News

Search me!

matthew.corks@mcgill.ca — Tue, 23 Sep 2025 12:33:04 +0000

The IT Web Services Group is excited to share that we've completed phase one of upgrading 91ֱ��'s search engine, the backend tool used to power searches from the 91ֱ�� homepage, the Course Catalogue, and the search box at the top of all WMS pages!

What's new

We are confident that the new search engine will result in:

Social media buzz in the WMS

joyce.peralta2@mcgill.ca — Mon, 27 Jan 2025 16:12:01 +0000

We’re excited to announce recent and upcoming changes to social media tools in the 91ֱ�� Web Management System (WMS), based on your feedback.

What's changing? New icons for Bluesky and Threads

In January 2025, we added Bluesky and Threads to the options for the footer follow block. You can already see these new icons in site footers, making it easier for your audience to connect with you on these emerging social platforms, expanding your reach and engagement.

Give your webforms a signature 91ֱ�� style

jaylen.gordon@mcgill.ca — Mon, 25 Aug 2025 18:26:25 +0000

With Microsoft Forms now being used as our platform for webforms, surveys, quizzes, and polls, we wanted to ensure that the 91ֱ�� brand remains front and center. Thanks to the help of our talented friends at Graphic Design, you can now do just that! Ditch the generic teal background and choose from one of our four new 91ֱ��-branded styles for your forms:

Calling all undergraduate students!

joyce.peralta2@mcgill.ca — Fri, 09 Feb 2024 21:12:35 +0000

We're accepting applications for 91ֱ��'s 2025/26 Undergraduate Student Usability Panel. Panel members will participate in activities to share feedback about their experiences using 91ֱ��'s websites and services.

The expected time commitment will be 6-8 hours per semester. Participants will receive a $200 honorarium plus additional perks in exchange for their contributions. Read the full details, including how to apply, below.

How we can make our digital spaces more accessible: Advice from an expert

joyce.peralta2@mcgill.ca — Mon, 11 Aug 2025 15:26:27 +0000

We had the recent pleasure of welcoming Lucy Greco—renowned digital accessibility expert, advocate, and trailblazer—for an engaging session on creating accessible digital content. Co-hosted by the Digital Communications team and 91ֱ��’s Equity team, the event offered a valuable opportunity to learn from Lucy’s expertise and explore practical ways to enhance digital accessibility across our platforms.

Accessing site archives post migration

daniel.zhang@mcgill.ca — Wed, 06 Aug 2025 18:37:11 +0000

As part of the transition to the new Web Management System (WMS), we are creating archives of all websites before they are migrated to the new platform.

Why are archives being created?

During the migration process, sites often undergo content revisions and layout changes. To preserve a snapshot of each site prior to migration, we are capturing full archives of all websites in their pre-migration state.

Using the migration status report page

daniel.zhang@mcgill.ca — Wed, 25 Jun 2025 18:45:09 +0000

The migration to the new WMS is a gigantic project that involves hundreds of active websites in our 91ֱ�� web space. As the migration progresses, it's important to know the order that the sites will be migrated in.

2025 Web Services conference recording and resources

jaylen.gordon@mcgill.ca — Wed, 11 Jun 2025 14:35:27 +0000

Couldn't make it to our 2025 Web Services conference? No worries! You can still watch our presentation recordings and access the resources we shared.

How you helped build 91ֱ��'s new Course Catalogue

joyce.peralta2@mcgill.ca — Fri, 30 May 2025 18:41:06 +0000

Summary: 91ֱ��'s new Course Catalogue was created with input from (literally) hundreds of 91ֱ�� students and staff members. Read this article to learn how audience research informed the design and building of this key resource, and find out how to participate in our post-launch evaluation interviews.

Students: Share your thoughts about learning French!

heidi.strohl2@mcgill.ca — Thu, 22 May 2025 17:25:15 +0000

Help us learn more about your experiences. In exchange for a short interview, we'll give you a $25 gift certificate for the Magasin 91ֱ�� Campus Store.

Who can participate:

Current or entering 91ֱ�� students who don't speak French at a native or bilingual level

How long it'll take:

Each interview will be less than 30 minutes

When and where:

Interviews will be online (through Zoom or Teams)
You'll choose a time that works for you (between now and May 30)

What you'll get:

Goodbye eCalendar, hello Course Catalogue

megan.liley@mcgill.ca — Wed, 07 May 2025 13:10:10 +0000

After many long years, our trusty eCalendar, found at mcgill.ca/study has been retired. We hope it enjoys the rest and relaxation. The Course Catalogue found at https://coursecatalogue.mcgill.ca is taking its place. We know it is up to the challenge!

What's SUP?! Conversations with our 2024/25 Student Usability Panel

joyce.peralta2@mcgill.ca — Mon, 28 Apr 2025 18:23:46 +0000

A little over a year ago, we invited students to apply to join our new Student Usability Panel. We were looking to form an advisory group of students to participate in activities and discussions to evaluate 91ֱ��’s websites and services.

A panel of 13 students with diverse representation from across 91ֱ��’s student body was formed from the over 100 applications received. A big thank you to all who applied!

Best practices for AI-generated images on 91ֱ�� websites

joyce.peralta2@mcgill.ca — Tue, 15 Apr 2025 14:51:05 +0000

Summary: When using generative AI (GenAI) to create images for your website, adhere to 91ֱ��'s general guidelines for using AI-generated images.

Clearing the way forward: Archiving and deleting sites in the WMS

joyce.peralta2@mcgill.ca — Mon, 03 Mar 2025 20:39:52 +0000

Summary: We want to work with you to archive and remove outdated, unmaintained websites as part of the new WMS migration.

What to expect How we will work with you to archive and delete websites

91ֱ��'s Digital Communications team has compiled a list of WMS sites that seem inactive or unmaintained. Units connected to these sites will be contacted to confirm whether the site should be archived before removal.

Protect your site: A guide to reviewing and updating user permissions

joyce.peralta2@mcgill.ca — Tue, 25 Feb 2025 19:07:32 +0000

As part of our ongoing efforts to maintain a secure and optimized web environment, we are asking all site managers and editors to review and update user permissions for their WMS websites. This task is a key item on our WMS update pre-migration checklist.

Head to the bottom of this article to see a video explanation on how to use the page.