SAS Website Standards

The SAS Joomla! template meets Rutgers University identity standards and School of Arts and Sciences identity standards.  Banners with the Rutgers School of Arts and Sciences logotype and modules with departmental contact information will appear on every page of the website. 

In addition to identity features, the SAS Joomla! template provides the following:

• A responsive layout that adjusts content for different devices and screen sizes
• A standard navigation and structure that provides easy access to departmental/unit information
• A high level of compliance with Accessibility Standards

Other features of our websites include:

• Course listings that update automatically
• Easy to maintain faculty listings
• Image slideshows
• Calendars and/or lists of events
• News and/or announcements

Please visit: https://www.sas.rutgers.edu/cms/deptdemo/ to see a live demo of the SAS Joomla! template or look below.

Overview

It is helpful to use banners / sliders on the top of main landing pages of the websites to add some color and nice formatting to the overall view of the site.

What is a landing page?

A landing page is a page that does not have a left sidebar.  This can be the home page of a site, or another page that does not need any left side menus and the content is all focused on that page.

Sample Landing Page

Both of these samples do not have left side bars.  A single image can be used, or you can create a slider with smart slider 3.  If you want text to be displayed, use a 'plain image' and use smartlslider 3 to layer the text over the image.

Example with text overlay:

Link to Sample page with Text Overlay

Example with a static image:

Link to Sample page with Static Image

Sample Interior Page

An interior page is a page that has a left sidebar on the website.  For this type of page it is better to use an image that is 2x1 ration (800 x 400), and is displayed in the 'content' section of the page.  This will make it easier for the user to access the content and the left sidebar that is displayed.

Example with image ABOVE the title:

This example uses a Custom Module to display the image.  Using a module is a little more work, especially if each page you want to use a different image, that means that multiple modules need to be created.  It is also a little more difficult to edit when the image needs to be changed.

Link to Sample Page with MODULE Image

Example with image BELOW the title:

To add an image BELOW the title, it is an image that is added within the content of the article.  This image can be around 800 x 400.  When adding the image, it is best to set the width = 100%, this way it will be responsive and fill the space properly.  This is very easy to edit for each page.

Link to Sample Page with Image in Content

Overview

Rutgers School of Arts and Sciences websites created by SAS IT and Data Analytics ensure that our school websites meet all federal, university, and school policies and regulations such as those set by the Americans With Disability Act and all others that set usability requirements and security standards. It provides a coherent standardization of look, navigation, and technological functions with flexibility to meet the needs of the unit, school, and the unit’s various constituents.

In order to serve our students well, the departmental websites include a standardized section for undergraduate education information. The goal of the undergraduate website navigation is to allow students and academic advisors to move between department websites with ease, knowing where they will find the information they need.

The Office of Communications and Undergraduate Education are available to help you develop new content and images for the website. If you need assistance, please contact:

Susan Lawrence, Vice Dean for Undergraduate Education,
Kareem Mumford, Director of Communications and Marketing,

SAS Undergraduate Rubric

This document will help develop an undergraduate section for degree-granting program websites.  For quick reference, see the list under "Undergraduate Menu" below.

• RU_SAS_Undergrad Web pages for Department Website.docx

Undergraduate Menu

Mandatory pages for undergraduate sections of SAS websites:

• About Us or Why (major or department title)?
  Departments should choose one of these titles for their undergraduate program landing page.
• Prospective Students
  This page should include information for prospective majors and minors. We recommend identifying program alumni or current students to feature on this page. You can send alumni and students a questionnaire (see Prospective Students Questionnaires below).
• Learning Goals
  The most recent departmental learning goals we have on file for you can be found here.
• Major(s)
  This is mandatory only if the department/program offers a minor.
• Minor(s)
  This is mandatory only if the department/program offers a minor.
• Certificates
  This is mandatory only if the department/program offers a certificate(s).
• Course Schedule
  We provide a utility (RU Course List module) that automatically pulls course information from the Rutgers Schedule of Classes.
• Course Synopses (preferred) OR Syllabi
  Individual synopses or syllabi should be listed for each course to give prospective students an idea of what to expect. 
  • Enhanced course description pages (or "synopses") are preferred. They should be more detailed than generic catalog descriptions. For an example, see the sample Courses Description/Synopses page.
  • Any syllabus files posted to the website should include a note to convey they are samples only and not the official course syllabus. Students enrolled in a course should refer to the official syllabus which is located in the course LMS (Canvas or Sakai).
• Advising
  Indicate how students can get advising in your department.

Optional pages for undergraduate sections of SAS websites:

• Honors
• Transfer Students
  Include any special information about policies on accepting winter and summer courses taken elsewhere.
• Nontraditional Students
• Careers
• Any additional menu items would follow "Careers"

Prospective Students Questionnaires

This page should include information for prospective Rutgers students and majors and minors. We recommend identifying program alumni or current students to feature on this page. You can send alumni and students a questionnaire. There are four sections to this page: the student and young alum feature; the benefits of choosing this field of study; featured student/alum, usually a story from SAS Communications; and three to four fun bullet points about the field. See content sheet and Prospective Students Questionnaires below.

• Prospective_Student_Page_Content.pdf
• Alumni: Department Website Prospective Student Page ALUM Profiles.docx
• Current students: Department Website Prospective Student Page STUDENT Profiles.docx

Overview

Rutgers School of Arts and Sciences websites created by SAS IT ensure that our school websites meet all federal, university, and school policies and regulations such as those set by the Americans With Disability Act and all others that set usability requirements and security standards. It provides a coherent standardization of look, navigation, and technological functions with flexibility to meet the needs of the unit, school, and the unit’s various constituents.

In order to serve our students well, the departmental websites include a standardized section for undergraduate education information. The goal of the undergraduate website navigation is to allow students and academic advisors to move between department websites with ease, knowing where they will find the information they need.

The Office of Communications and Undergraduate Education are available to help you develop new content and images for the website. If you need assistance, please contact:

Susan Lawrence, Vice Dean for Undergraduate Education,
Kareem Mumford, Associate Dean of Communications,

SAS Undergraduate Rubric

This document will help develop an undergraduate section for degree-granting program websites.  For quick reference, see the list under "Undergraduate Menu" below.

• RU_SAS_Undergrad Web pages for Department Website.docx

Undergraduate Menu

Mandatory pages for undergraduate sections of SAS websites:

• About Us or Why (major or department title)?
  Departments should choose one of these titles for their undergraduate program landing page.
• Prospective Students
  This page should include information for prospective majors and minors. We recommend identifying program alumni or current students to feature on this page. You can send alumni and students a questionnaire (see Prospective Students Questionnaires below).
• Learning Goals
• Major(s)
  This is mandatory only if the department/program offers a minor.
• Minor(s)
  This is mandatory only if the department/program offers a minor.
• Certificates
  This is mandatory only if the department/program offers a certificate(s).
• Course Schedule
  We provide a utility (RU Course List module) that automatically pulls course information from the Rutgers Schedule of Classes.
• Course Synopses (preferred) OR Syllabi
  Individual synopses or syllabi should be listed for each course to give prospective students an idea of what to expect. 
  • Enhanced course description pages (or "synopses") are preferred. They should be more detailed than generic catalog descriptions. For an example, see the sample Courses Description/Synopses page.
  • Any syllabus files posted to the website should include a note to convey they are samples only and not the official course syllabus. Students enrolled in a course should refer to the official syllabus which is located in the course LMS (Canvas or Sakai).
• Advising
  Indicate how students can get advising in your department.

Optional pages for undergraduate sections of SAS websites:

• Honors
• Transfer Students
  Include any special information about policies on accepting winter and summer courses taken elsewhere.
• Nontraditional Students
• Careers
• Any additional menu items would follow "Careers"

Prospective Students Questionnaires

This page should include information for prospective Rutgers students and majors and minors. We recommend identifying program alumni or current students to feature on this page. You can send alumni and students a questionnaire. There are four sections to this page: the student and young alum feature; the benefits of choosing this field of study; featured student/alum, usually a story from SAS Communications; and three to four fun bullet points about the field. See content sheet and Prospective Students Questionnaires below.

• Prospective_Student_Page_Content.pdf
• Alumni: Department Website Prospective Student Page ALUM Profiles.docx
• Current students: Department Website Prospective Student Page STUDENT Profiles.docx

Introduction

Websites maintained by the School of Arts and Sciences Information Technology and Data Analytics Web team (e.g. our Joomla! websites) are designed to provide information to the public.  Information intended for an internal audience should be shared using other technologies. 

• To determine what data should not be made public, refer to the links under "University Data Policy Information" below.
• For assistance determining how best to share data internally, please submit a support request.

University Data Policy Information

The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA)

FERPA is the federal law that governs the rights of students and institutional responsibilities with respect to student records.

• FERPA For Faculty And Staff
• FERPA/Student Privacy

Rutgers Information Technology Policies

All members of the University community are responsible for adhering to the policies and guidelines established to ensure the integrity of the university's infrastructure, the security of its data, and the efficient and ethical use of its resources.

Information Technology Policies

Summary

Information Technology Policies

Complete list from Section 70 of the Rutgers University Policy Library

Information Classification policy (PDF)

Outlines the standards for classifying information at Rutgers

Introduction

Websites maintained by the School of Arts and Sciences Information Technology Web team (e.g. our Joomla! websites) are designed to provide information to the public.  Information intended for an internal audience should be shared using other technologies. 

• To determine what data should not be made public, refer to the links under "University Data Policy Information" below.
• For assistance determining how best to share data internally, please submit a support request.

University Data Policy Information

The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA)

FERPA is the federal law that governs the rights of students and institutional responsibilities with respect to student records.

• FERPA For Faculty And Staff
• FERPA/Student Privacy

Rutgers Information Technology Policies

All members of the University community are responsible for adhering to the policies and guidelines established to ensure the integrity of the university's infrastructure, the security of its data, and the efficient and ethical use of its resources.

Information Technology Policies

Summary

Information Technology Policies

Complete list from Section 70 of the Rutgers University Policy Library

Information Classification policy (PDF)

Outlines the standards for classifying information at Rutgers