Web Site Redesign

When a school's student-facing web site is redesigned, the following constraints should be followed by web developers for interoperability with RealEd:

1. The web site is conceptually split between RealEd pages, which access the remote RealEd database in real time to display and update student and course information, and non-RealEd pages, which handle all other site functions. The new web site should not substantially change the content layout or process flow of RealEd pages that access student information, including the shopping cart, account creation, login, payment, receipt, enrollment history, and online content delivery pages.
2. The new web site may, and in many cases should, substantially change the content layout and process flow of all other pages, including non-RealEd pages and RealEd course catalog pages.
3. The new layout must accommodate the widest RealEd page, typically the My Classes page or the SCORM content page, either by making the master template sufficiently wide or by providing an alternative template for wide pages. The SCORM content page width varies according to the size of the school's online course content.
4. The new layout should specify exactly where the following RealEd elements go on every page, including non-RealEd pages:
   • The Login link, or the else email/password login inputs and the forgot-password/new-student links.
   • The persistent "Welcome, user" message.
   • The My Classes, My Account, Shopping Cart, optional Order History, and Logout links.
   • The Bookstore link, if online bookstore sales are desired.
   • The affiliate logo, if affiliate referral tracking is desired.

   The first three sets of elements in the above list should be displayed or hidden according to whether student is logged in, as indicated by the presence or absence of cookie "user".

5. Mockups of the following RealEd pages should be supplied by the layout developer:
   • My Classes
   • My Account
   • Shopping Cart

   These mockups will be used by RealEd staff to apply look-and-feel changes to similar RealEd pages.

6. PHP must be available on the web server with support for outbound SSL connections to port 59822, e.g. fsockopen("ssl://1.2.3.4", 59822). PHP configuration variables display_errors and magic_quotes_gpc must both be set to Off.
7. Secure HTTP (i.e. https:// URLs) must be available on the web server.
8. Navigation elements should not be implemented in Flash.

Best practice is to incorporate the above constraints during the initial phases of redesign, with particular attention to the first two constraints. In our experience, postponement until later phases results in cumbersome web sites and/or major last-minute re-redesign.