Release Notes: 2017 Q4

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New Features

New Features

Improved Features

Bugfixes

Styling of text element

This is a new styling of text elements. It will give the element a white background, a coloured side bar, and a slightly smaller font. It can be useful to visually distinguish content.

In the element properties, under Appearance, select 'Wit met Zijlijn' and choose one of the TU Delft theme colours:

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Dynamic content overview - Card Layout

News and Agenda items are usually displayed in what is called a Dynamic Content Overview. The news / agenda feed on your page is one as well. There are several overview templates available, but there was great demand for a template that displayed the search results in a card layout. This has now been introduced, an example can be seen on the right.

Also, check out more Card Layout display options!

Styling is determined by the available content of the result pages, as well as custom settings in the overview element. All card variations (normal, half height, horizontal, and horizontal half height) are available to choose from, as well as the number of results per row.

Because the overviews are difficult to set up properly, changing from your current template to this new template is not done by editors. Please contact your local content manager to apply for this overview template.

From a life full of stuff to a life full of meaning with ‘De Ontspulknul’

Clothes, cabinets, lamps, figurines, boxes full of cassette tapes—former TU student Jan Bosma encounters it all in his battle against clutter. Through his foundation, ‘De Ontspulknul’, he helps people declutter in a low-threshold way, alongside co-founder Iris Eggink. “In five years, we want to help 100,000 people move from a life full of stuff to a life full of meaning.”

Better TUgether, This is how we care. Social safety update September

Together, we build a safer working environment at TU Delft. Each month, we reflect on the previous month: what actions were taken as part of the Plan for Change, and we look ahead to the upcoming month: what's on the agenda.

Gender diversity: Interview with Rob Mudde

Professor Rob Mudde, Vice Rector Magnificus/Vice President Education of the Executive Board, will step down as a member of the Executive Board of TU Delft on 1 October. DEWIS spoke with him one last time in his role as a member of the Executive Board about gender diversity, equality and inclusion at TU Delft. As a community, we should dare to embrace the amazing variety of life and celebrate it more together. ― Rob Mudde, Vice-Rector Magnificus TU Delft DEWIS has seen the departure of a lot of female talent over the past year. This included a number of female professors and many talented associate professors who got senior positions more quickly elsewhere. Why do you think this is? Rob Mudde: “TU Delft is a highly ranked, world-class university, which means that our young academic staff are often attractive to other universities and they may be able to progress in their careers more quickly elsewhere. Talented women are in high demand, so it's no surprise that they could potentially advance faster somewhere else. If you can make a nice career move, you should go for it!” In autumn 2024, NWO will start a pilot in the Talent Programme that is expected to lead to more allocations of Vidi grants to women. What do you think about the new developments in NWO's Talent Programme? Rob Mudde: "It is important to create additional opportunities for people in minority positions, such as women, who have historically had fewer opportunities. I hope this measure will accelerate the growth of women in academic positions at all levels of our organisation. This will normalise women in science and emphasise that gender is irrelevant in scientific practice.” What can the university do to focus attention on female talent at the university so that they have better opportunities to grow and flourish in their academic careers? Rob Mudde: “We actively challenge stereotypes and biases by appointing women to decision-making positions at all levels. Most faculties no longer have or want management teams consisting solely of men. We want to see women on our board and as department heads, and more women in other management positions. It should become the norm for women to hold such positions and it shows young women that career advancement is possible at our university.” TU/Eindhoven's Irene Curie Fellowship programme is bearing fruit. Wouldn't something like this also be a good idea for us? Rob Mudde: "We have attracted many female assistant professors in recent years, partly due to the sector plans. In many faculties, 45% of new assistant professors are women. This is comparable with Eindhoven. We also have the Delft Technology Fellowship. It is crucial to have enough female PhD students, postdocs and assistant professors. That would be my priority. It will take some time before 25% of our full professors are women, but filling the beginning of the pipeline properly will go a long way. In 15 years I hope to be able to say: "See, I told you so!" What would you suggest to promote the advancement of women at TU Delft? Rob Mudde: “We steer the influx and advancement by actively scouting and looking closely at talent development. If this is not going well, it needs to be improved internally. The Recognition and Rewards programme helps us to do this. We learn to consider careers from a broader perspective. Some people do not thrive in our outdated system, which necessitates adjusting the elements on which we assess people to retain these valuable individuals.” Unconscious biases and stereotypes are not eliminated just by 'taking a broader perspective'. How do we deal with those issues? Rob Mudde: "That is deeply rooted in society, especially in the Netherlands where the traditional male-female gender roles still figure strongly in our minds. For instance, someone with a deep voice is more likely to be taken seriously than someone with a softer voice. That’s something we need to be aware of." How did you become aware of your biases? Have you ever had 'implicit bias' training? Rob Mudde: "No, I have not done any training and my preferences undoubtedly also influence my quality assessments. I try to be conscious of how I reach my own judgements and occasionally take the time to reflect on my approach." Some people still say: "I just want to hire the best people for the job and don't look at colour or gender as part of the process." What would you say to those people? Rob Mudde: “What is 'the best'? Is the best team made up of copies of yourself? Messi was the best footballer for a long time but a team full of Messi clones would lose. A good team is diverse and needs different qualities. Reflect with others on what is really best for the team and be open to different perspectives. Don't fall into the trap of thinking you know exactly what the best team is without input from others. For example, someone from a different cultural background or who is an introvert can contribute unique qualities and dynamics. Characteristics such as gender and economic class add value. We are learning that now.” You have been associated with the university since 1988. Have you seen the university change over the years when it comes to diversity and inclusion? What exactly has changed? Rob Mudde: "The university has become much less hierarchical. Academics at the beginning of their careers have much more scope to shape their career paths. This comes with responsibilities and pressures, such as obtaining consortia and grants and getting published. There is a perception that you have to join this 'rat race' to be successful. But we need to rethink the absolute measure of success, for example by valuing team efforts and acknowledging that not everyone has to become a full professor". If I had asked you in 1988 what your vision of the ideal university of the future would be, what would you have said? Rob Mudde: "I would like to see a technical university with a better balance between young men and women. It's strange to be in a room with 200 students and only five of them are women. Women are still less likely to choose engineering, often because they are discouraged from an early age. The situation is quite different in countries that we don't generally think of as particularly emancipated, such as Turkey and Iran.” What comes to mind when I say, 'an inclusive, socially safe university'? Does TUD fit this image? Or is there still some way to go? Rob Mudde: "That’s an organisation with a hierarchical structure but where people interact with each other in a respectful way. Serious science and academic education require proper assessment but this must be done respectfully. Managers have a responsibility to put themselves in the other person's shoes and must be careful with how they provide feedback. It matters what tone you use and whether you start conversations with questions and compliments rather than criticism. Managers should be able to point out when something is not good enough, but it’s also important to remain considerate and respectful towards one another. That is my wish for this university." "We have a culture of care and consideration by making people feel like they belong and making sure they know their presence and contribution are appreciated. Ensuring that staff feel seen and acknowledged is crucial to job satisfaction. This also reduces the pressure to constantly perform. Managers bear greater responsibility in this, but it’s a joint task." What concrete steps is TU Delft taking now and in the future to improve this? Rob Mudde: "We want to better prepare young academics for leadership by providing leadership training. A compulsory programme in the first five years at university would be a worthwhile investment. A good selection of courses makes people more effective, even for those not in a formal leadership role. We don't pay enough attention to that. There is room for improvement here.” “It is also important to hold each other accountable for a good work/life balance. Why don't we all take regular holidays? Everyone needs to recharge their battery. Stress is okay as long as it remains manageable but too much can cause illness. We need to pay genuine attention to this balance, both for ourselves and for our team." Has the type of manager also changed over the years? What new type of manager would fit into your inclusive, socially safe university or your ideal university? Rob Mudde: "Current times call for different leaders than in the 1960s. We need less directive leaders and more who can listen, summarise and make decisions based on dialogue. We need people-oriented leaders who recognise that we provide top-level science and academic education here, but who also remain realistic about the demands we impose on one another. The future calls for altruistic leadership, where we provide each other with opportunities to develop individual talents. This strengthens the team in the long run." Combining family and an academic career is still often seen as problematic. Do you think enough is being done to change this perception? Rob Mudde: "It is useful to discuss and question this amongst ourselves. We aim for the top but that does not mean we have to be under constant pressure. We need to discuss what it means to compete at the top, yet not feel discouraged if things don't go your way for a bit. Maternity leave and breastfeeding are perfectly normal parts of life and should not affect one’s career. Measured over a longer term, this really only involves a limited period of time and we need to learn to be more flexible about it. Managers must be more open and alert and have conversations that naturally address topics such as these. We should dare to embrace the amazing variety of life as a community and celebrate it more together." What would you say to women who are unsure whether an academic career is for them? Rob Mudde: “First, I would ask: "What is your dream?" and advise that person to pursue it. Secondly, I recommend talking to the people closest to you. Carefully consider whether you want to enter the high-pressure, competitive academic world. If it is indeed something you want, don't be put off by negative images and stories.” What advice would you give to women who encounter resistance in advancing to more senior positions? Rob Mudde: “Go to your supervisor and maybe even their managers, lay your cards on the table, speak candidly and ask for feedback. Expect respectful conversations from your managers and be prepared to hear and respond to feedback.” You have always been very supportive of DEWIS and have done a lot for it, such as presenting the annual DEWIS award. Why was that so important to you? What did you like about it? Rob Mudde: "I like seeing people passionately working towards a greater goal and appreciate DEWIS taking on the valuable role of ’thorn in the side' of the organisation. Presenting awards like the DEWIS award is an enjoyable task for me. It's always nice to shine the spotlight on special people."

Join TU Delft's largest Climate Fresk

Are you eager to take action against climate change and want to learn more about climate science in a short time? Join the biggest ever Climate Fresk workshop at TU Delft on Thursday 10 October 2024, the Sustainability Day in Higher Education. Sign up and take part - open to everyone at TU Delft. The Climate Fresk workshop is an interactive and collaborative game based on the IPPC scientific reports. With this workshop, the university is taking a step towards its sustainability ambition; to be fully carbon neutral, climate-adaptive and circular by 2030, with a focus on quality of life and biodiversity. What does the Climate Fresk workshop entail? In the Climate Fresk, participants discover the relationships between the causes and consequences of climate change with a card game. After the interactive game, you will engage in a conversation about the different perspectives around climate change and climate action. In the academic year 2023-2024, more than 100 staff and students played the Climate Fresk and more than 20 TU Delft colleagues have now been trained to facilitate the workshop. Workshop details On Thursday 10 October, the largest edition of the Climate Fresk will be ready in the Foyer, Aula. The workshop will run twice, each session lasts 3 hours and is open to everyone at TU Delft. Climate Fresk workshop 1: 9.30am - 12.30pm. Climate Fresk workshop 2: 14.00pm - 17.00pm. Join us in making a difference and learning more about climate science. Sign up Sustainability in Education To educate the engineer of the future, it is important that the theme of Sustainability is embedded in the education at TU Delft. The Sustainable Development Goals and initiatives like the Climate Fresk contribute to sustainable education – where students gain knowledge, skills, world views and a sense of responsibility. Contact For more information on Sustainability in Education or if you have general questions about sustainability on campus, email sustainability@tudelft.nl

DAEMON COST Event: Advancing Open Science and Machine Learning for Materials in Europe

The recent DAEMON COST event was a remarkable gathering of academic and industry leaders, united by a shared goal: advancing materials science through the democratization of Open Science and Machine Learning across Europe. The event underscored DAEMON COST's commitment to creating an inclusive, collaborative, and innovative ecosystem for materials discovery.

Equity, Diversity & Inclusion Month 2024

October 2024: Join a month-long of workshops, training sessions and events!

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Tabs as Grid Elements

What changed?

Tabs were difficult to manage, especially when you wanted to re-use and swap content from other pages. Therefore, the tab element has been redesigned for a more user-friendly interface, a better overview of the embedded content, and the added possibility to cut/paste and reference elements in it.

The old Tab element still exists and is not automatically replaced, but will be phased out. For this purpose, the old version has been disabled for editing. In the following weeks, we'll be changing all existing Tab Elements to Tabs Grids. Should you however come across an old Tab Element and you find yourself unable to edit it, please contact your local content manager.

How can I create a new Tabs Grid?

Tabs Grids are created like all other grids. When creating a new element, under Grid Elements, select Tabs grid. This will place a grid on your page with 5 rows, each row representing one of the tabs.

  • The Header in the first element of each tab will also be the title of that tab. So for instance, in this case, the Header of this text element ('How can I create ...') is adapted as Tab title.
  • You can select a colour theme by editing the Tabs Grid properties; under Appearance, select a theme (see fig.)
  • If you don't put any content in a tab, it will be invisible.

 

Any tips and tricks?

When you don't want to start a tab with a header (for instance, when it's an image), you still need to tell Typo3 which title to use for this tab. You can do so by creating a 'Header Only' element, and under Type, select 'Hidden'. This will not show the header inside your tab, but it will be adopted as Tab title.

 

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Youtube video in Header Slider

It is now possible to put a video in the Header Slider on top of any page. 

If you want to add a Youtube video to your header-slider, just paste the youtube URL in the link field of a slide; a play button will be shown on your slide, and a pop-up style video will play when the button is pushed.

Like all slides, this feature also requires you to upload an image.

View an example!

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Full Width page template

This page combines the regular Content page with the Homepage. Its features are identical to the Homepage format in many ways, but it adds the bread crumb on top, so visitors can easily find their way back.

This layout was frequently created with a workaround (Content Page with Left Column, combined with specific element settings), which is why an official option has been included instead. 

To create this layout, go to the page properties, under Appearance, select the Backend Layout 'Content page that is full width'.
(feature renaming can hopefully be included in our next release)

This page is actually an example of this layout. Click 'To Top' to view the breadcrumb.

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Special Page template

This is another new page template (see: Full Width page template). This layout is designed for a long-read format, by dividing the screen in two halves; the left one is designated for images, the right one for all content. There is also a special connection between picture and content, enabling a nice scrolling experience.
Try it out!

This layout is particularly useful for magazine-style pages.

To create this layout:

  • go to the page properties; under Appearance, select the Backend Layout 'Special Page' (see fig.).

  • On this new page, create a new element; under Grid Elements, select Special Container (see fig.). This grid consists of two columns.

  • In the left column, you place a 'Special Image' element.
    This is the image that is displayed stationary alongside the scrolling content on the right; when the visitor is at the end of the content in this Special Container, the image will scroll up, and display the next Special Container.

  • In the right column, you place a normal 100% Grid element.

  • In the element properties of this Grid Element, under Appearance, select 'Used for content on special pages..' (see fig.).

  • Inside this 100% grid, you can place all elements to your liking.

The last steps, creating a 100% grid, are necessary to create the Special layout as it was designed. This element layout compresses the width of the elements within - otherwise, the text would run the entire width of the column.

 

View the new Special Template

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Facts and Figures element

This is a new element to display, for instance, facts and figures.

To create this, add a new Fact element inside a grid. Under Theme, select the header colour.
Then, edit the grid properties, go to the tab Appearance, and choose a background colour under 'Theme'.

Please note: the fact element only properly works in combination with this coloured grid background.

What is the coolest new feature?
Fact Element
How many features are in this new release?
40
Number of new features
11

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Coloured grid background

The background colour feature for grids can also be used without a fact element. It may for instance be useful for magazine-type pages, to highlight a specific text.

Two layout guidelines:

  • Dont overdo it! These coloured grids are very dominant. Don't create an abstract piece of art.
  • See if you should add top and bottom margins (under Appearance), to prevent the grid from overlapping with other elements. 

To create this, edit the grid properties, go to the tab Appearance, and choose a background colour under 'Theme':

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Notification element

This element can be used to draw attention to a certain part of your website, or a call-to-action (for instance, when an application deadline is approaching). You can add one or two buttons. The element is available in all TU Delft theme colours.

To create this, add a new Notification element. Enter a header, text, and theme, and, optionally, one or two buttons. The buttons can either be white or transparent.

Notification element

These are not the only release notes; they are only the new elements. Check out our improvements and bug fixes!

Improvements Bug fixes

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Read More-toggle

This option allows you, in a Text element, to hide paragraphs under a 'read more'-line (as seen below).

To create this, in the Rich Text Editor (RTF) of the Text element, stand in the text on the desired location. Click on 'Insert Custom Element', then 'Tudelft', then 'Insert Readmore'. An orange marker will appear in your text.

To demonstrate this, a piece of literary history:

Alice

There was a table set out under a tree in front of the house, and the March Hare and the Hatter were having tea at it: a Dormouse was sitting between them, fast asleep, and the other two were using it as a cushion, resting their elbows on it, and talking over its head. ‘Very uncomfortable for the Dormouse,’ thought Alice; ‘only, as it’s asleep, I suppose it doesn’t mind.’Read more

The table was a large one, but the three were all crowded together at one corner of it: ‘No room! No room!’ they cried out when they saw Alice coming. ‘There’s plenty of room!’ said Alice indignantly, and she sat down in a large arm-chair at one end of the table.

‘Have some wine,’ the March Hare said in an encouraging tone.

Alice looked all round the table, but there was nothing on it but tea. ‘I don’t see any wine,’ she remarked.

‘There isn’t any,’ said the March Hare.

‘Then it wasn’t very civil of you to offer it,’ said Alice angrily.

‘It wasn’t very civil of you to sit down without being invited,’ said the March Hare.

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Image side caption

An option has been added to display a caption next to an image. This was a feature in the original design, and works well in storytelling articles.

To create this, go the the element properties, under Appearance, and choose 'Image fullwidth with caption'.
On the General tab, under Description, fill in the caption text.

The caption can now be placed next to the image.

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