Lecturer’s Guide to Managing Student Websites

Lecturer’s Guide to Managing Student Websites

A practical guide to supporting student web projects using the Student Web Host Manager (SWHM).

Teaching Web Development Without Hosting Headaches

SWHM removes the friction of managing hundreds of student hosting accounts, passwords and domain issues. This guide explains how lecturers can use SWHM to streamline teaching and focus on the quality of student work.

Accessing Student Websites

Once students log in through Azure AD, their hosting accounts are generated automatically. Lecturers can:

  • Search by module, teaching block or student name.
  • Open student sites directly from the lecturer dashboard.
  • See which sites are active, pending, or suspended.

Monitoring Progress During a Teaching Block

Instead of only seeing final submissions, SWHM allows real-time visibility of student progress:

  • Check whether students have published an early version of their site.
  • Monitor updates over time to provide formative feedback.
  • Identify students who may be struggling or have not yet started.

Supporting Students with Common Issues

Even with automation, students may need help with layout, content or configuration. SWHM makes this easy:

  • Open the student’s public site to understand their issue quickly.
  • Use cPanel access (if permitted by your institution) to diagnose problems.
  • Direct students to university guides or SWHM support resources.

Simplifying Assessment

SWHM standardises how domains and sites are generated, which helps assessment significantly:

  • No inconsistent or duplicated URLs to chase.
  • All student sites appear in one lecturer dashboard.
  • Lecturers can focus on grading work, not finding links.

Managing Group Projects

Group websites are supported natively in SWHM. Lecturers can:

  • See which students belong to each group site.
  • Access group sites for review or marking.
  • Easily manage sites used for presentations or demonstrations.

Working with IT and Admin Teams

SWHM bridges the gap between teaching teams and IT:

  • IT manages security, capacity and backups.
  • Lecturers handle teaching and assessment without needing technical access.
  • Everyone uses the same unified view of modules and hosting.

Tips for Lecturers Using SWHM

  • Introduce SWHM during the first teaching week.
  • Encourage students to deploy early and often.
  • Use dashboards to identify inactive students early.
  • Remind students to export/back up before the teaching block ends.