University of Evansville : Web Communication and Design Standards

Purpose

The purpose of this policy is to establish consistent communication and design standards for the University’s public Web presence. These standards relate to usability, navigation, access and the correct use of the University’s established branding and identity standards guide.

Requirements & Recommendations

The following requirements are based on the premise that visitors to virtually any public portion of the University Web presence should be able to:

Easily identify each Web site as an official representation of the University;
Easily access and navigate to any related Web page within a Web site;
Extend interaction with the University beyond the Web through email, phone and in-person contacts;
Access the University’s main Web site from any Web page within a Web site.

All academic and departmental Web sites are required to use the Departmental Web Design Templates: www.evansville.edu/aboutue/universityrelations/imc/templates.asp

It is recommended that all Web sites meet the Indiana's Section 508 Web Accessibility Coding Solutions and Requirements (www.in.gov/webmasters/accessibility/).

Rights & Responsibilities

Information for display on any University Web site is a privilege, not a right. The Office of University Relations reserves the right to deny access to or to remove from display any information that is considered inconsistent with published University policies and practices.

The owner of a Web site will be responsible for the adherence of this policy and responsible for the overall purpose and function of the Web site. It is the responsibility of the owner of a Web site to ensure the following:

Information must contain no statements harmful or potentially harmful to the well being of any individual or group of individuals;
Information must be consistent with Federal and State copyright laws;
Information must be in compliance with University policies and practices;
Information must be consistent with University standards of ethical and moral conduct and must comply with the Office of Technology Service’s Acceptable Use Policy (ots.evansville.edu/policies/);
Information should be accurate and articulate. It should contain no spelling or grammatical errors and should be written in a brief, articulate manner for ease in reading;
Information must be updated as often as necessary to keep it useful.

A contact must be appointed by the owner of a Web site to maintain the design and content of the site. This technical contact will be the Web site administrator. The Web site administrator is responsible for the following:

Adhere to Federal and State copyright laws, and University policies and regulations along with any additional department policies and procedures;
Regularly update and maintain content and information on the Web site;
Stay informed with respect to changes in this policy and the branding and identity standards manual;
Encode the Web site with recommended W3C HTML standards (www.w3.org), and ensure proper and appropriate use of HTML and CSS (validator.w3.org);
Ensure all links throughout the Web site are valid and accessible (validator.w3.org/checklink);
Maintain design consistency and ensure proper use of any applicable Web templates.

With the guidance of the Integrated Marketing Communication Committee, the Director of University Relations has overall responsibility for this policy. The Office of University Relations is responsible for overseeing the content and design of the University’s main Web sites and for maintaining and publishing the University’s Web Communications and Design Standards Policy.

The Office of Technology Services is directly responsible for the maintenance and upkeep of the University’s main Web servers, Web accounts and for designing and developing the University’s main Web sites.

Compliance Procedures

The following procedures outline the method in which compliance with this policy will be enforced:

Notification: The Web site administrator for a Web site will be notified of any discrepancies in accordance with this policy, given a timeframe for re-instating compliance and informed of the procedure for the follow-up notification.
Re-Notification: The Web site administrator for a Web site and the owner of the Web site will be notified of the discrepancy and informed of the consequences.
Consequence: Failure to amend any discrepancies will result in the loss of online access to the Web site and removal of the Web site’s link from the University’s main Web sites.
Reinstatement: Online access and links may be reinstated upon full compliance with this policy.

Terms & Definitions

Web site – A set of interconnected Web pages generally located on the same server, and prepared and maintained as a collection of information by a person, group, or organization.

Web page – A document on the World Wide Web, consisting of an HTML file and any related files for scripts and graphics, and often hyperlinked to other documents on the Web.

Owner – The dean, director, head, chair, or president of any officially approved and recognized campus group, club, organization, department, school/college or program.

Web presence – All Web pages and Web sites hosted within the University’s registered domain (evansville.edu).

Process to Request a New Web Site
Complete a request for a new Web site form located on AceLink, links under the technology services area - https://acelink.evansville.edu/Areas/OTS/Files/NewWebSiteRequest.pdf. Complete the form and submit to the Manager of Digital Media.
The Manager of Digital Media meets with the requesting party. Depending on the request, this meeting may also include the manager of Web applications and the Web development coordinator. The Integrated Marketing Communication Plan is discussed.

If the requesting individual is capable of building and maintaining a Web site, he or she is asked to contact the manager of Web applications when the site is complete so it may be linked to a University server. The requestor is encouraged to contact the manager of Web applications and the Web development coordinator with any questions regarding the creation of the site.

If it is determined that the manager of Web applications and the Web development coordinator will build the site, the requestor is asked to provide a diagram with the desired navigation and layout of the new Web site. The requesting party will provide and enter the text.

The requesting party is informed of various content management systems available to maintain the site. The individual is encouraged to meet with the Web development coordinator periodically throughout the building phase to ensure that the site meets expectations.

When all parties agree that the site is ready, the new Web site is launched.

Last updated: October 2008.