The Zittau/Görlitz University of Applied Sciences (HSZG) in the border triangle between Germany, Poland and the Czech Republic stands for new beginnings and change. Its location makes it a bridge between Central and Eastern Europe. In the heart of Europe, students will find perfect conditions: an excellent supervision ratio, no overcrowded lecture halls, modern laboratories and technical equipment, exciting research projects and internships, international exchange, short distances, affordable rents and a lovely region.
To ensure that the HSZG remains fit for the future, it is constantly evolving. Green Engineering, Health Campus and Continuing Education Campus are just three keywords from the comprehensive "University of the Future" process. Students and professors are just as involved in shaping the "University of the Future" as the university's 500 or so employees. After all, there is hardly a better place in Upper Lusatia to research the transformation of the economy, work and society in Germany.
Project overview
+Pluswerk carried out an upgrade of the TYPO3-based website for the Zittau/Görlitz University of Applied Sciences and also provided ongoing technical support for the intranet. The project was part of a comprehensive strategy to optimize the university's Internet presence as a central information platform and to modernize the technological infrastructure. The introduction of improved translation functions and the adaptation of university-specific extensions were key components of this upgrade.
The result is a significantly improved user experience on the website, increased accessibility through barrier-free development and a stronger positioning of the Zittau/Görlitz University of Applied Sciences as a leading education provider. These technological improvements make a significant contribution to fulfilling the university's educational mission. The collaboration was designed to be agile and supported by an associated ticket system, which enabled flexible and efficient project management.
Improved user experience and accessibility
After the successful update to TYPO3 version 11 and the improved translation functions, the website now offers a significantly improved user experience for visitors and online editors of the university with the new functions of the upgrade. The collaboration between +Pluswerk and the HSZG was based on agile methods supported by a collaborative ticket system. This agile approach enabled a flexible response to changing requirements during the upgrade and ongoing support. The barrier-free design of the front end ensures that all students and interested parties can access important information regardless of technical or physical limitations. The modern and secure platform effectively supports the university's educational mission and helps to strengthen its position as an innovative education provider in the region.
Use Case
Implementation and quality assurance
For the update from TYPO3 version 10 to version 11, our specialists first analyzed and defined the role of each existing extension in the system. Based on this analysis, we were able to divide the extensions into two groups: Extensions that could be updated directly by the community and extensions that required customizations in the source code by +Pluswerk.
We then updated the core functionality of the website, including the standard content and templates, in a step-by-step, methodical approach. Each extension, including key tools such as Solr search and Powermail, was individually installed, modified and tested with Rector to ensure 100% consistency in functionality and design.
The final step of the update was a rigorous testing process on an intermediate test machine, followed by a comprehensive live comparison with Backstop.JS to ensure that there were no deviations from the previous live version. After successful testing, the current status of the website was recorded in a content freeze. The website finally went live at the beginning of April 2024.
