Website Governance
Introduction
Chico State's website is the main vehicle for achieving the University's business and strategic goals of attracting and retaining students. It's the most public-facing environment and often the first touchpoint for prospective students and their families. Our web presence must reflect University strategic goals and standards while serving the needs of our audiences.
Our website represents the identity and reputation of the University and its mission. A website visitor should experience the same considerate welcome and sense of inclusivity as a visitor to our campus. They should expect to quickly and intuitively find the information that meets their needs in alignment with the University's goals of engagement and enrollment.
A cohesive visual experience with on-brand messaging and a consistent user experience strengthens the University and supports our audiences.
Ownership
The website, csuchico.edu, is the sole property of California State University, Chico. The Information Technology Executive Committee has authority over high-level decisions regarding the website. The Web Accessibility and Compliance Committee is responsible for decisions regarding the governance and standards of Chico State's website, and ensures that appropriate decision-making activities are executed in alignment with the University's strategic priorities.
While select faculty and staff will have access to edit certain portions of the site, Web Services has decision-making authority over the function, presentation, and compliance for all branded sites.
Audience
Chico State's primary target audience for its website is prospective and current students. The website encourages prospective students to apply and enroll. The website should also cater to current students, who require support, agency, and resources to meet student success standards.
Pages deeper in the site might service different audiences. For every page, it's important to consider: who is the primary audience for this page? What action do I hope to inspire my audience to take?
Site Goals
Guiding Principles
Content is developed and presented in a way that is most beneficial to our audience.
- Site content is focused on the primary audience
- Content and design strategy is created with the needs of the audiences in mind.
- Content does not exist in a vacuum
- The site exists as a unified entity. All content must have a clear purpose and be developed with existing content in mind such that duplication and conflicting information is minimized.
- Evolution of the site is constant and communicated.
- The campus community is kept informed of major changes in strategy and implementation from a high level. Change is necessary to better meet the needs of the University’s audience, and Chico State is committed to transforming the sites as data, industry standards, and research evolves.
Overall Goals
- To leverage the website as an effective, appealing marketing platform that reflects the Chico State brand and encourages prospective students to apply to and enroll in the University.
- Provide quality content that is easy to navigate and access.
- To employ expert knowledge in a way that contributes to positive outcomes to the website experience.
- Facilitate compliance requirements and standards which include: privacy, security, accessibility, and usability.
Objectives
- Build strong, clear pathways that guide users through completing top tasks and avoids duplication and conflicting information
- Understand why a page exists, who it helps, and what it helps them do before publishing.
- Develop information architecture that serves the primary audience, so organization business structure does not dictate web site structure.
- Outline roles for website governance, oversight and contributors, detailing web workflows, training and compliance
- Establish efficiency around content editing, update scheduling, and writing for the web.
- Expert knowledge is leveraged effectively and contributes to the successful wording of functional content.
- Establish a monthly and bi-annual review process with communication partners to provide visibility to a holistic view of the website.
- Provide measures of success for ADA compliance.
- Cohesive and appealing content and visual design, incorporating consistency in user experience.
- The website is recruitment-focused and provides high-value content that leads to a seamless experience for prospective students.
- The website is aligned with the University brand pillars and strategic priorities.
- Amplify student voices and highlight storytelling that is unique to Chico State.
- Build a system of continuous improvement organized around measurable website goals, analytics, and experimentation.
- The site uses defined content patterns to ensure information stays relevant throughout the year, with key details updated for accuracy. This helps the University maintain consistency and keep our users’ trust.
- Communicators understand what is worth spending time on from a strategic standpoint.
- Emphasize quality over quantity, focus on making the vital pages exemplary through analytics and strategic alignment.
Roles and Responsibilities
Oversight and Governance
Web Accessibility and Compliance Committee
A group of key institutional stakeholders that set and drive the website strategic objectives.
- Reviews requests for non-standard website structures and approves if appropriate.
- Meets biannually to review website health and performance status, inform course correcting actions, and review and approve changes in governance documents or processes.
- Takes cues from the Information Technology Executive Committee’s strategic objectives for the University.
Domain Owners: Directors and Chairs
MPP group member responsible for assigning website tasks to appropriate staff, and supplying/replacing the content contributors if needed.
- Set team norms about document file management.
- Review a biannual website content report and coordinate recommended actions if any are reported.
- Inform IT of relevant changes to internal business goals.
Website Admins
Responsible for the management and supervision of the public face of the website to maintain a cohesive user-centered design focus as well as a consistent look or feel.
- Website Admins will be involved in and have decision-making authority over the function, presentation and accessibility/compliance for all branded sites and online content.
Content Contributors
Content Contributors for Chico State’s website are composed of Subject Matter Experts, Editors, Managing Editors, and Publishers for each Division or College. The group has domain knowledge that adds context and value to a student-focused website experience related to their Division or College.
[See Content Contribution Model for details]
Content and Design
All content on Chico State’s website must adhere to the web and editorial standards outlined in University Style Guide. The team of Web Admins has full access to all areas of the Chico State website and has broad authority to oversee, edit, and remove content that does not comply with these policies or standards.
Content Guidelines
Quality and Workflow
Website Admins are responsible for conceptualizing, creating, and testing website framework updates and revisions that affect the Chico State website in order to deliver a contemporary website experience that meets quality standards for sharing vital information and reaching our target audiences.
Website Admins are responsible for the function, presentation and accessibility/compliance for all branded sites and online content in addition to the duties outlined in the Content Contribution Model. This includes:
- Updating website components and content design patterns in accordance with branding alignment and strategies, and analytics performance.
- Communicating to the Content Contributor group changes to website components and content design pattern best practices.
- Documenting website components and content design patterns for training and education.
Content Contribution Model
Website Admins - IT Publishers
- Review content before live publish to ensure quality control standards are met.
- Function as a checkpoint for avoiding duplication of content.
- Provide guidance and education for Content Editors to follow content processes and patterns successfully.
- Create new elements needed in the website framework to support future strategic efforts.
- Develop a collaborative and informed Editor community.
- Own the day-to-day content quality.
- Monitor performance and report to Division areas.
Website Admins - UComm Publishers
- Respond to emergency requests that need non-standard response times.
- Provide feedback on writing qualities and guidance on length.
- Update and maintain resources for Editors to streamline workflow while adhering to brand standards.
- Collaborate with IT on necessary marketing strategies that impact the web.
Subject Matter Expert
Key individuals identified to respond to Editors and Publishers about questions/clarifications on specific content. SME Content Contributors will respond to Editor requests for content accuracy review.
Editor
Department level staff who receive requests for content and communications representing their unit/area.
- Trained to filter non-website content, following document file management guidelines.
- Write content, gather media assets, and look for images to provide to the Managing Editor.
- Make text updates to Level 3 pages?
- Create accessible documents for alternative access.
Managing Editor
Division level staff
- Receive content and update requests (text or graphic) from Editor group within Division or College, and translate into web-friendly formats.
- Educate Editors on how to follow document file management guidelines.
- Performs updates to Level 2 and Level 3 pages.
- Shares relevant content with University Communications - News, Calendar, Blog entries
- Attends Content Contributors meetings on a regular cadence to share and receive information from Publishers group.
- Submit updates for review and approval.
- Documents and performs monthly review of content for accuracy.
- Utilize Cascade tasks, schedules, and workflows.
- Use UComm resources to ensure content for the website meets quality and identity standards.
- Plan appropriately for website update deadlines that allow for standard Campus Editing and IT turnaround times for Level 1 and Level 2 pages.
Publishers
Member of the Web Services team, or University Communications.
- Review submissions by Editors and Managing Editors.
- Answers questions and provides support to Content Contributors, Domain Owners and Oversight Committees.
- Respond to non-compliant submissions and resubmit for workflow.
- Perform updates to navigation with usability best practices in mind.
- Performs updates to Level 1 pages in collaboration with Managing Editors.
- Reach out to the Subject Matter Expert group if needed.
Development Standards and Application Development
Colleges, departments and centers should contact the Division of IT prior to developing and launching mobile applications to ensure the applications follow user-centered design, Chico State branding standards and best practices for ADA compliance/accessibility.
Major Projects and Initiatives
All requests for majors projects and changes to the website design or framework should be submitted to the Web Accessibility and Compliance Committee for review.
Brand guidelines
Written Content
All content on the website should reflect the standards published in the University Style Guide.
To ensure site security, accessibility and a positive brand experience, all external links are subject to the approval of Web Admins and can be removed at any time without notice.
Messaging/Branding
All content on the website should reflect the standards published in the University Identity Guide, developed and maintained by University Communications to provide resources to help content creators follow best practices for:
- Narrative Identity
- Visual Identity
- University Writing Style
Course Listings
All academic programs information related to course listings should be hosted in the University Catalog, which is considered the authoritative source of information regarding academic program requirements.
News and Event Content
University Communications maintains and approves University content for News and Events. Additional social media feeds throughout the site are not supported, and all social media platforms referenced on the website must adhere to the policies and guidelines in the Social Media Guide.
Visual Media Upload and Access
All visual media online should conform to best practices for website content, and adhere to the CMS Guide provided by Web Services. Always use officially sanctioned University applications to host multimedia content.
Following best practices ensures Chico State’s webpage content meets SEO standards and optimizes user engagement and experience.
Metrics
Chico State uses Google Analytics to measure activity and engagement on the website. Page view statistics, conversion events, and user behavior are collected and used to analyze
- Effectiveness of content patterns
- Usability success
- Quality assurance and SEO
Units adding their own Google Analytics code may result in inaccurate data collection, processing or reporting. The Web Accessibility and Compliance Committee reserves the right to review, alter and approve any analytics requests, integrations and frameworks.
Accessibility
Chico State is committed to making website content accessible to all users and strives to meet the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG 2.1 AA).
Compliance for content contained in the CMS is designed to provide a unified brand and user experience while meeting the AA standard. Tactics used to maintain and improve the overall health of the campus digital properties are:
- Automated and Manual testing: Monthly testing of the entire www.csuchico.edu domain using Siteimprove. Twice yearly, selected pages, using CSU testing framework and additional criteria including a screen reader test. New websites and digital content development assessed for compliance with all Section 508 accessibility guidelines.
- Ongoing Monitoring Process: Chico State strives to maintain an Accessibility Score of 83 or higher measured by Siteimprove.
- Supportive Services: Accessible content tickets are available in the campus service catalog for content remediation if non-compliant materials are discovered.
- Training Process: training incorporates Section 508 accessibility guidelines into website development and digital content preparation for all website Editors, Publishers, and Admins.
- Communication Process: The campus community is aware of Section 508 guidelines to make web-based information available to everyone (students, staff, faculty & the general public) regardless of disability. “Report an accessibility issue” link is standard in the campus footer.
- Administrative Process: Campus governance entities are aware of and kept informed about web accessibility status.
CMS Workflow
Web Help Requests
Requests for updates to the website or website content can be submitted using the Website Update Form. Service Level Agreement commitments fall within business operation hours, please see the chart below for expected response times.
General | Urgent | |
Service Level Agreement Response Times | 6 hours | High Priority Setting Available |
Emergency Requests
In the event of an emergency or crisis, UComm will take the lead in executing alert messaging across the campus web. Web Service provides backup support.
Urgent Request
Urgent requests for website updates that break the workflow processing timelines can be directed to University Communications for consideration. Call 530-898-4143 to request an urgent website update.
Requests due to operational issues such as lack of approved CMS training, failure to plan for employee turnover or lack of a backup primary editor/content contributor do not constitute an emergency and will be processed accordingly.
Major Projects and Initiatives
Major projects, such as custom website design or development can be submitted to Web Services for review and will be evaluated. All requests for customization of web elements or development within Cascade CMS will be reviewed by the Web Accessibility and Compliance Committee for web and identity compliance.
Web Request Workflow
Website updates will follow the workflow process outlined in Web Request Workflow
Non Compliance
Designated Contributors and Editors that violate these guidelines or compliance standards will be notified via email from Website Admins. Every effort will be made to provide educational resources for contributors to correct violations, and a two week grace period will begin for corrections to be addressed.
If no attempt is made to correct violations the Domain Owner will be notified and will have 10 business days to address the violations. If three or more violations occur within a six-month period, the Domain Owner will be contacted by the CIO office to discuss a corrective plan of action. Continued and egregious violations will result in the removal of the Editor from access to the website.
Policy Updates
The Web Accessibility and Compliance Committee reserves the right to update the governance policy and will notify editors of relevant changes that affect them.
Privacy
Chico State will maintain a web page outlining the privacy policy.
Appendix/Extras
Web Request Workflow
Definition of Levels
Level 1:
- campus pages, admissions, top-level homepage/landing pages - broad audience, marketing pages
- UComm is primary writer, SME is consulted, Web Services performs build/review/publish
Level 2:
- top-nav level pages - wide academic audience
- SME is primary writer, UComm may rewrite/edit, Web Services performs review/publish
Level 3:
- sub-pages - detail or process pages with specific, smaller audience
- SME is primary writer, content editor reviews/updates, Web Services performs review/publish
Global Components Guidelines
A Chico State website contains global components indicating that a page is part of the official university website. The Website Style Guide provides global component guidelines that deliver prospective and current students a reliable experience and supports universal business objectives.