higher ed governance for the real world
TRANSCRIPT
Higher Ed Governance
for the Real World
@rdelaudeRachel DeLauder
@rdelaudeRachel DeLauder
What does it take to run a website?
“Many orgs identify their digital teams as only the hands-on resources that
design, write, and post web content on a daily basis. This narrow view reinforces the idea that digital is a tactical function
and not a strategic one.”— Lisa Welshman, “Managing Chaos”
From Managing Chaos by Lisa Welchman
Web reality in higher ed
@rdelaudeRachel DeLauder
Typical web structure leaves gapsFindings
Outdated org structures
Committee culture
Misunderstanding of web skills
@rdelaudeRachel DeLauder
Let’s take a closer look
Mixed-methods study
Online Survey• Web team roles, skills• Publishing process, workflow• Challenges, opportunities
1-on-1 Interviews• Web team structure,
resources• Editorial jurisdiction• Stakeholder relationships• Institutional culture• Training, assessments• Lessons learned
@rdelaudeRachel DeLauder
Survey participants
67%
Public 4-Year 2-Year Adult/Online
Private
55% 20%28% 11%
@rdelaudeRachel DeLauder
Job titles of survey participants
@rdelaudeRachel DeLauder
Job titles of survey participants
Practitioners 38%
Managers 31%
Leadership 31%
@rdelaudeRachel DeLauder
What is a “typical” web team?
@rdelaudeRachel DeLauder
Number of people on the web teamWeb Team
9+6-8
5
4
3
2
1Not much difference
Public/private
4-year/2-year
Site size
@rdelaudeRachel DeLauder
Common web team skillsWeb Team
CMS EntryEditingWriting
PhotoAnalytics
Graphic DesignSocial Media
IAFront End DevContent Mktg
SEOTaxonomy
AccessibilityBack End DevUsability Test
VideoPR
Digital Ads
0 25 50 75 100
@rdelaudeRachel DeLauder
Outsourced skillsWeb Team
Back End DevDigital Ads
VideoPhoto
Front End DevGraphic Design
SEOIA
AnalyticsUsability TestAccessibility
TaxonomyWriting
Content MktgPR
EditingCMS Entry
Social Media
0 17.5 35 52.5 70
@rdelaudeRachel DeLauder
How do they manage content?
@rdelaudeRachel DeLauder
Content management systemsContent Management
Terminal 4 8%Sitecore
8%
OmniUpdate 7%
Expression Engine 10%
Wordpress 13% Drupal
21%
Other 24%
Adobe 8%
@rdelaudeRachel DeLauder
Ongoing content maintenanceWeb Team
89%
Run analytics reports
75%
Send requests for
web updates
Delete unused pages
Content audits
Monitor site search logs
User testing
66% 62% 56% 31%
@rdelaudeRachel DeLauder
What are the common challenges?
@rdelaudeRachel DeLauder
The challenges of higher edChallenges
Quality, updated content
Staffing
Too many cooks
Disagree on web’s purpose
Training/web skills
Internal comm. issues
# of audiences
Measuring success
CMS sucks
Too much content
No respect!
Rebellion
Too slow
Pace of tech
Power struggles
$No
leadership support
Lack of ownership
“Too many @$#% cooks in the kitchen. Seriously. Everyone who has ever turned on a computer since the Commodore 64 thinks
they know how to do everything.” Higher ed’s content challenges
“The web team has very specialized knowledge that is used daily to
maintain the website. To think that anyone given a WYSIWYG editor can
write web content and maintain a website is demeaning and insulting.”
Higher ed’s content challenges
@rdelaudeRachel DeLauder
Struggles to find balance
“We incorporated an online coordinator system, which is mainly secretaries
making changes. They aren’t in the system enough to be confident, and don’t review
their websites or keep things updated. This was not a productive change for
anyone, and our website has failed due to it.”
Higher ed’s content challenges
“We’ve got a fairly good grip on the core content now, which is managed centrally, but a large
chunk is outside the central team. As a small central team, we don’t
have the time to support and guide those web authors.”
Higher ed’s content challenges
@rdelaudeRachel DeLauder
So, what did we learn?
@rdelaudeRachel DeLauder
Types of web teamsPatterns from the data
MarComm-based
Slick, graphic-heavy templates
Prioritized around business goals
Consistent branding and messaging
IT-based
Focused on workflows and permissions
Request-based updates
Page load times, accessibility
@rdelaudeRachel DeLauder
Types of web teamsPatterns from the data
Centralized
Consistent branding and messaging
Bottlenecks
Not enough staff to support everyone
Edge-case needs not met
Decentralized
Speedy updates
Autonomy
SME knowledge
Inconsistency
Poor-quality content
Silos
@rdelaudeRachel DeLauder
The challenges of higher edPatterns from the data
Quality, updated content
Staffing
Too many cooks
Disagree on web’s purpose
Training/web skills
Internal comm. issues
# of audiences
Measuring success
CMS sucks
Too much content
No respect!
Rebellion
Too slow
Pace of tech
Power struggles
$No
leadership support
Lack of ownership
@rdelaudeRachel DeLauder
The challenges of higher edPatterns from the data
Staffing
Politics
Not enough investment in
digitalLack of skills & experience
Misunderstanding of web’s power and
purpose
@rdelaudeRachel DeLauder
How can we fix it?
An ideal model?Patterns in the data
An ideal model?Patterns in the data
An ideal model?Patterns in the data
An ideal model?Patterns in the data
An ideal model?Patterns in the data
@rdelaudeRachel DeLauder
Ways people deal
Set up workflows based on stages of expertise, not org. structure
SMEs edit text, but web specialists build new pages, create layouts, add images
Edit access, but not publish permissions; built-in review stage
Outsourced hosting or content maintenance tasks, e.g., SiteImprove
@rdelaudeRachel DeLauder
1. You are not alone
“If I could go back, I’d be more proactive and empower people to be more excited about the web and their role in it…building those relationships, giving people a real understanding of your work and why it matters, and what they can do about it.”
— Web communications manager at a large university
Show them how it’s done
@rdelaudeRachel DeLauder
@rdelaudeRachel DeLauder
2. Set clear standards
Prioritizing web projects
Does it support org. goals?
What’s the ROI?
Is it urgent?
Are resources available?
Is it a mandate/compliance issue?
When was it requested?
Is it their “turn”?
Core Web Team Marketing Web Committee
Content Accuracy Responsible Consulted Informed
Content Style & Format Responsible Accountable Informed
Design Accountable Responsible Informed
Information Architecture
Responsible/Accountable Consulted Informed
Digital Strategy Responsible Consulted Accountable
Draw lines in the sand
@rdelaudeRachel DeLauder
@rdelaudeRachel DeLauder
3. Get support from the top
Infiltrate committee meetings
@rdelaudeRachel DeLauder
Take it up the ranks
@rdelaudeRachel DeLauder
@rdelaudeRachel DeLauder
4. Make it about the users
“I’ve worked in central IT and in marketing, and the thing
that was missing with both of those groups is nobody talked
about the user experience.”— Director of Website Services
Hand over the keys
@rdelaudeRachel DeLauder
@rdelaudeRachel DeLauder
5. Be patient
“We are a federated governance model; the central governing body doesn’t have
control over the states. In higher ed, consensus decision-making is the norm. We have to accept and work within that,
and get around the table.”— Web services director for provost’s
office
“It helps a lot to understand that change CAN happen. It’s all about finding the
motivation for people; they’ll get there, but they have to see how it affects them.
Sometimes you have to let academia be academia. But, if you show them you tried to
meet them halfway, they’ll come around.”
— Content strategist for large university and research institute