Undergrad curriculum updates on all websites are now automated
What if I said you don’t have to manually update the curriculum on your department’s website anymore?
I’m confident your reaction would be something like this:
Or maybe it's more like this:
Either way, it’s not your responsibility anymore. We’ve worked closely with the Division of Academic Affairs to automatically display the undergraduate catalog listings on all University of Louisiana at Lafayette departmental and school websites.
How it works
Our IT guys were able to set up a feed that pulls each individual program’s catalog listing into its designated website. If you want to know the technical details, it uses an API and a newly created module. We insert the codes for each program and for each catalog year to make it display correctly on your sites.
Each year, when the catalog is updated, our IT guys can automatically update the code that corresponds to the academic year. Students will still be able to see past versions of the catalog on catalog.louisiana.edu (and we’ve already added language that explains how to find those past versions so you don’t have to).
Because the catalog should mirror your program names and structure, there shouldn’t be issues moving forward. However, if there are issues with what’s in the University catalog, you need to work with Academic Affairs to get those issues corrected.
Perks
So why is this so great? We have a few reasons:
- It means less work for you and other web ambassadors. And who doesn’t love efficiency?
- It lessens the chance that students will be confused by inconsistent versions of the catalog.
- It makes expectations clearer for current and prospective students. Everyone is being held to one standard: what’s listed in the catalog.
How long until it's all in place?
We’re working through all of the sites right now. If you haven't seen the change on your site yet, send an email to elizabeth@louisiana.edu and we'll make sure we take care of it ASAP.
As always, if you have any questions, feel free to contact me at the email above or 2-1626. We’re here to help!