Website User Guides and Tools

Standard website accessibility functions are accounted for in the T4 content management system's standard content/sections (building blocks). This includes color contrast, screen reader tools, compatibility with external accessibility/assistive tools/features; alt text, tab functionality, and more.  Also, the Office of Access and Services for Individuals with Disabilities (OASID) offers support services, guidance, and best practices to the TC community.

We encourage staff and faculty to make edits to their website using the TerminalFour content management system. This ensures flexibility and ownership over your content. If you need a T4 user account, fill out this form. T4 account holders can also view training modules in Canvas to learn more about using T4.

Most departments have staff who are responsible for updating content on department websites. If you need help with these tasks, the Digital Campus team is available to help. Submit your request using this form.

If you would like to build a new website or a have a major website overhaul in mind, submit your request using this form. Be sure to speak with the Digital Campus team prior to starting design work within your team or with a contractor so the T4 website standard features, colors, and fonts can be incorporated from the beginning!

The refreshed TC logo, mission statement, and brand resources are available on the TC Brand Resources page

The Brand and Creative Studio team provides design services. Submit your request using this form.

The Registrar's office works with departments beginning in the spring and will provide the process and details for updating the catalog for the upcoming academic year. In addition, departments and offices should review their websites each spring and make plans to update content with correct content for the upcoming academic year.

1. Write Meaningful Headers (headers allow readers to navigate content)

2. Use Common Language

3. Tone (use an upbeat tone over bureaucratic heavy language)

4. Keep it Short

5. Subheadlines, Lists, and Scanning (use of font size, lists, and subheadline to help guide readers' eyes toward the most important content, and make it easier to absorb.)

6. Use Links Effectively (if you refer to a conference registration page, link to it. Don't make users search for something if it already has a page.)

7. Formatting (Keep it simple. Don't underline or use bold, italics, headings, and indentations unnecessarily. They may be difficult to read from the users' view.)

8. Structure Your Content Like an "Inverted Pyramid" on Top-Level Pages (Load the most important information at the top of the page and at the top level of your site. Content that requires users to scroll vertically loses up to 80 percent of its readership.)

SEO copywriting is the process of creating content with the goal of ranking in search engines for relevant keywords. Keywords are the words and phrases that people type into search engines to find what they’re looking for. Keywords are important because your website can show up when people type them into search engines, which will help students find TC programs.

Use websites like Google Trends and Answer the Public (3 free searches daily) to research popular search queries for your discipline. Carefully choose titles, headings, and subheadings: you want to use keywords and phrases like your discipline's name in these critical areas of the page. Only focus a few keywords per page in order to avoid creating too much noise. Attend to the position of your page on the site hierarchy: top-level pages should be distinct from one another and contain the most important information, and you should avoid creating multiple pages about the same thing to avoid diverting people in multiple directions for the same information. Finally, work with the Digital Campus team as you're performing web audits or considering new pages: they have access to tools like Google Search Console, which can help you learn more about the search queries that are leading users to your pages, and how they're performing in comparison to others like them. Digital Campus's tools can also help you regularly determine which pages are performing poorly – and when it might be prudent to remove them altogether.

Faculty profile content is managed in multiple ways- Some fields in the profile are editable by staff using the Faculty profile editor (contact info, bio, CV, photo, etc.). Other parts are managed via an automated process that uses the Banner feed, which shares data from the HR records and Registrar records systems.

When staff report data issues with a faculty profile, the vast majority of the time it is due to the fact that the data hasn't flowed through the system. If you're confident that data has been entered into the HR and Registrar processes correctly, we suggest waiting a bit longer for the change to come through. However, if you truly think there is a data issue, follow up will be needed:

Professor profile shows the wrong title >> Contact your HR representative to review your title in HR records

Professor is listed, but appears in the wrong title grouping on the website (listed under Faculty, Emeriti, Lecturer, etc. but should be under a different title grouping) >> Contact your HR representative to review your title in HR records

Professor profile is missing entirely on the faculty page >> Contact HR representative to view 'last work date' and Registrar's Office  to view classes assigned to teach Professor profile is listed on faculty page, but should be removed >> Contact HR representative to view 'last work date' and Registrar's Office to view classes assigned to teach