Swept-up AUT website puts focus on interaction

By MICHAEL FOREMAN

Auckland University of Technology (AUT) has completed a nine-month overhaul of its website which has put the emphasis on communication with students.

A highlight of the revamped site, which went live last Friday at www.aut.ac.nz, is the MyAUT portal, which the university hopes will become the students' starting page.

The user-configurable portal includes an audio stream from the university's radio station Radio Static and news feeds from the Herald.

Director of information technology services Wendy Bussen said the previous website had become the main channel used by prospective students based overseas who wanted to learn about the university. "We wanted a site that reflected AUT as a dynamic organisation and allowed us to interact, communicate and share information with students," she said.

The site features a showcase profiling research projects carried out by the university and video clips delivered by staff. New students can find their way around the campus with the help of an interactive map, which includes 360-degree virtual reality views of various locations.

The revised site was designed by Auckland-based digital media company iSite Interactive. The university will provide content.

Web centre manager Roger Smith said his department would oversee contributions from staff and students.

Auckland University of Technology

iSite Interactive