The University of Oklahoma website contains several million pages and not all visitors enter these pages through the OU home page. Many visitors are external audiences and for many, these pages are their first and only view and impression of The University of Oklahoma. The Web is essential to our mission of teaching, research, creative work and public service.
Our web pages need to reflect our values including accessible information for those with disabilities. The University’s Web Guidelines seek to establish standards that will:
The purpose of this guide is to maintain a consistent OU identity and help streamline all university pages so that users can efficiently find what they are looking for.
To ensure that all websites representing the University of Oklahoma convey a consistent and accurate message and image, all new sites and sites involved in a redesign must be reviewed by OU Marketing and Communications (source.ou.edu)
OU Marketing and Communications will review sites based upon the guidelines contained in this policy and will perform audits to check for compliance, consistency and accurate messages.
Colleges and departments must request an exemption from OU Marketing and Communications in order to utilize a domain extension other than .edu (.com, .org, etc.).
Consistency is key to usability of a website. As visitors jump from site to site within the OU domain, they should have some expectation of consistency in layout and functionality. For this reason, all OU web pages must include the following:
All Web content and electronic publications, to the extent feasible, should be made accessible to people with disabilities. If accessibility is not feasible, the information should be available by alternative means. University websites is subject to the State of Oklahoma HB2197; Sections 504 and 508 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, as amended; the Americans with Disabilities Act; and University non-discrimination policies. Web account holders are responsible for verifying that their pages meet all university requirements including accessibility guidelines. Section 508 and HB2197 are only a minimum standard for accessibility and Web pages. Developers are encouraged to go beyond the minimum whenever possible.
Each page must contain a person to contact if users have trouble accessing content within the site. Each University website that provides entry to members of the public must contain an “Accessibility” link to "ou.edu/marcomm/accessstatement" in each page footer. This link contains the university’s Web Accessibility Statement and contact information for the Disability Resource Center. This line should appear in all pages that promote campus events or programs: “Accommodations on the basis of disability are available by contacting (phone number, name and address are desirable but optional) by (date or as soon as possible).”
For more information, visit the Accessibility Statement.
All sites that collect personal or financial information must consult with the IT Security team and comply with all e-commerce, PCI, privacy, and security requirements.
Some required page elements may be eliminated in certain Web applications (forms, e-commerce, etc.). Any exceptions to required page elements must be approved by Web Communications.
Domain names should be intuitive, short and reflective of an academic or administrative unit’s affiliation with The University of Oklahoma.
Colleges and departments must request an exemption from Web Communications, Marketing and New Media in order to utilize a domain extension other than .edu (.com, .org, etc.).
The university also reserves the right to reserve URLs or refuse requests for URL forms deemed inappropriate or likely to be used in the future by departments and administrators.
All new sites and sites involved in a redesign must be reviewed by OU Marketing and Communications (source.ou.edu).
Consistency is key to usability of a website. As visitors jump from site to site within the OU domain, they should have some expectation of consistency in layout and functionality. For this reason, all OU web pages must include the following:
Download the zip file containing the OU global header and install it in your parent directory.
Place the code snippet below on the line directly BELOW the opening <body> tag.
<div class="globalheader">
<div class="globalheader-wrapper">
<ul>
<li><a class="tip home" href="http://www.ou.edu/web.html" alt="OU Home link"><span>OU Homepage</span></a></li>
<li><a class="tip search" href="http://www.ou.edu/content/ousearch.html" alt="OU Search link"><span>Search OU</span></a></li>
<li><a class="tip social" href="http://www.ou.edu/web/socialmediadirectory.html" alt="OU Social Media link"><span>OU Social Media</span></a></li>
<li class="wordmark">The University of Oklahoma</li>
</ul>
<div style="clear:both;"></div>
</div>
</div>
Place the code snippet below on the line directly ABOVE the closing </head> tag.
<link rel="stylesheet" type="text/css" media="all" href="gloabalheader.css" />
<style type="text/css">.globalheader-wrapper { width:980px; }</style>
The default width of the header is 980px. If your site's width is something other than that, edit the line below in your header section.
<style type="text/css">.globalheader-wrapper { width:980px; }</style>
The following information is required in the footer:
The Interim Policy on Acceptable Use of Computer Systems and Interim Policy on Information System Security govern campus computing and networking activities, including use of the World Wide Web.
The University of Oklahoma is committed to respecting your privacy. Should you choose to provide us with any personal information, it will only be used by The University of Oklahoma to conduct official University business.
We use IP addresses (the Internet address of your computer) to help diagnose problems with our servers and to administer our Web site. For example, we employ statistical software to identify that parts of our Web site are most heavily used and which portion of our audience comes from within the OU network.
Like many other Web sites, portions of The University of Oklahoma’s Web site may use messages given by Web browsers to Web servers, commonly known as cookies, which can be used to provide You with tailored information from a web site. A cookie is an element of data that a web site can send to Your browser, which may then be stored on Your computer system. This element of data is a piece of text, not a program. Cookie information that OU collects is from previous visits to University websites. This is to enable the Site to provide more accurate and helpful information to You.
Cookies are also used by the University to manage a form of online advertising called Remarketing. Remarketing is a form of online targeted advertising by which online advertising is targeted to You based on previous Internet actions. Remarketing tags You by setting a cookie in Your browser through a target webpage or email. Once the cookie is set, the advertiser is able to show display ads to You elsewhere on the internet via an ad exchange. Additionally, the university may use Remarketing on the university website to display ads to you. Based upon Your visit to the University’s website, the University may utilize cookie technology to present you with advertisements in an appropriate manner during Your future web browsing (such as sidebar advertisements, based on your interest in the University) and with third-party vendors discussed further below.
Overall, the use of cookies helps to give You a customized experience at the Web site. Through the use of cookies, the University will know what’s working and what’s not. That information is then used to keep our Web site fresh and relevant to You the user. Cookies also allow the personalization of any online services the University or its third parties may provide to You. The University uses third parties to display advertising on our website or to manage our advertising on other sites. Our third-party partners may place their own cookies on their websites in order to serve advertisements that may be relevant to you based on your browsing activities and interests, and to determine the effectiveness of such advertisements. The third party partners (and their privacy policy) we share our cookies with for advertising include Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/policy.php), Twitter (https://twitter.com/en/privacy), Evergage (http://www.evergage.com/privacy-policy/), Slate (https://technolutions.com/privacy-policy), Google (https://policies.google.com/?hl=en).
By using the Web site, you agree to accept cookies sent by the University Web site. You can disable this web capability by simply selecting the preferences within Your browser. As noted above, other sites linked to the Web site may also send cookies; however the University does not control such activities. You may also opt-out of a third party’s use of cookies by visiting the Network Advertising Initiative opt-out page located at this link.
All official OU Web servers have appropriate physical, electronic, and managerial procedures in place to safeguard and secure all information we collect online. Furthermore, we use encryption when collecting or transferring sensitive data such as credit card information.
The University may contract with one or more third parties to maintainand host the Web site(s). Therefore, any information You submit, including personal information, may be placed and stored on a computer server maintained by this third party. Your use of the Web site and any provision of personal information You submit to the Web site constitutes Your acknowledgement that such information or content could pass through and may be stored in servers outside our control. You agree that the University has no liability or responsibility for any such pass through or storage of same.
Sites within the OU Web may link to external sites outside of the OUdomain as a convenience to you. If you use these links, you will leave he OU Web site. The University of Oklahoma is not responsible for the privacy practices or the content of such Web sites, and does not make any representations about them.
Sites within the OU Web may link to external sites outside of the OU domain as a convenience to you. If you use these links, you will leave the OU Web site. The University of Oklahoma is not responsible for the privacy practices or the content of such Web sites, and does not make any representations about them.
The University of Oklahoma in compliance with all applicable Federal and State laws and regulations does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, age, religion, disability, political affiliation, or status as a veteran in any of its policies, practices, or procedures. This includes but is not limited to admission, employment, financial aid, and educational services.
This Privacy Policy is effective as of May 2018. The University reserves the right to modify the terms of this policy at any time and in its sole discretion, by posting a change notice to this page. Your continued use of the Web site following our posting of a change notice will constitute binding acceptance of those changes and this Privacy Policy.
Personal Web pages created by faculty, staff, or students on University systems are the sole responsibility of their authors. Comments on the contents of those pages should be directed to the page author. As a service and for informational purposes only, the University may provide links to personal Web pages. The University does not routinely monitor the content of these pages. However, the University investigates complaints and may remove or limit access to Web pages that violate local, state, or federal law or University policy. Personal pages must not convey the impression that the author is representing, giving opinions, or otherwise making statements on behalf of the University or any unit of the University. This disclaimer will be included:
The opinions or statements expressed herein should not be taken as a position of or endorsement by the University of Oklahoma.
Websites covered by this policy are prohibited from hosting pages on behalf of individuals and organizations that are not affiliated with the University. Personal websites may not host pages for individuals other than the owner. Students’ personal sites may not host pages for organizations other than official registered OU student organizations. It is a violation of state law to run a private business on a University computer system.
Exemptions to this policy may be considered when hosting a Web page will serve the University’s mission of teaching, research, creative work, and public service. These exemptions will be approved by a department or by Student Affairs. This policy is not meant to prohibit official units of the University from providing information on conferences and other professional and scholarly activities in which University members are engaged.
The OU Foundation and activities authorized by the President, such as the Campus Campaign, are the sole entities authorized to conduct fundraising via pledge forms or direct contributions on the University of Oklahoma website. Faculty, staff, and students may not conduct fundraising campaigns on their personal pages or link to a fundraising page other than that of the OU Foundation or a group authorized by the President.
Fraternities, sororities, and other service organizations may describe philanthropic efforts on their websites and provide a street address and phone number for contributions.
To protect the educational nature of OU websites and to preserve their primary role in support of the mission of the University, commercial advertising is prohibited on the ou.edu domain or using OU internet protocol ranges.
Co-branding, hyper linked logos, link exchanges, and associate, affiliate, and referral programs are among the items that will be considered commercial advertising. Text links provided for informational purposes or as part of a comprehensive list of sources will not be considered commercial advertising unless the purpose is to promote a product or service.
This policy is not meant to prohibit auxiliary-funded departments from providing appropriate information on their products and services.
Sponsors may be acknowledged on official University sites related to University-sponsored artistic or cultural programs, conferences, or special events. These acknowledgments must be supported by a written agreement between the sponsor and the University entity that specifies a limited term, typically concluding with the end of an event or series.
Acknowledgements may include the sponsor's corporate name or logo but may not include a street address, telephone number, e-mail address, product name or service information, call to action, or comparison. The acknowledgement must include a disclosure such as, "The Artist Series acknowledges the support of these sponsors" and may not imply endorsement by the University.
Sponsors are not entitled to display University marks on their web sites without prior written consent from the OU Licensing Trademark Program.
Official University sites covered by this policy may acknowledge business partnerships for services provided at no cost that assist the University in achieving its mission; for example, access to an online research service or a search engine. Otherwise, all the provisions for sponsorships apply to partnerships, except that logos may be hyper linked to the service provided.
Submit complaints regarding apparent violations of policy or law to abuse@ou.edu.
