Standards & Procedures

Purpose

The purpose of this standard is to establish the basic guidelines for University Web pages and establish a framework under which additional, more specific, standards and procedures can be built.

Applicability

This standard applies to all Web pages representing colleges, departments, offices, divisions, centers, institutes, faculty/staff organizations, official University programs and initiatives and other entities considered part of the University’s core brand or a University brand extension (further referred to as “University units”).

This standard does not apply to “personal” faculty sites, sites supporting specific classes or courses, sites for labs specific to a single faculty member (labs that will not continue if/when the establishing faculty member separates from the University) and student organizations.

Standard

All University units publishing official information for or about Western Oregon University must use the University’s Web content management system, WordPress.

Use of WordPress ensures:

• Alignment with current best practices in user interface, coding and browser compatibility
• Compliance with Section 508 accessibility standards of the federal government
• Consistency in user experience, presenting the University’s Web presence in one voice as a single entity, rather than a patchwork of loosely associated sites
• Copyright compliance
• Creation and leveraging of single-source content
• Server security
• Strategic guidance and content support from Strategic Communications & Marketing
• Support of and leveraging a central, comprehensive University brand for regional, national and global recognition
• Technical assistance from the University Computing Services

Only wou.edu URLs will be used in communication regarding University information, programs and services. This includes brochures, mailings, digital advertising and all other print and electronic publications.

Additional standards build on this standard to address specific issues, such as content, layout, digital assets, domains and subdomains, development, etc.

Cooperative Efforts & Consortia

The pages and/or sites should use the logos/branding for all entities. Do not create a new brand and/or logo.

If the site is hosted by Western Oregon University, it must utilize the University’s Web content management system, WordPress. The cooperative/consortium may choose to use the “affiliated” template, which leverages Web content management system functionality and acknowledges the University as the site host but allows for additional branding and navigation options.

Responsibilities

University Units

Every University unit is responsible for the maintenance and accuracy of its information.

Every unit must identify a content owner. The content owner serves as a budget unit director for that unit’s website content. They are ultimately responsible for the maintenance and accuracy of information. They are also responsible for identifying one or more employee resources (content managers) for Web content management system training and content maintenance responsibility.

Content managers are responsible for completing all prescribed Web content management system training and forms. They are also responsible for staying informed on system, policy, procedure and standards changes.

Strategic Communication & Marketing

Strategic Communication & Marketing (Marcom) is responsible for the overall strategic direction of the University website, management of University-level content and ownership of the Web content management system.

Marcom is responsible for providing Web content management system training for content managers and for providing additional assistance and resources for continued development for content managers.

University Computing Services

University Computing Services (UCS) is responsible for the programming and maintenance of the Web content management system, WordPress to ensure the proper security and operation of the Web servers.