Transitioning Academic Program pages with the Catalog API

To ensure curriculum accuracy across the university as a commitment to our students and to meet legal mandates, we have developed an automated feature to pull in up-to-date University Catalog data. These replace existing Drupal academic program/major/minor pages with a brand new content type called "Program."

All of the content for each program page is automatically pulled from catalog.kent.edu, except for the title and background image. Four of the sections of each Program page are able to be overridden with custom content, and there are four areas to which additional content can be added. 

Our Presentation & Timeline

Find out why and how the university website academic program pages will transition to leverage content from the University Catalog.

Access the presentation(.PDF)

Access our academic department webmaster kick-off opportunities and communications.

Read the July 2023 announcement

Understanding the Customizable Regions

The screenshot below shows the default design of "Program" page with its the elements and the customizable areas highlighted.

Click here to view the full-size Default screenshot. (JPG)

A screenshot showing the default design of a "program" page with its customizable areas highlighted
Examples of Customization Possibilities

Its Introduction Block and Contact Info have been replaced, and it has all four custom sections populated: Program Info Header, Contact Form, Program Info Footer, and Career Info Footer

Click here to view the full-size customization screenshot. (JPG)

This screenshot shows an example of a Program page that has been customized.
Consultation & Open Lab Prework

You can do some prework to expedite the academic program page integration during your working session.

Please consider taking these steps.

  1. Verify that your department home page has the required Schedule Advising call to action block; if not, add it.
  2. Create a working doc with rows below for each program on your website and include the supporting information in the additional columns:
Program Name Current dept website URL Catalog URL - (find this at https://catalog.kent.edu/programs/) Select and store an image; include URL to image Does catalog link to this program page? y/n
         
         
         

Photo Tips

  • Specs 1500 x 600
  • See / consider if you would want grab what is in catalog with program listing if it adheres to these recommendations you could use it
  • Landscape orientation not vertical
  • Far away shots to prevent cut off heads – if too hard to find, could consider:
    • Potential building images
    • Campus scenes
  • If you're not able to find a suitable image, we put together a selection of properly-sized header images that you can choose from in this google drive folder.
Building the Page

This academic program page integration initiative allows for an extra bit of search engine optimization on the page. As a result, you may want to review this document and/or be prepared to review it when building your page.

SEO Playbook / Tips

Building the Page

This screenshot compares the front view of a program page with its editing view. The lines between the two show where each field applies on the front end.

Key:

Click here to view the full-size field comparison screenshot. (JPG)

This screenshot compares the front view of a program page with its editing view.

Project Highlights and Examples

Our dedicated webmasters have played a pivotal role in this effort contributing their time and hard work to ensure the utmost accuracy in our web presence and meet legal mandates.

Curious to see the impact of this initiative? Explore our Before/After Showcase page.

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