Throughout the 1990s, most businesses and public sector organisations strove to establish a web presence and to digitise their information resources for web and intranet access. This exponential growth of web based information resources soon resulted in significant problems with information retrieval on many sites, and underscored the critical importance of effective systems for information organisation, retrieval and use in the web environment. From the late 1990s, Content Management Systems (CMS) have emerged as a preferred solution to these issues.

2005: Existing unit IMS1401 Web-based Information Systems being remodelled and upgraded to fit into the new BITS degree structure with new FIT unit code.

FIT2042 Web Content Management is an elective 2nd level unit in the Caulfied BITS major in Systems Development.

There are no existing comparable units within the Faculty or the University. It focuses on information management issues with web and intranet content that are not covered in related information systems units. It is a useful complementary addition to these units and to the other information management units

Graduates in the fields of information systems and information management are increasingly operating in web-based contexts. Web content management/ information architecture is a significant new professional field. The unit is relevant to students from information systems and information management streams, and to other students within the Faculty who are interested in information retrieval issues in web-based systems.

On completion of this unit, students should have knowledge and understanding of:

C1. The principles and practice of web content management.

C2. The relative roles and responsibilities of content managers and other professionals in a web or intranet development project.

C3. User information needs and information seeking behaviours within the web environment.

C4. Information retrieval principles (eg precision, recall, relevance, specificity) and their application in the web environment.

C5. Issues and challenges in organising information for effective retrieval on web sites and intranets, eg how to balance business goals and imperatives with user needs; how to facilitate access to vast online collections of disparate content and format, and whether or not controlled vocabularies are necessary; centralisation-decentralisation issues in web content management; how to blend top-down and bottom-up approaches to web content management.

C6. Organisation systems, schemes and structures for web/ intranet content management, including hierarchical and faceted classification schemes/ taxonomies, thesauri and metadata schemas; and how these organisation systems are represented in the key components of web information architecture, namely labelling, navigation and search systems.

C7. The application of information design and usability principles to labelling, navigation and search functions on a web site or intranet.

C8. Commonalities and differences in information architectures in web, intranet and extranet environments.

C9. Phases and processes in planning and implementing a content management system, ie research into the business context, requirements and audiences; developing a strategy that aligns effectively with business strategy; designing and documenting the CMS; building, usability testing and launching; designing and conducting training programs; and ongoing administration (performance and usage monitoring and feedback, evaluation and continuous improvement).

C10. CMS tools, techniques and software, that are commonly used.

On completion of this unit, students should appreciate:

A1. The range of specialist expertise amongst content managers and other professionals involved in a web site/ intranet development project, and the importance of effective communication and collaboration amongst these groups.

A2. The centrality of the user in defining an information architecture for a web site or intranet--and the difficulties users experience in finding relevant information on the web.

A3. That business imperatives and user requirements are the key drivers of CMSs, but that reconciling the two may be no easy task.

A4. That findability is a critical factor in determining web usability, and the role effective organisation systems play in this process.

A5. That effective organisation systems tend to be largely invisible to web or intranet users.

On completion of this unit, students should have developed skills in:

P1. Conducting a business requirements analysis, and a user needs analysis, in connection with developing an information architecture for a web site or intranet.

P2. Developing an effective information architecture for a web site or intranet, taking into consideration unique business and user information requirements, and information retrieval, information design and usability principles and guidelines.

P3. Constructing a taxonomy; applying facet analysis to thesaurus construction; and designing a metadata schema for a web site or intranet.

P4. Planning, designing, documenting, testing and evaluating labelling, navigation and search systems for a web site or intranet.

P5. Utilising a range of CMS and information architecture tools and techniques (eg blueprints, wireframes, card sorting, affinity diagrams, content maps, personas), and software in the process of developing a CMS.

P6. Undertaking usability/findability testing of users using prototypes and a range of evaluation techniques and interpreting findings.

P7. Evaluating CMS and information architectures and products.

On completion of this unit, students should have enhanced their skills in:

S1. Collaborative teamwork with both colleagues from the same field and with others from different professional or disciplinary backgrounds.

S2. Professional communication?making oral presentations, and writing reports and technical documentation.

ASCED Discipline Group classification: 091301 Librianship and Information Management

The unit covers principles and practice of web content management systems. It focuses on developing organisation systems for web sites or intranets that are responsive to business imperatives and user needs, and that facilitate effective retrieval of information. Topics addressed, within the context of the web environment, include: analysing business requirements and user information needs; user information seeking behaviours; information retrieval principles; issues and challenges in organising information for effective retrieval; organisation systems, schemes and structures (eg taxonomies, thesauri and metadata schemas) and how these are represented in labelling, navigation and search systems; information design and usability principles; and planning and implementing a CMS. Particular emphasis is given to developing practical skills in these areas and to applying relevant tools and techniques.

Covers principles & practice of web content management systems. Focuses on developing organisation systems for web sites/intranets that are responsive to business imperatives & user needs & facilitate effective information retrieval (IR). Topics, within a web environment: analysing business requirements & user information needs; user information seeking behaviours; IR principles; information organisation issues; organisation schemes and structures (eg taxonomies, thesauri and metadata schemas) & how these are represented in labelling, navigation and search systems; information design & usability principles; & planning and implementing a CMS. Emphasis is on developing practical skills.

Prescribed Text

Recommended Reading

Asprey, Len & Middleton, Michael. (2003). Integrative document and content management: Strategies for exploiting enterprise knowledge. Hershey, PA: Idea Group Publishing.

Boiko, Bob. (2005). Content management bible. 2nd ed. Indianapolis: Wiley.

Boxes and Arrows (an online journal for content managers and information architects) http://www.boxesandarrows.com/archives/

Fleming, Jennifer. (1998). Web navigation: Designing the user experience. Sebastopol, CA: OReilly.

Hackos, JoAnn T. (2002). Content management for dynamic Web delivery. New York: Wiley.

McGovern, Gerry & Norton, Rob. (2002). Content critical: Gaining competitive advantage through high-quality web content. Harlow, Eng.: Financial Times Prentice Hall.

Robertson, James. Step Two Designs website (Papers on content management and intranet design) http://www.steptwo.com.au/papers/

Rosenfeld, Louis & Morville, Peter. (2002). Information architecture for the World Wide Web. 2nd ed. Sebastopol, CA: OReilly.

Svenonius, Elaine. (2000). The intellectual foundation of information organization. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press.

Wodtke, Christina. (2003). Information architecture: Blueprints for the Web Indianapolis: New Riders Publishing.

A range of other linked online resources, web sites, personal blogs, etc. will be given in weekly class readings.

On campus

• Lectures (2 hours)
• Tutorials/ Laboratories (2 hours)
• Assignments

Teaching will comprise two hours of lectures per week, and two hours of tutorial and laboratory time in which students will work individually and as groups investigating aspects of the development and use of content management systems.

Lectures: C1-C10, A1-A7. Lectures will focus on developing the key knowledge/ understanding areas outlined under the cognitive domain objectives, and to some extent on the attitudinal areas described under the affective domain objectives.

Tutorials/ Laboratories: P1-P7, A1-A5, S1-S2. Tutorial/ laboratory sessions will provide discussions and practical exercises in applying concepts covered in lectures, and in developing the particular related practical skills in information organisation, and in using and evaluating content management tools, techniques and software (as outlined under the psychomotor domain objectives). Experience from tutorials will also contribute to developing attitudes described under the affective domain objectives, and the social domain objectives related to collaborative teamwork and professional communication.

Assignment work: (C1-10), P1-P7, (A1-A5), S1-S2. Assignment work will comprise an individual component and a group component. There will be a focus on both cognitive and practical components for the individual assignment. The group assignment will focus on applying practical skills and understandings to developing a CMS for a particular web site or intranet. The group component and associated class presentations will contribute to enhancing collaborative teamwork and professional communication skills.

Formal Supervised Assessment/ Examination: C1-C10, (P1-P7, A1-A5). The examination component will be primarily oriented towards knowledge and understanding objectives, and only to a limited extent psychomotor and affective domain objectives.

Examination: (3 hours) (50%)

Assignments (50%) These will comprise an individual and a group/ team component.

Assignment work: (C1-10), P1-P7, (A1-A5), S1-S2. Assignment work will comprise an individual component and a group component. There will be a focus on both cognitive and practical components for the individual assignment. The group assignment will focus on applying practical skills and understandings to developing a CMS for a particular web site or intranet. The group component and associated class presentations will contribute to enhancing collaborative teamwork and professional communication skills.

Formal Supervised Assessment/ Examination: C1-C10, (P1-P7, A1-A5). The examination component will be primarily oriented towards knowledge and understanding objectives, and only to a limited extent psychomotor and affective domain objectives.

12 hours of study per week, comprising:

• Lectures: 2 hours per week
• Tutorials/ laboratory: 2 hours per week
• Assignments, reading and private study: an average of 8 hours per week

High-tech lecture theatre with data display and internet connection, with a PC and facility to plug in a laptop, for two hours per week throughout the semester.

Tutorial room

Laboratory equipped with the Standard Operating Environment.

One lecturer per semester. One tutor per laboratory session per semester.

Faculty SOE for hardware and software, plus selected CMS software--specific details to be advised.

Adequate copies of at least the recommended texts listed above.

FIT

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