UNCW Website Governance, Access & Training

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UNCW's website has governance in place to ensure our website has appropriate oversight and seamless functionality. Understanding the roles, accountability, and responsibility is key to maintaining a positive user experience. Below you can learn more about roles, accountability and responsibility, the Faculty & Staff Profile Module roles and responsibilities and requesting access and training.

Roles & Guidelines

In accordance with UNCW's website governance and best practices, official UNCW websites are managed by a site owner, an optional delegate, and two content managers. Our guidelines allow up to two content managers, one primary and one backup.

The Roles Defined

Site Owner

Site owners are defined as the head of a particular division, department, area or unit.

See site owner responsibilities

Delegate

Delegates are defined as those who are nominated by the site owner to serve as the primary contact for your unit's web-related decisions and to assign the site's content managers.

See delegate responsibilities

Content Manager

Content managers are defined as those who use the Cascade content management system to edit and maintain text, images and other content on university webpages.

See content manager responsibilities

Accountability & Responsibility

As the owner, delegate or content manager of a UNCW website, it is your responsibility ensure that the website is maintained properly. This includes:

Keeping the website up-to-date
Ensuring that all content is accurate and relevant
Making sure that the website is user-friendly and accessible to all visitors

The website is a reflection of the image and reputation of UNCW. By being responsible and proactive in managing the website, you can ensure that it provides a positive experience for all visitors.

Site Owners Are Accountable for:

Validity, accuracy and applicable compliance requirements of the website content.
Monitoring website content or establishing processes for a delegate or content manager to report information about website content to the site owner.
Assigning the site's content managers (one primary and one back-up).
Being the primary contact/authority for site-related questions, concerns, decisions and content manager changes (or assigning a delegate for this purpose).

Site owners get Cascade access only if they nominate themselves as one of the two content managers.

Site Owners Can Assign a Delegate

As a site owner, you may want to delegate the following two tasks to a colleague:

Primary contact for website-related questions
Identifying two content managers

You can only designate one delegate. The delegate you choose will be our primary contact, and they will identify two content managers for the site.

A Delegate Is Responsible for:

Site-related concerns, questions or decisions.
Assigning the site's content managers (one primary and one back-up).
Keeping the site owner informed of site content in accordance with processes established by the site owner.

Delegates get Cascade access only if they nominate themselves as one of the two content managers.

A Content Manager Is Responsible for:

Passing the content manager training.
Ensuring the site’s content is current and accurate.
Reviewing the site’s content on an annual basis.
Following best practices for accessibility of content.
Keeping the site owner or delegate informed of site content in accordance with processes established by the site owner.

A content manager must be a UNCW faculty or staff member. They cannot be a student employee or graduate assistant.

Faculty & Staff Profile Module

Using the Faculty & Staff Profile Module for team listings is optional and at the site owner's discretion. If preferred, the site owner may choose to retain their existing “Meet the Team” webpage.

If the site owner decides to use the Faculty & Staff Profile Module, please follow the outlined roles and responsibilities below.

Site Owners Are Accountable For:

Coordinating participation from their team members.
Guiding team members on a preferred style for profiles.
- For example, you may instruct them to have no bio, a simple bio, or a more detailed bio, or to include or exclude photos.
Encouraging employees to schedule professional headshots with OUR Photo Services if they don’t have one.
Quality control of the profiles.*

*While the web team is available for support, they will not review profiles. Site owners can coordinate with their delegate (if assigned) to maintain quality control of profile content, adhering to the processes they have established.

Content Managers Are Responsible For:

Ensuring that team lists are current and accurate.

Note: Content managers cannot create or edit other users’ profile

Faculty & Staff Are Responsible For:

Following the style guidelines for creating profiles.
Ensuring their profile content remains current and accurate.
Notifying their content manager when their profile is complete.
Scheduling an appointment for an official headshot, if needed.

Learn more about the Faculty & Staff Profile Module in the Brand Identity Guide

Access & Training

Requesting Access

Access to an official UNCW site must be requested by the website’s site owner or delegate. Please reach out to the web team if you need to know who the site owner, delegate or content managers are.

Content Manager Training

Training is mandatory for all content managers responsible for maintaining a uncw.edu site.

The training program focuses on four key areas:

Writing for the Web: This training ensures consistency among content managers in adhering to UNCW's writing standards, voice and tone, enabling consistent and effective communications.
Digital and Web Accessibility: As a content manager, it is your responsibility to create content that is accessible to all users. This training emphasizes the importance of accessibility and equips you with the skills to meet those standards.
Governance: Understanding the roles and responsibilities of a site owner, delegate and content manager is vital. This training clarifies these roles and outlines what actions are permissible and what are not within Cascade.
Cascade Training: This training provides the necessary skills to navigate, edit and utilize the website and its components in Cascade, our content management system.

By participating in this four-part training program, you will be well-prepared to succeed in managing your website, ensuring that your content remains consistent, accessible and user-friendly for all visitors.

Getting Access to the Training

New content managers will receive a training invitation from the web team (via the myTAC portal) after a site owner or delegate contacts us. Training is required to get access to an official UNCW site.

The entire four-part training package takes about six hours to complete. You may take the training modules in blocks as your time allows, but they must be taken in the order listed below:

WEB–101: Writing for the Web (requires score of 80 percent or higher to pass)
WEB–102: Digital and Web Accessibility (requires score of 80 percent or higher to pass)
WEB–103: Governance (requires score of 100 percent pass)
WEB–104: Cascade Training (hands-on; must do all tasks correctly to pass)

WEB 101–103 are offered asynchronously through online videos in Percipio. These include knowledge checks, a training document and assessment questions, which must be completed before you receive access to WEB-104.