From our Tumblr -  "Been wondering what we (aka “I” aka Ron) have been up to here at Zenji? Check out www.wherescool.com - travel advice your mom probably w … "

Zenji Blog
Back to Projects

Project: Global Leadership Adventures

Global Leadership Adventures

Project Type:
Client Project

Our Roles:
User interface & backend development

Summary:
Global Leadership Adventures is a community service and learning oriented study abroad program for high school students, with a revolutionary approach to community building using social media.

Site URL:
www.experiencegla.com

Global Leadership Adventures (GLA) has been a client of Zenji since it began, and before Zenji’s inception in 2006.

Andrew Motiwalla, Executive Director of GLA approached Zenji (then Ron Whitman Web Development) in late 2005 to plan the organization, architecture, and development of their new website. Zenji and GLA have had a mutually beneficial and friendly business relationship ever since.

“Zenji has been our web development partner since we started the company and they’ve been great at responding to our needs at each stage of growth - from a tiny startup needing a basic web site to more advanced functionality eventually. Most importantly, they’re dependable and actually take the time to really understand your business and figure out what is the best way to do a project.“

-Andrew Motiwalla, Executive Director
Global Leadership Adventures

The goal was simple: to create a website that explained the program to their target market - high school students, parents and teachers - without making the site a rehash of the old program’s website and paving the way for a new kind of youth study abroad program.

Zenji was responsible for the first two revisions of the site, as well as GLA’s robust student program enrollment application and management system, built in the CakePHP framework.

GlobalLeadershipAdventures.com version 1 sub page.

GLA Version 1.0 Website (2005-2006)

  • Site framework - sitemap, wireframes and content guidelines
  • Full site development - HTML, CSS, ASP, database
  • Site integration with 3rd-party Customer Relations Management software (Salesforce.com)
  • Design layout guidance and management
  • User Interface design elements
  • Dynamic (XML-driven) Flash photo slideshow design and production
  • Professional photography retouching, optimization, and placement
  • Internal staff area and 3rd party wiki setup and templating (Stikipad.com)
  • Web server management (dedicated Windows IIS/ASP)

In early 2007, GLA determined that their previous incarnation on the Windows ASP platform wasn’t working out. This paved the way for a platform change and complete re-design, re-branding, and redevelopment of the site. GlobalLeadershipAdventures.com was re-envisioned to become a hip, “Web 2.0″ styled ExperienceGLA.com, and Zenji was there to assist.

One of the stated goals of the GLA redevelopment was to move over to a LAMP (Linux Apache MySQL PHP) environment. The move cut monthly hosting costs by a whopping $130 per month and paved the way towards the installation of a host of open-source PHP applications, previously not possible with their former dedicated Windows server.

In addition to a complete W3C Standards XHTML compliant redevelopment using PHP, ExperienceGLA also added on a new Flash video player as well as a robust social networking community for enrolled students and alumni.

GLA Brazil page.

GLA Version 2.0 Website (2007-2008)

  • Design guidance and layout
  • Flash video player specifications
  • Flash video player backend using PHP and XML
  • Full site redevelopment - standards-compliant XHMTL, CSS, PHP, MySQL database
  • Modern Search Engine Optimization
  • Domain and server migration from dedicated Windows and ASP to Linux and PHP
  • Heavily modified and customized Social Networking Community for enrolled students and alumni using ELGG / EduSpaces open-source PHP software
  • Internal company wiki using MediaWiki open-source PHP software
  • Program journal blog system using custom modified WordPress installation.

Zenji’s final long-term project with GLA was to build an advanced student application, enrollment, and account management system using AJAX-enabled PHP and MySQL. This system has helped to advance GLA’s enrollment and account management abilities far ahead of the competition and place them at the forefront of an industry with a young “digital native” target market raised in the Web 2.0 world.