U. unveils improved home page on Web

The University's presence on the World Wide Web will take on a new look today, making it more responsive to users' needs as well as more aesthetically pleasing. The new home page will debut at the same address as before -- http://www. upenn.edu. It can be accessed through Netscape, a Web-browsing program, or through Lynx, a non-graphical interface. Dan Updegrove, associate vice provost for information systems and computing, said the page will include different points of interest for different user groups. For example, alumni will be able to click on a section that includes links of interest to them. And prospective students will have a separate view of the University geared toward their interests. Updegrove, a member of the steering committee that oversaw the creation of the page, said the new home page is an index to Penn Web, the University's information system on the Internet. It will let users obtain the same information as the previous one. Fellow steering committee member Ira Winston, director of computing for the School of Engineering and Applied Science, said the major difference between the two pages is the ease in which this information can be found. Several new features, such as a calendar, a guide to creating personal home pages and a search function, have also been added. The new home page was created in June by the six-person steering committee, a design group and an advisory team of about three dozen people from numerous areas around the University. Updegrove said he felt the upgrade was needed because the old home page averaged 300,000 hits -- or people visiting the site -- per month last year. Almost half of those access requests came from outside of the University. Because of the variety of users -- students, faculty, alumni, perspective students and people unaffiliated with the University -- the new home page provides five "views." Each one will contain links to pages which mirror the interests of the user. The user will be able to set a specific view to appear whenever he or she accesses the World Wide Web. Another new feature of Penn Web is an interactive calendar, developed by Engineering junior Michael Berry, along with the design team. University Secretary Barbara Stevens, who is also a steering committee member, said every school and resource center in the University has access to the calendar. It will be updated constantly and can be set to display any type of activity the user desires. Updegrove said he is not aware of any other calendar like this on the Internet. Another enhanced feature of Penn Web will be its graphics. For example, incoming freshmen will be able to see several pictures of the University on pages designed for them. "Think about what a high school junior can learn about Penn on these pages," said Updegrove. "No more glossy brochures or quick campus tours." The problem was incorporating the complex graphics with the desired speed. "We wanted something quick to load," said vice provost for graduate education and steering committee member Janice Madden. "We had prettier things [which took too long]." The Steering Committee expects the home page to be a constantly changing entity. And Updegrove said moving images may be incorporated before long. "This is the beginning, not the final Penn Web," said steering committee member Michael Eleey, associate vice provost for information systems and computing. Updegrove expressed his hope that the features offered by Penn Web will eliminate some of the University's bureaucracy. "Dealing with the institution can be a big problem," he said. "Penn Web can make information available 24 hours a day, seven days a week, wherever you are, even if you spend a semester abroad."