What we've done

Part of the Higher Education Academy network of discipline-specific support centres, ESCalate is the education subject centre with a remit to disseminate resources and promote good practice and inter-institutional networking in Education and Continuing Education departments across UK HEIs.

Since 2004 SimplicityWeb has hosted ESCalate's website and provided a bespoke support and development service. Staff at each of the Centre's UK sites use a specially designed web-based content management system which allows them to work collaboratively and publish information and resources directly to the web.

Standards based, data-driven page generation keeps the site up-to-date and easy to navigate, while powerful search and browsing facilities help visitors locate content using a familiar interface. Back-end systems allow cataloguing and exposure of content in standard formats (RSS, iCal and OAI) with minimum administrative effort.

A login facility enables academics and students to register their details and interests, sign up to events, contribute resources and even apply for grant funding online. Not only has this reduced the administrative burden on the ESCalate team in managing the data, it has also allowed the Centre to develop a closer relationship with and offer better support to its community.

Environmental Data Services Ltd (ENDS) is the leading provider of information to environment professionals throughout Europe.

SimplicityWeb has developed a number of database-driven systems for ENDS to help manage the publication of its web and print products which include a guide to carbon offset providers, a daily European news service and a directory of environmental consultants and services.

SimplicityWeb provides a development and maintenance service to ENDS and also hosts several of the company's product sites on a dedicated server.

New Humanist is one of the world's oldest continuously published magazines, with an illustrious list of contributors past and present. In 2007 SimplicityWeb was brought in to replace its existing packaged web content management system with a bespoke hosted system which would allow the editorial staff to take control of their web presence, bring it up to date and develop it in new directions.

Not only can pages easily be kept current with edited text and images, the system also helps manage the publication of magazine content and web-exclusive articles, with a browsable/searchable archive going back over a decade. RSS feeds for newly published content are auto-generated and external blog and podcast feeds consumed, connecting the site with the Web 2.0 ecosystem.

Behind the scenes, a Newsletter mailing list is automatically maintained and staff can prepare and send updates directly from the easy to use web control panel.

SimplicityWeb provides an ongoing support and development service, and recent improvements include a consolidated set of web forms allowing data from potential, new and existing subscribers/members to be securely funnelled from the web into an existing offline subscriptions database.

Victorian actress Ellen Terry was one of the first stars of the British stage, and her daughter Edith Craig a prominent theatrical and political figure. Dr Katharine Cockin of the University of Hull has worked over the last 20 years to catalogue the extensive archive related to the two women preserved at Smallhythe Place in Kent, Terry's former home.

As part of a major Arts and Humanities Research Council project led by Dr Cockin, SimplicityWeb was asked to provide technical consultancy to transform the existing Microsoft Access database into a fully searchable but user-friendly online resource for researchers. The work involved prototyping the interface with target users, building administration and front-end systems, migrating the data to MySQL and installation on the University's servers.

The database was officially launched in June 2009 and currently contains over 20,000 records of correspondence, cuttings and other artefacts. An article about the database was published in October 2009 by the English Subject Centre.

Originally the result of an R & D project with BT, The University of Hull developed its own web-based "Virtual Learning Environment" (VLE) during the late 1990s to support e-learning both on and off-campus.

From 2002 until 2009, Merlin was hosted and supported by SimplicityWeb with over 2000 students, tutors and project partners on and off-campus using Merlin regularly as part of their learning and teaching activity.

The YHGSA is a DFID funded umbrella organisation for the Development Education Centres in the Yorkshire and Humber region.

A major role of DECs is to make available to schools and other institutions resources and materials to support the teaching of global development issues. To improve the awareness and accessibility of resources held throughout the region, SimplicityWeb produced a database allowing inventories to be catalogued by staff at each centre and searchable by regional colleagues, association members and the general public using a simple but attractive web interface. The site also allows items to be ordered directly, and user reviews of resources to be submitted for publication. Two smaller databases have been added to the site to allow schools to search for information about links with overseas schools and local artists available to help with lessons and workshops.

A small but busy UK-based translation service, GO4IT needed a way of integrating business data held in several ad hoc Excel and other sources and extending direct administrative access to a partner office in Spain.

SimplicityWeb developed a MySQL database and web front end bringing job tracking, invoicing and client records all within a single interface and giving the remote partner full autonomous access to the data over the internet. This has saved valuable time not only by removing the need for constant co-ordination via email or phone, but also by automating job collation, invoice generation and other administrative tasks.