By David May, Director of Web and Interactive Marketing, Chapman University
Chapman University’s Web and Interactive Marketing team is known for solving problems. Three years ago, this newly assembled team overhauled a decade-old website, transforming it into a freshly-designed, responsive, and content marketing focused experience. Chapman’s new web presence focuses on building dynamic content through a robust blog network and websites built using service oriented architecture, like social.chapman.edu and inside.chapman.edu. The emphasis on SOA design allows the marketing team to broadcast aggregated social media and story content throughout Chapman’s websites.
After the launch of Chapman’s new websites, the team was challenged with creating a digital signage product that conveyed a consistent, elegant, and branded experience for individuals visiting Chapman’s campus. The resulting product is a web-based system that interacts with Chapman’s faculty directory, emergency notification system, and is touch-compatible.
While maintaining and supporting these products, the Chapman University “web team” is now working on an events publicity tool that will allow members of the Chapman Family to easily find, attend, and enjoy events. There are also plans for new mobile experiences for Chapman’s websites, new improvements to blogs and content aggregators, and more.
For those involved in the education vertical, you know that universities are sometimes left with no choice but to use expensive software to meet simple needs. By focusing on ‘open-sourcing’ parts of, or all of, their products Chapman’s web team wants to provide an alternative to expensive software and encourage other universities and ‘makers’ to use, contribute to, and enjoy these features at no cost. Education is about advancing knowledge, making and creating – by embracing open source Chapman University’s Web and Interactive Marketing team is hoping to lower costs and push technological boundaries in higher education.
To learn more, click here and visit Chapman University’s GitHub account.
