So You Want to Build a Web site?

Web development at the University falls into five distinct categories:

Official Web sites

Official Web sites are hosted within the "www.umw.edu" and "cgps.umw.edu" domains. These sites require adherence to University graphic standards. Their look and feel is determined by the Division of Web Communications. Web Communications, a part of DoIT, works closely with the Graphic Standards Committee to ensure that all Web templates comply with the standards.

University Portal (under development)

The new university portal, OneU, is being piloted durring the Fall 2005 semester. If all goes well, we are hoping to launch a fully-functioning portal by the Spring 2006 semester. OneU, based on SCT's Luminis platform (an extension of a UPortal product), will significantly enhance communications at the University, and provide access to online resources in a "single-sign-on" environment. The portal will be the point of access to our self-service interfaces for our Banner administrative systems -- online registration, employment information, financial information, and administrative data -- will eventually all be accessed through the OneU portal.

Personal Web space

Personal Web space is assigned to you when you first enroll or begin work at UMW. Personal Web sites are hosted within directories on our network servers. The domains for these are "students.umw.edu" and "people.umw.edu." Personal Web space is just that--personal. Per our disclaimer, personal Web space "...information publishers control their own content and do not speak for the University." Conversely, content in these spaces is under control of the individual user. However, use of personal web space requires compliance with our Network and Computer Use Policy.

Official logos for the University are not permitted in personal Web sites. If Faculty or Staff wish to use the UMW logo for a Univesity program-related page or Web site, they are encouraged to contact UMW's Web Communications office for space and templates on the "www.umw.edu" server.

Student Organization Web Sites

These sites are separate from student personal Web space, and are hosted within the "students.umw.edu" domain. In order to launch a student organization Web site, Fredericksburg campus organizations need to obtain permission from the Office of Student Activities. On the Stafford campus, permission needs to be obtained from the Office of Advising and Student Services. As with personal Web space, student organization Web sites are not considered official sites of the institution, so do not need to adhere to graphic standards. However, use of student organization web space requires compliance with our Network and Computer Use Policy. Official logos for the University are not permitted in Student Organization Web sites.

Academic Web REsources

The Division of Teaching and Learning Technologies (DTLT) is working with new Web technologies to support the teaching and learning environment. Blackboard is probably the most familiar of these tools, but new resources are under development, including blogs, portals, and wikis. For more information about Academic Web resources, visit the DTLT Web site.