A word or two on the recent redesign of this website…
The site is now run on WordPress, a popular open-source blogging program. This means that the software is a) free, b) easily modifiable, and most importantly c) user-friendly.
This particular installation of WordPress is hosted by UBC and supported by a fantastic team led by Novak Rogic at the Centre for Teaching, Learning, and Technology.
With their Content Management System initiative, and their custom WordPress “UBC Look-and-Feel” template, at a stroke Novak and his people have essentially eliminated not only the need to use finicky, unintuitive, and often closed-box software, but also the (perceived) need to pay thousands of bucks to external designers simply to produce a basic departmental or program website.
To construct a site like this using WordPress, all you need is a pretty rudimentary familiarity with blogging software. Everything else follows. The team (notably, in our case, the wonderful Michael Ha) then provide excellent support for any issues that arise. We’ve run into the occasional glitch or two, but Novak and Michael have been great in helping us figure out ways to make the site work the way we want it to.
Check out UBC’s showcase of other sites produced with this same, free and open-source, design and philosophy.