Web Strategy and Development News

WordPress blog updates are in process

by

Blog upgrade update

Updated 12/4/24

The blog network’s WordPress version, themes, and plugins have been updated to their latest versions. This week, we are reconfiguring various plugins (add-ons), including Jetpack and Yoast. The process should be complete within the next two weeks as planned.

During the upgrade process, the core features of blogs will remain operational. 

We are upgrading the WordPress version that powers the university’s blogs. The upgrades are necessary to resolve issues due to conflicts between the current versions of WordPress, themes (blog layouts) and some plug-ins (add-ons).

The upgrades will provide bug fixes, enhanced security, increased compatibility and allow us to implement new features for editors and blog visitors. 

Estimated timeline for completion

We estimate that the upgrades will be completed in mid-December. 

What to expect

Updated 11/8/24

During the upgrade process, the blogs will continue to function normally. However, the following plug-ins and items will be impacted until the upgrades are complete: 

  • Jetpack subscribe via Email 
    • Blog visitors will not be able to subscribe to blogs. 
    • Existing blog subscribers will continue to receive email notifications for new blog posts. 
  • Jetpack admin dashboard
    • Some dashboard elements will not display updated content
  • Yoast
    •  Intermittent issues and may be unusable.
  • New blog creation
    • New blog setup requests will be processed after the upgrades are complete

Questions?  

Updates will be posted here, and blog editors will be notified.

Contact WSD at WebSupport@MissouriState.edu for any questions.

 

Personal and Course Websites to be Discontinued October 1

by

Effective October 1, 2024, Web Strategy and Development (WSD) will discontinue all personal and course websites on the people.missouristate.edu and courses.missouristate.edu subdomains. University web servers will no longer be available for hosting personal and course websites after this date. Furthermore, web servers are not to be used for storing files or creating backups.

What does this mean for me?

If you have a personal or course website hosted on Missouri State University web servers, you must move your website to a different hosting provider by October 1, 2024. Any remaining personal and course websites (and all associated files) will be deleted after October 1, 2024.

Sites using Modern Campus CMS, the university’s content management system, will NOT be affected.

What if I no longer use my personal or course website?

No action is required as any remaining personal and course websites (and all associated files) will be deleted after October 1, 2024. Alternatively, you may contact WSD at websupport@missouristate.edu and we will archive/remove the site for you.

Where can I host my website and purchase a domain name?

There are several affordable hosting providers such as GoDaddy or Bluehost where you can purchase a domain and host your website. Please note that WSD is unable to provide support for moving personal websites or any websites not built by WSD.

What if I use my personal or course website to store files?

University web servers are not intended to be used for file storage or backups. Work or school-related files of an individual nature should be saved to your OneDrive. Collaborative/shared files can alternatively be uploaded to a Microsoft Teams site or Microsoft 365 group. If you do not have a Teams site, you may create one following these instructions. Personal files unrelated to university functions should not be stored on university-managed systems.

What if I use my personal or course website to store course information?

The preferred platform for hosting course information is Brightspace, the university’s learning management system. For questions regarding Brightspace please contact the Faculty Center for Teaching and Learning at FCTL@MissouriState.edu.

What if I use my personal or course website for a research group, association or organization?

Upon review and approval of the content, you may be able to rebuild your research site within the university’s content management system, Modern Campus. Once your research group, association or organization website is rebuilt in Modern Campus, we can optionally redirect your old personal/course website to the new website location. For further information on the process and requirements, contact WSD at websupport@missouristate.edu.

Where can I add my professional profile information on the website?

Professional information such as research, professional interests, and areas of expertise can be added to your directory profile. Find out how to manage your directory profile. Once your directory profile is updated, we can optionally redirect your old personal/course website to your directory profile.

Questions?

Contact WSD at websupport@missouristate.edu

How catalog changes will affect your academic website

by

The Office of the Registrar is transitioning the undergraduate and graduate catalogs to a new system. Web Strategy and Development (WSD) is assisting with the transition by switching the catalog information on academic websites to match the content and format of the Registrar’s new catalog system.

What is changing?

The content and format of catalog pulls will have a slightly different look. Pages with catalog content will still automatically display the content from the Registrar’s new catalog system via the catalog provider’s CMS connector.

As part of this process, the existing catalog system which was used to automatically pull in content from the catalog will be retired in the coming weeks.

What pages will this impact? 

Pages like “Program requirements”, “admissions requirements”, “course listings”, “degree plans”, and similar pages.

What if pages are missing?

If you notice that you are missing separate admission requirements, accelerated master’s or other pages and now only have a program requirements page, this is due to the way the new catalog systems functions. The new catalog system pulls catalog information into one page in various instances.

What if I have questions?

For questions, please contact websupport@missouristate.edu.

Modern Campus Calendar Details

by

The new events calendar is now live at calendar.missouristate.edu.

Approved calendar editors will be granted access to add events the week of April 8th.

It is important to familiarize yourself with the below items when navigating the new calendar.

New calendar interface

The calendar interface has changed with the below features available.

Header

Search: Use the keyword search available in the calendar header to quickly search all events.

Other calendars and resources: Select the Other Calendars & Resources button to view a list of additional calendars and support links.

Navigation

Event Type: Select Featured or All events from the drop-down menu.

Date: To view events for a specific date, simply use the date selection feature in the drop-down menu.

Categories: Select a specific category of events to view from the drop-down menu.

View Format: View events in a list view or traditional calendar view by selecting a format icon.

Other Calendars

Other Calendars: View additional calendars such as alumni events, academic calendars, student organization events and more located at the end of the event feed.

Resources

Submit event to Inside Missouri State (IMS): Use the linked form in the Resources section to submit an event for potential inclusion in IMS.

Calendar Support: Use the linked contact page for calendar support.

Calendar Support

Using the public calendar

Editing the calendar

  • To gain access to add events to the calendar, you must complete calendar training.
  • Once you have completed training and are approved, access will be provided the week of April 8.

How to become a calendar editor

Editor resources

Contact

Contact Web Strategy and Development for calendar questions and support.

Contact Support