Web Policies & Procedures

Policy Statement

Doane College recognizes the value and potential of Web-enabled technology as a tool to provide potential students, parents, current students, faculty, staff, and alumni with information about Doane College.  The Doane Web site portrays the internal and external image of Doane and for this reason, a comprehensive Web presence shall be developed and maintained. 

Web content authors are expected to abide by all rules established by the Web Committee.

History of the Web Committee

In the fall of 2005, Doane College began the process of a Web site redesign.  A committee was formed to assist in the selection of a company to help redesign and implement a site-wide Content Management System.  The initial committee was comprised of the Marketing Technology Director, the Director of Marketing and Public Relations, Vice President for Advancement, and the President.  Two faculty members, and the Vice President for Admission were added to the committee to help with this selection. 

In October 2005, STAMATS was selected as the company to assist with the Web site redesign.  The Director of Technology, Technology Coordinator for the Lincoln Campus and User Support Specialist for the administrative system (Datatel) were added to assist with server and system integration aspects of the redesign process. 

Goals and Purpose

As a marketing tool for the college, our purpose is to provide a Web site to our visitors that:

• Maintains a consistent look and feel
• Allows for easily navigable areas for all audiences
• Provides accurate and up-to-date information
• Provides content that is concise and to-the-point.

As a connection to our content authors, our purpose is to: 

• Provide authors with the ability to easily add content by providing them with a Content Management System (CMS) that is accessible through a Web browser.
• Provide training to assist authors on how to write content for the Web and how to use the CMS.

Audience

Doane has identified the following user groups as target audiences for the external web presence.

Primary target audiences:

1. Prospective traditional undergraduate students (including international as well as in- and out-of-state transfer students)
2. Parents and guardians of prospective traditional undergraduate students
3. Prospective nontraditional undergraduate students
4. Prospective graduate students
5. Alumni & Friends (donors)

Internal Web presence includes the following audiences:

1. Current students across all three campuses and programs
2. Faculty and staff across all three campuses and programs

Other sub-audiences identified include:

1. Guests to the Athletics site
2. Parents of current traditional undergraduate students
3. High school teachers, guidance counselors, and coaches
4. Guests and local community members
5. The Doane Family Association
6. Local businesses, especially in Crete, Lincoln, and Grand Island
7. Media
8. Other college/universities

While the Web site tries to address the needs of all the audiences, our marketing focus is predominantly to meet the needs of the primary target audiences.  This allows us to more effectively provide content designed to meet Doane's external marketing objectives. 

Commercial Use and Advertising

Authors of sites may not use any Web page within the doane.edu domain for advertising or commercial use or gain without prior written approval from the Marketing Technology Director.  

Logo and Trademarks

The logo, name and all graphics on the Doane College Web site are exclusive to Doane College.  Permission must be granted for use of any Doane logos.

Trademark emblems or images will not be allowed for use on the site unless permission by the appropriate company or organization is received in writing and a copy provided to the Marketing Technology Director

Privacy

This site collects information to improve functionality and content and to monitor performance.  Data is used to help answer specific questions about the usage and performance of the Web site or individual Web pages.  Our Web site logs are not personally identifiable, and Doane makes no attempt to link them with the individuals who browse the site.  Doane does not sell, rent, loan, trade, or lease any personal information collected via the site.

• Student Information Disclosure

The disclosure of information from student records is governed by the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA).  Doane College respects the privacy of its students.  Educational records include, but are not limited to, grade reports, transcripts, most disciplinary records, student schedules, class lists, health records, student employment records, and generally any personally identifiable information.

• Alumni and Student Information

Alumni or student contact information or personally identifying information should not be displayed online unless written permission has been obtained.  The exception is for Doane Ambassadors, whose contact information is relative to their job duties through the Admission Office.

Types of Web Pages and Development Procedures

The classifications below reference the Content Management System (Estrada) that Doane College uses to manage its public Web pages.  This Content Management System allows Doane to ensure a uniform look, feel, and navigation of the Web pages, while enabling content updates by non-technical staff. 

Training required for the use of the content management system is split into two parts:

1. Writing for the Web
2. Content Management System for Content Authors

Institutional

Institutional pages include the Doane College Home Page and main menu pages, division and department Web pages, and library Web pages.  Institutional Web pages must conform to the Doane College design standards and should be part of the central Content Management System.

Organizational

Organizational pages consist of officially recognized student organizations, club Web pages and committee pages associated with Doane College.  Organizational pages may utilize Doane College web design standards and the central content management system, but are not required to do so.

Organizational Web pages are required to follow rules set forth in regard to content restrictions within Web pages that are housed on Doane College servers.

Doane is not required to link to organizations/clubs, either affiliated or not affiliated with Doane, that maintain sites outside of the Doane College domain.   

Doane College Web Standards

Templates

The Doane College Web site is designed with four types/levels of templates:

• Home page
• Second-level pages include the top horizontal banner image with a right side section for Fast Facts, Related Links and Profiles
• Third- and Fourth- level pages are similar and include: a) Optional left side image above the menu area b) Optional right-side section (Fast Facts, Related Links, Profiles). The optional right side allows for a fourth level that provides a wider area for content. (NOTE: If a page posted includes a table that is too large for a right-side menu to exist, the system will not display the right side area in order to keep the design from breaking and expanding.)

Departments and organizations should generally construct their sites using the third and fourth level pages. 

The Marketing Communications Office will create the top level of pages for departments (considered to be the second level from the homepage).

Style Guide

A style guide for logo and signage usage is available in PDF format or from the Marketing Communications Office upon request.

Body Content Structure

All content authors are required to go through a Web content writing session and training on the Content Management System, prior to approval of posting content to the Doane Web site.

Find out more about how to become a Web author. 

Stylesheets

The Doane College Web site utilizes Cascading Style Sheets (CSS) to maintain layout and presentation, including font style, size, color, background color, and link setup.  Authors should not change styles of fonts on pages in order to allow the CSS to provide a consistent look and feel to the site.

Images

As stated in the Student Handbook, "Users must not misuse or abuse any information resources... This includes, but is not limited to... Displaying obscene, lewd, or sexually harassing images or text on a computer owned by Doane College or in a location that may be easily viewed by others...References to and/or pictures of alcoholic beverages may not be used directly or indirectly in the advertisement of any college or organization function."  This includes pictures of functions on or off campus. 

Images deemed inappropriate by the Marketing Technology Director will be removed, and may cause the individual responsible to lose access. 

Quality and Size of Images

Large or low quality images within Web pages can cause a page to download slowly or portray a poor image.  For this reason, images must go through an optimization process to ensure the quality and size are ideal for web viewing. 

Image Posting Procedure

1. submit your images to the marketing communications office
2. marketing communications office will optimize, resize and apply design layout to all images to meet Web standards
3. typically images will be completed within hours of the request, however,  circumstances could cause a longer time period, potentially a total of  one-to-two weeks.  Please plan ahead.

Documents

Estrada CMS allows users to upload documents into the system through the Document Manager.  Please contact the Marketing Technology Director at 826.6718 to have this feature added to your site and receive instructions for its use.

Audio and Video

The Marketing Communications Office realizes the importance video has on the impact of marketing the college to potential prospective students.  However, it is recommended that audio and video files be provided as supplemental information to existing content pages.  Users should be able to get all information from the Web without requiring the viewing of audio and video files.  Please be aware that audio and video files may require additional software to run, and due to file sizes, may slow performance of the page during download times. 

Contact the Marketing Technology Director prior to production of audio and video files in order to determine the appropriate file size and requirements.

Animated Graphics or Moving Images

Animated graphics, marquees, or "blink" tags should not be used since some users are unable to see these elements.  Furthermore, they annoy a great many users and often present an unprofessional appearance.  Flash components are acceptable, so long as there is an alternative version for those users that do not have the Flash plug-in.

Accessibility

Although educational institutions are not required to meet ADA compliance standards in section 508, a concerted effort must be made by Web publishers to provide content accessible to individuals with a disability. 

The addition of the Estrada CMS system assists authors in meeting some of these ADA standards by requiring specific information such as alt tags or titles on images.

ADA compliance guidelines can be found at:  http://www.access-board.gov/sec508/guide/1194.22.htm  

Currency of Information

Information on the Doane College institutional and organizational Web pages should be current.  Content should be reviewed and updated as appropriate on at least a semester basis.

Supported platforms, browsers

Doane College Web pages have been tested in the following environments

Monitoring and Enforcement

To submit a complaint regarding violation of these policies, please contact webmaster@doane.edu.

Doane College reserves the right to remove any page or site that is:

• Outdated, and without an owner willing to update in a timely manner
• (institutional pages only) Not in compliance with Doane College Web design standards
• In violation of the Doane College Appropriate Usage Policy, Student Handbook or Web Policies.

If the Marketing Technology Director receives a complaint regarding content posted to the Doane College Web page, the following steps may be taken:

• Notify the site owner of the complaint.
• Consult the appropriate offices to determine if a change is warranted, including but not limited to, the director of the department, the appropriate dean or vice president, and legal counsel.
• If action is warranted, it may include modifying or removing the page(s).
• Inform the complainant of the outcome of this process.

Contact Information

Nancy Weyers, Marketing Technology Director, nancy.weyers@doane.edu; phone:  826.6718