted out. We will also show how having a single authoritative source for roles pays some unexpected dividends thru other simple examples.We will also discuss our web-based tool called WebRAT (Web-based Role Authorization Tool) that we developed to allow data stewards to manage the membership and attributes of their respective roles.

Prerequisite Skills: No experience necessary.

Time: 10:15 - 11:15

Location: Room 105

PSS2: Web-Based Access Control for ITS Web Services, Present and Future (Part II - The Future is Imminent) (with 2008 updates)

Jeff D’Angelo, Systems Analyst/Programmer, ITS, Penn State and Jimmy Vuccolo, Manager/Research Programmer, ITS, Penn State

This session will offer updates to last year’s session, including progress made on changes to PASS and access control for ITS Web hosting services and role based authorizations. Changes to the Penn State Directory service that took place in February and March 2008 that impact Web application authorization may also be discussed.

Prerequisite Skills: Experience with Web development on ITS hosted Web services or directory (LDAP) enabled Web application development ideal; general experience with Web development or programming highly recommended.

Time: 11:30 - 12:30

Location: Room 105

Session Introduction: podcast

PSS3: Cyberinfrastructure and the Read/Write Web

Jim Leous, Team Leader, ITS Emerging Technologies, Penn State and Jeff Nucciarone, Senior Research Programmer, Penn State

Collaboration is essential for large research projects and teams. We report our initial findings regarding the facilitation of collaboration and cyberinfrastructure using the Read/Write Web. Our presentation will detail how we augment our traditionally robust high performance computing and visualization with emerging areas of Web collaboration and social software.

Prerequisite Skills: Familiarity with Web 2.0 and collaborative computing recommended.

Time: 1:30 - 2:30

Location: Room 105

PSS4: Security for a New Age

Jenn Stewart, IPAS Project Technical Coordinator, Penn State and Mike Leach, IPAS Project Manager, Penn State

Attendees will learn about new security tools, methodologies and best practices to meet upcoming (if not already existing the time of the conference) security requirements. Attendees can also expect to gain an inside view of the Data Classification Scheme that will serve as the foundation for IPAS Phase II initiatives.

Prerequisite Skills: There are no prerequisites. The presentation will capture the audience attention at all levels.

Time: 2:45 - 3:45

Session Introduction: podcast

Location: Room 105

Web Development (WED)

WED1: An Integrated Web Workflow With Adobe Creative Suite 3

Tim Plumer, Jr., Sr. Solutions Engineer, NA Education Sales Adobe Systems Incorporated

Creative Suite is more than just a collection of powerful tools. It is a set of tools that are designed to work together in an integrated way. This session will demonstrate how you can save time through the process of design into code generation with Adobe Creative Suite tools including Fireworks CS3, Dreamweaver CS3, and Flash CS3. Plus, as you endeavor to add more engaging media to your web presence, you can leverage tools like Premeiere Pro CS3, After Effects CS3 and Soundbooth CS3 to create an experience for your audience that keeps them coming back.

Prerequisite Skills: A basic understanding of web technologies including HTML, CSS, and some knowledge of Adobe products such as Adobe Photoshop, Adobe Dreamweaver, or Adobe Flash.

Time: 10:15 - 11:15

Location: Room 206

WED2: Migrating Your Site to Plone: Case Studies Highlighting Different Approaches

Rose Pruyne, Web Administrator, Penn State, Catherine Williams, Programmer/Analyst, Penn State, Jeanne Spicer, Population Research Institute / Social Science Research Institute, Penn State and Joe DeLuca, IST/ Solutions Institute, Penn State

Have you been considering Plone/WebLion? Are you daunted by the idea of moving your entire Web site into a(nother) content management system? In this panel presentation, developers from around the University share their approach to migrating their units' sites to Plone. Some of our presenters work in teams consisting of various specialists (systems administrators, designers, programmers, writers...). Others are their units only web person, responsible for everything from site architecture to server security. Experiences range from big bang makeovers of static sites to incremental migration from existing content management systems. Hear about the advantages and pitfalls of different approaches to moving to the Plone platform, and make contacts with people whove already gone through the process.

Prerequisite Skills: No experience or prior knowledge is necessary.

Time: 11:30 - 12:30

Location: Room 106

WED3: Using Eclipse for Web Development

Joe DeLuca, Programmer/Analyst, Solutions Institute, College of IST, Penn State

Eclipse is an open-source development platform that can be used to manage code for almost any web project. Whether you use XHTML, JavaScript, PHP, Python, Plone, ColdFusion, Java or some other platform, Eclipse can serve as one-stop code shop for all your applications. By installing plugins to suit your development needs, you can create a custom IDE. As you seek to explore new technologies, chances are that there is an Eclipse plugin available to meet your needs.

Prerequisite Skills: Experience with writing or editing code is necessary. Experience with some web development tools is helpful but not necessary.

Time: 1:30 - 2:30

Location: Room 106

WED4: Photoshop: Automation and Actions

Alan Klein, IT Training Specialist, Penn State

Participants will learn how to use automation and action features within Photoshop to prepare multiple images at the same time for the Web.

1. Learn how to record Photoshop Actions to scale images down in size, resolution, and use stroke features to create an image border
2. Learn how to batch process recorded actions to manipulate multiple images in one step with Photoshops automation functions
3. Learn how to create an image Web gallery with Photoshops automation tools

Photoshops automation and action tools will allow users to speed up production when preparing multiple images at the same time. This demonstration will educate users on the simplicity of these tools while providing them with the skills to create additional actions of their own.

Prerequisite Skills: Participants should have prior experience with Photoshop and posting content to the Web.

Time: 2:45 - 3:45

Location: Room 106

Session Introduction: podcast

Best Practices/Usability/Accessibility (BPU)

BPU1: What Not to Wear on the Web

More people than ever have access to publish content on the Web. Content management systems and applications like FrontPage and Dreamweaver make Web authoring as easy as getting dressed in the morning, but just because your software offers you a closetful of tricks doesn't mean you have to wear them all at once. This presentation provides basic Web Authoring tips in a fun and memorable mock-fashion show format.

Prerequisite Skills: No experience or prior knowledge is necessary.

Time: 10:15 - 11:15

Location: Room 106

BPU2: CSS: Intermediate to Advanced

Mark Heckel, Information Technology Trainer, Penn State

In this session, we will look at some intermediate to advanced CSS techniques for menus, positioning, and creating some effects. This will be a lecture demonstration. Attendees will get a better understanding of some intermediate and advanced CSS techniques in relation to menus, Flash-like effects and positioning.

Prerequisite Skills: Experience with writing HTML/XHTML and cascading style sheet code.

Time: 11:30 - 12:30

Location: Room 206

BPU3: Conducting User-Centered Design Tests in Five Minutes or Less

Matthew Winkel, Communications Officer for Web and New Media at TCNJ

Higher education web professionals face the daunting challenge of providing effective web experiences for highly variegated audiences. We compel 15-year-old prospects to add us to their short list of schools and motivate older adults to stay connected with their alma mater. A user-centered approach guides us to validate our design decisions with user feedback at every phase of site development. Many user-centered design tests can be conducted in five minutes or less including prototype reviews, surveys, visual affordance tests, label tests, and brand tests. This seminar will provide you with both a strategy for test selection and practical techniques that have been crafted specifically for various higher education audiences. We will examine case studies for several types of sites including a university home page, an audience-based portal, an admissions site, a library site, a news site, and an alumni community site.

Prerequisite Skills: No experience or prior knowledge is necessary.

Time: 1:30 - 2:30

Location: Room 206

BPU4: Applying Universal Design Principles to the Web: Understanding Web Accessibility

Kel Smith, Principal, Anikto LLC

A California federal judge’s decision not to dismiss a discrimination case against retailer Target Corp has opened to the door to future Internet-related Americans with Disabilities Act claims. The ruling, believed to be the first indicating that the ADA can apply to the Internet, brings to light the concept of barrier-free web design. This seminar will cover the seven principles of universal design in the context of the Web, explore the legal and technical aspects of section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act, describe the practical benefits of compliance, and offer advice to those who want to design attractive Web sites that meet the needs of all users.

Prerequisite Skills: Some experience with HTML/CSS.

Time: 2:45 - 3:45

Location: Room 206

Communications (COM)

COM1: Communications in Higher Education IT Organizations: Nuances, Challenges, and Successes

Karen Hackett, Project Manager-Associate/Marketing Coordinator, ITS, Penn State and Jim Leous, Team leader, ITS Emerging Technologies, Penn State

Marketing and communications for Penn State's Information Technology Services is a crucial activity, but it can be an enormous challenge to consistently deliver a coherent message about what “ITS at Penn State” really means, and what it represents more universally. Communicators in college/university IT organizations often have extraordinarily multifaceted—and thus challenging—responsibilities to bear, especially in light of the rate at which technology and its audiences continue to rapidly develop and change and the conditions in which they change (taking into consideration the recent tragedy at Virginia Tech and related emergency response communications). Despite the challenges, workloads, responsibilities, and surprises, how can we improve and streamline communications without overlooking the very important and fundamental ”Five Ws” — who, what, where, when, and why — and their partners, the “Five Cs” — content, context, clarity, credibility, and consistency.

Prerequisite Skills: None, but a basic knowledge of/experience with communications in general AND in IT is appreciated/helpful.

Time: 10:15 - 11:15

Location: Room 108

COM2: Lightning Talks

Christian Vinten-Johansen, Information Technology Manager, TLT-ITS, Penn State

Lightning talks are 5 minute presentations of a project, problem or a special topic of interest. I will organize and host a lightning talks session to make public the wide range of projects happening at Penn State; projects that might not fill an hour presentation slot but are significant and deserve to be highlighted in the short presentation format.

Prerequisite Skills: None but the desire to learn about the activities of your colleagues that don't often receive bright lights and marquees.

Time: 11:30 - 12:30

Location: Room 108

COM3: Managing IT Solutions for Long Term Success

Diane Weller, Team Leader, Web and Communications Services, Penn State

As implementers of IT solutions, we too often focus only on building and delivering the solution and not giving attention to how we assure user adoption and long term success of the solution. This session will raise awareness of the importance of developing and utilizing a model that supports the communication, project management, and change management of new solutions through addressing the guidelines, policies, procedures, and organizational structures necessary to properly support, encourage adoption, sustain and evolve IT solutions.

Prerequisite Skills: Experience with the implementation of an IT solution(s) would be helpful but not necessary.

Time: 1:30 - 2:30

Location: Room 108

Session Introduction: podcast

COM4: Poster and Vendor Sessions

Poster Session Descriptions

Prerequisite Skills: None.

Time: 2:45 - 3:45

Location: Senate Suite

Building Community (BUC)

BUC1: Creating and Customizing Your Blog

Elizabeth Pyatt, Instructional Designer, Penn State and Brad Kozlek, Manager/Programmer, Penn State

This presentation will show you different ways to customize your Blogs at Penn State site and make it your own. Topics will include setting up your address book, configuring your sidebar and header, adding custom widgets, adding Google Analytics, using content from
other services, creating your own styles, and using the Movable Type template language.

Prerequisite Skills: Users should know how to create a blog and should be comfortable with simple HTML.

Time: 10:15 - 11:15

Location: Room 208

Session Introduction: podcast

BUC2: Developing the Penn State Libraries Application for Facebook

Binky Lush, Web Designer/Developer, Penn State, and Chris Stubbs, Programmer/Analyst, Penn State

70% of students at Penn State’s University Park campus log on to Facebook at least once a day, with 93% of students having a Facebook account. The Facebook platform provides an opportunity for institutions of higher education to leverage the environment that students are already using to communicate and collaborate. In September, 2007, the Libraries and ETS launched the first Penn State application within Facebook — allowing students to access the CAT and databases within the Facebook platform. Presentation will include discussion of the development process, what we've learned and what we have planned for the future of this application.

• Application: http://apps.facebook.com/psulibrary/
• Whitepaper: http://ets.tlt.psu.edu/wp-content/uploads/facebook_applications.pdf

Prerequisite Skills: No experience or prior knowledge is necessary

Time: 11:30 -12:30

Location: Room 208

BUC3: Blogs and Wikis for Internal Communications

Nikki Massaro Kauffman, Technology Training Coordinator, Penn State, Nancy Hallberg, Programmer/Analyst, Penn State, and Robin Smail, Instructional Design Assistant, Penn State

We've heard much in the last few years about blogs, microblogs, and wikis. We've heard strategies for using blogs and wikis in the classroom, people have set up blogs using Blogs @ Penn State, and some of us are actually doing strategic planning on wikis. However, we still hear many people wondering how blogs and wikis can be applied to their day to day work. Blogs, microblogs, and wikis are useful tools that should be part of internal communications and training.

Prerequisite Skills: No experience or prior knowledge is necessary.

Time: 1:30 - 2:30

Location: Room 208

BUC4: Tapping into Web 2.0 and Social Networking Tools for Marketing and Communications at a Large Enrollment University

Derick Burns, Publicity Coordinator, Penn State, Mary Janzen, Associate Editor, Penn State, Jamie Oberdick, Associate Editor, Penn State, and Tara Caimi, Marketing Coordinator, Penn State

We will provide examples of how we are using Web 2.0 and social networking tools such as podcasts, blogs, and Facebook to facilitate marketing and communication of Teaching and Learning with Technology's services, facilities, and events.

Prerequisite Skills:

Time: 2:45 - 3:45

Location: Room 208

Session Introduction: podcast