The Central House of Technology – Content Management System Development

The Foundation of the Polish Development Fund conducts social activities through the implementation of projects in the field of education and science, including leveling up opportunities for education on the labor market for various social groups through learning programs based on new technologies, counteracting digital exclusion, and strengthening the competencies for the future of children and adults. 

In 2019, the Foundation of the Polish Development Fund initiated and financed the creation of the Central House of Technology – CDT, located in the center of Warsaw, with a modernly equipped space offering interdisciplinary educational activities in STEAM methodology for children, adolescents, adults, and the elderly. The cooperation with CrustLab under the Central House of Technology project was initiated and coordinated by Anna Sokołowska – director of the Central House of Technology.

Content Management System development challenges

The main challenge of this project was the development of the Content Management System along with adding it to the current version of the web portal based on the Java Magnolia framework.

The global situation related to the COVID-19 pandemic turned out to be an additional challenge. The real need to introduce distance learning forced the Central House of Technology to accelerate the project’s implementation. The knowledge base aims to support education and promote remote learning, therefore another challenge was the fast publication of materials for teachers about remote lessons and additional complementary activities for students.

As with every content-related project, SEO optimization was a separate challenge. To make it easier for teachers and students to find content in the knowledge base, we conducted on-site optimization.

How did we build the Content Management System?

As part of this project, we provided services such as design, front-end development, back-end development, and Responsible Web Development. At the first stage of the project, we designed a web application that contained some knowledge and specific lectures for both students and teachers.

When creating the front-end of the application, we divided the content into four categories: webinars for teachers, daily doses of technology, digital debutants, and a database of lessons for students. Bearing in mind the creation of a positive user experience when using the knowledge base, we equipped it with a search engine.

The back-end layer of the application was created using Strapi, which is a ready-made content management system adapted to Node.js and an API with support for adding posts via CMS.

Results

Thanks to the base in the form of a ready CMS, we completed the project quickly and efficiently. This allowed the cdp.pl mission to continue despite the difficult situation related to the COVID-19 pandemic. Having an online presence, fast implementation, SEO optimization, and high performance translated into great user interest, especially in the period preceding their matura exams.