health-e-learning.com

Client

Health e-Learning

When

2009

What

PHP, Javascript, jQuery, Joomla, Moodle

Health e-Learning is an online education provider with their primary market comprising of nurses and healthcare professionals. Their existing Joomla website was redeveloped from the bottom up to refocus the website on promoting Health e-Learning's products and services as well as introducing new community features.

As part of the upgrade, I developed integration between Health e-Learning's other online assets and business procedures, which included streamlining the online enrolment and payments system and their student management system and learning management system (Moodle). With user accounts enabled and integrated, I was able to automate time-consuming procedures such as generating receipts and completion certificates.

The website was designed using the 960.gs CSS framework.

HEXML

Client

Health e-Learning

When

2007-2009

What

PHP, XML, Javascript

Previously, Health e-Learning's course materials were developed by the subject matter expert directly in HTML using Frontpage or Dreamweaver. Identifying this as inefficient and a future maintainability problem, I designed a custom XML format (essentially a simplified subset of HTML) to allow the subject matter experts to focus on writing content instead of worrying about presentation and layout.

A CLI-based PHP program would read the files and generate static HTML pages for deployment on any server. Tasks such as building and maintaining menu structures, print versions, tables of contents and lists of references were automated in each build. Simplified tags such as <audio /> would be transformed into the appropriate HTML and Javascript behind the scenes.

Custom XML formats were also developed for the interactive learning activities such as crosswords, multiple choice questions and cloze exercises.

By changing an element's template, site-wide changes affecting both style and content could be made easily and automatically deployed by use of SVN.

Coffee SMS

Client

Health e-Learning

When

2005-2009

What

PHP, Javascript, AJAX

Health e-Learning's student management system was upgraded from paper-based, to an Access database, to an online web application built in PHP. Coffee receives orders from the Health e-Learning website and updates or creates student profiles as required and updates enrolment records. Automatic alerts are generated such that the administrative staff can send reminder emails to students refreshing them of their course expiry dates. Integrated statistical analysis of the orders became essential business tools, allowing for better forward estimates and financial reports.

ORCA

Client

Aspley East State School

When

2004-2008

What

PHP, Javascript

In 2002, Aspley East State School approached me to create a system to assist the teaches with creation of report cards. After an initial iteration using Microsoft Access, the system was rebuilt entirely in PHP and deployed on their intranet (government restrictions prevented Internet access to student records). The project was named ORCA, the Online Report CArd.

I worked very closely with AESS's principal, Paul Kingston, to grow the system as new features were requested. Face-to-face training was delivered to all teachers at the school. As the staff became accustomed to working online, the scope of the system was broadened so that it could be used by school administrators to track things such as staff personal development hours. Computerising the report cards allowed for statistics to be used in moderation and parent/teacher interviews.

GOLD Online Conference

Client

Health e-Learning

When

2007-2009

What

PHP, Javascript, jQuery, AJAX, Adobe Connect, Elluminate, Joomla

In 2007, Health e-Learning organised an online conference and I was brought in to build the website (Joomla 1.0) and assist with tech support. The conference became an annual event and, through iterative improvement, the website for GOLD09 handled online payments in multiple currencies, fully automating the registration process (taking details, creating accounts in Joomla and Adobe Acrobat Connect through their Web API), and featured a custom built AJAX chat facility. Certificate and receipt generation was automated, reducing the administrative workload significantly. GOLD saw continual growth, rising from 330 registrants in 2007, to 510 in 2008 to 872 in 2009 representing 42 countries.

My role was to build the technical systems, including the website and integration between the online payment gateway, our own server and the Adobe Connect server. In addition to that, providing support and training were delivered to in-house staff, the 24 conference speakers and to the registrants.

ScanDoc

Client

Aspley East State School Student Counsellors

When

2008

What

PHP, Javascript, AJAX, ActiveX

I was approached by the client to build a document management system for his clients' case files. Working in an IE-only environment allowed me to use ActiveX to interact with local files through the browser. On site training and installation was provided to the client and his local tech support.

Pack and Roll

Client

Personal side project

When

2008-2009

What

PHP

In building several web sites, I started considering how to improve the performance of each, especially when many Javascript or CSS files were being included. I found Dean Edwards's Javascript Packer and added a number of extensions to create a CLI application, written in PHP, to compress multiple files into one. This reduces the number of HTTP requests per page as well as the total file size of included files.

Name That Band

Client

Personal project

When

2008

What

Javascript

A simple quiz where a user is asked to name the band shown in the photo. Written entirely in Javascript without the use of third party libraries such as jQuery, answers are MD5 encrypted in the source to prevent cheaters. Users are able to save and load attempts at the quiz.

E-Learning Bootcamp

Client

E-Learning Bootcamp

When

2009

What

PHP, Javascript

A basic brochureware website for a new business called E-Learning Bootcamp.

Taskr

Client

Health e-Learning

When

2006-2009

What

PHP, jQuery

Health e-Learning required a task management system which would allow the geographically-dispersed staff to keep track of their tasks and todos. Any member could create and assign tasks to any other member or team. Discussion-board and file-upload facilities were included with each task, and members would receive email updates for tasks for which they were stakeholders.

It was rebuilt in 2009 to allow for more complex tasks which included sub-tasks and sub-sub-tasks, etc. I took this opportunity to incorporate AJAX functions and interactions using the jQuery library.

jQuery Plugins

Client

Personal project

When

2009

What

jQuery

By using jQuery in my work, I've developed certain functions and plugins which I found useful. I've documented and shared these with the jQuery community at plugins.jquery.com. My own contributions can be found on my profile page.