science communicationPlatform for Dialogue: Online Calendar in a New Format
11 January 2024
Clustered information on programme of events at Heidelberg University
A platform grouping information about public events on offer at Heidelberg University – this is what the online calendar of events provides, which has appeared in a new format and is anchored in Ruperto Carola’s website as an essential instrument of science communication. It presents central lecture series and events, along with other cultural offerings with which the university reaches out both to the university public and a broad non-university audience. At the same time, serving as an interface, the calendar includes decentralised events in the faculties, institutes and centres. The newly designed and structured online calendar, giving access to in-person and online events, is an important component of the university’s communication and transfer strategy, with which Heidelberg University seeks to communicate scientific findings, promote understanding of the scholarly process and intensify dialogue with the public at large.
The overview page of the event calendar, with its clear visual language and well-structured layout, fits into the overall conception of the university website. Grouped by their date and time, the events are displayed consecutively in individual tiles, with the option of filtering them according to different criteria. The tiles contain important information such as time, title, speaker and venue. The icons on the lower left-hand side indicate whether it is an in-person or online event, and if registration is required. Images and graphics, to be found in the overview and also on subpages with further details, create a high recognition effect and make navigation easier.
Apart from purely descriptive elements, the detailed pages contain video and film resources; links point to livestreams and also to documents and websites containing additional information. Within the detailed pages, information can be arranged and presented with the aid of structural design elements across different levels of text. The links to other communication formats in the university – including the newsroom with current news reports or the heiONLINE portal with lectures, panel discussions and events in digital formats – create an overarching range of communication and information, enabling the user to set priorities in terms of content and topics. A separate list of exhibitions at Heidelberg University comes up via the quick links in the calendar overview.
The online calendar is continually evolving and will be successively made available to the university facilities as well.