Displaying Guide Content on University Websites

Layout for printing
Policy Number:
UW-1092
Responsible Office:
Data, Academic Planning & Institutional Research

University Policy

Rationale/​Purpose:

This policy establishes standards for the publication of any academic program, course, or curricular information on university websites.

Definitions:
Academic program
For the purposes of this policy, an area of study that leads to a degree/major, certificate, minor or named option, also referred to as a plan or subplan.
Credential
A degree/major, certificate, minor or named option awarded to a student who has successfully completed all program requirements.
Governed content
The content entered via the Lumen curriculum management system related to courses, curriculum, programs, and the academic structure. Lumen interfaces with Guide to display information about programs and courses offered by the university. The tabs in Guide that have governed content are: How to Get in/Admissions, Requirements, Learning Outcomes, Four-Year Plan, Three-Year Plans, Program Policies, Accreditation, Certification/Licensure.
Guide
The academic catalog for the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
Guide Application Programming Interface (API)
Interface that pulls data from Guide and displays it on a school/college or department website.
Scope:

Units that display course and program information on university websites.

Policy:

  1. Guide

    The Guide is the public-facing single source of truth for academic offerings at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

    1. Regardless of where it is presented, course and program information must be displayed as approved through academic governance.
    2. To facilitate the transfer of content from Guide to a website, an Application Programming Interface (API) ensures content is always displayed as approved.

  2. Websites

    1. University websites must display information found in Guide governed tabs in a way that matches Guide.
    2. For governed Guide content, regardless of how it is added to a university website (e.g., API, copy/paste, etc.), the following standards must be met:
      1. The university website must include a link to the page it is sourced from in Guide.
      2. When referring to a credential, the official name as it appears in Guide must be used.
      3. Academic programs with named options must present both the plan and named option requirements together, not only the named option requirements.
      4. When referencing any governed content on a university website, all content from the governed tab in Guide must be included, however, there is no requirement to display information from all governed tabs.
      5. Departments may exclusively use the API to display major requirements (e.g., items governed in the “Guide Requirements tab” of a major’s Lumen-Programs proposal, etc.); it is not necessary to display shared content (e.g., University General Education, etc.) on websites.
      6. When incorporating governed content on a university website, additional text (e.g., paragraphs preceding or proceeding API content, etc.) must not change the meaning of what is in Guide.
      7. If a discrepancy between Guide and another source arises, the information in Guide prevails.
      8. If electing to maintain governed information without the use of the API, schools, colleges, and departments are expected to update content but not publicize information prior to final governance approvals.
Related UW-Madison Policies:

Policy Administration

Approval Authority:
Provost and Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs
Policy Manager:
Vice Provost for Data, Academic Planning & Institutional Research
Contact:
Associate University Registrar for Academic Services -- Will Lipske, WILL.LIPSKE@WISC.EDU, (608) 890-2089
Associate Director, Data, Academic Planning & Institutional Research -- Michelle Young, MEYOUNG@WISC.EDU, (608) 262-2143
Effective Date:
11-15-2024
Date Issued:
11-15-2024
Retrieved:
01-13-2025 20:31:15