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UNCW Website Governance, Access & Training

Web Publishing

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

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.

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.

Accountability & Responsibility

As the owner, delegate or content manager of a UNCW website, it is your responsibility to work together and 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:

  1. Validity, accuracy and applicable compliance requirements of the website content.
  2. Monitoring website content or establishing processes for a delegate or content manager to report information about website content to the site owner.
  3. Assigning the site's content managers (one primary and one back-up).
  4. 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:

  1. One who is nominated by the site owner to serve as the primary contact for web-related decisions and to assign the site's content managers.
  2. Being the primary contact/authority for site-related concerns, questions or decisions.​
  3. Assigning the site's content managers (one primary and one back-up).​
  4. 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 for a Site Is Responsible For:

  1. Maintaining the site's content.
  2. Ensuring the site's content is up-to-date. 
  3. Reviewing the site’s content on an annual basis.
  4. Passing the content manager training.
  5. Following best practices for accessibility of content.
  6. Keeping the site owner or delegate informed of site content in accordance with processes established by the site owner.

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

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 Essential & Required

We value our content managers and want to provide the necessary knowledge and tools to thrive in the website management environment. That's why the training is mandatory for all content managers responsible for maintaining a uncw.edu site.

This requirement may seem like an additional task; however, we assure you that it is an essential and valuable investment in the success of our website.

The training program focuses on four key areas:

  1. Writing for the web: This training ensures consistency among content managers in adhering to UNCW's writing standards, voice, and tone, enabling effective communication.
  2. 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.
  3. 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.
  4. Cascade Training: This training provides the necessary skills to navigate, edit and utilize our new website and its components in Cascade, our Content Management System (CMS).

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

Getting Access to the Training

You will receive a content manager 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.

Please plan to take about six hours to complete the entire training, which is provided in four sections. 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.

Rewatch the Content Manager Trainings

It's always good to review and refresh your knowledge. These trainings are a valuable resource if you need to rewatch them, or if you just want to watch them without completing the Percipio courses.

Watch the Content Manager Trainings

Learn About Web & Social Media Guidelines

Web Guidelines & Policies The UNCW website is a critical tool for informational and marketing purposes and is a key conveyor of the university's image. Web Guidelines & Policies
UNCW Website Guide This helpful guide was created to empower all content managers to find the answers they need concerning content strategy, best practices, voice and tone, emergency communications, photo use, multimedia, SEO, links, vendor-hosted websites and domain names. UNCW Website Guide
Social Media Guidelines Find information about the types of university-related social media accounts, registering your UNCW-related account, social media comments, image guidelines, blogs, forums and wikis. Social Media Guidelines
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