Wanguri and CDU students combine forces online

10 December 2009

Wanguri Primary School has proudly launched its new website, the result of an innovative collaboration between Charles Darwin University (CDU) and the school community.

Visit Wanguri Primary School's new website: www.schools.nt.edu.au/wangusch/

External students undertaking CDU's IT unit 'Web Development and Scripting', co- taught by Barbara White and Rebecca England, worked in pairs to create websites for Wanguri school committee to review and choose their favourite.

This unit is offered through CDU's School of Engineering and Information Technology.

The committee selected their three favourite sites, with Bachelor of Information Technology students Eric Hilaro and Anna Chin's prototype unanimously chosen as the winning design.

Wanguri Primary School principal Jenny Robinson said CDU staff and students were a joy to work with and students were very excited about the 12 month project.

"The project was so well organised, Barbara (White) was wonderful and we always knew what was expected of us, while Eric (Hilaro) has developed a handbook and trained our staff and students," Ms Robinson said.

"Our students are very excited about the site because many of them contributed visual media and one student created a video that now provides a virtual tour of the school. Our site is the first school website I've seen with one.

"The project has been above and beyond what we expected and we are very proud of our new website," she said.

The client-centred website encompasses the new Electronic Student Profile (ESP) online student record management system. An Australian first, ESP offers a web-based breakthrough in departmental, school and parent communications.

Wanguri Primary School parents attended an ESP orientation session last week, where they received their confidential login identities and passwords, allowing them to access such features as reports, a portfolio of their child's work and attendance records.