Harnessing new technology

Geneva College has implemented a new computer system that will make the college’s Web site more accurate and up to date.

In the past, each of the over 5,000 Web pages on Geneva’s site had to be built individually by college Webmaster Heather Henkel, who would start from a fresh template page and copy-and-paste text and links. Henkel also had to fix any problems that occurred—from spelling errors to broken links.

The new content management system (CMS) lets each department edit its own section of the Web site, while Henkel keeps an eye on the site as a whole. The system allows non-technical users to work with the Web site’s content.

“Things are able to be posted a lot faster. There isn’t a bottleneck of trying to get things updated on the Web site,” Henkel said.

Henkel started training for the new program in March and then in turn trained 97 fellow faculty and staff members in May.

Although the management of the Web site is different, the look and feel remains unchanged for now. Henkel is planning a major redesign in the next year or so.