The New UTC Website Needs You

UTC’s website is changing. New look. New components. Better navigation. Better accessibility. And some new tools—including AI—to help us work smarter.

But there’s one thing the Web Team can’t redesign:

Your content.

Join us for an interactive Lunch & Learn about what’s coming to UTC.edu—and what we can do now to make the website better for the people who actually use it.

We’ll take a sneak peek at the new website and then put you to work (don’t worry, lunch is involved). Together we’ll tackle questions like:

• What content should we stop publishing?
• What should content editors start doing differently?
• When is AI actually helpful—and when is it a really bad idea?
• What does a visitor need from your webpage versus what your department wants to tell them?
• And when you don’t know how to do something online, where do you go for help?

This won’t be an hour of PowerPoint. You’ll work with other UTC content editors, share what’s frustrating you, tell us what you need and help shape the resources, training and tools the Web Team develops next.

Whether you work in Drupal every day or update three pages twice a year, if you’re responsible for content on a UTC website, this session is for you.

Date: Tuesday, Oct. 22, 2026
Lunch available: 11:45 a.m.
Learning begins: Noon
Location: Library 435

Come hungry. Bring your web questions. Leave with one thing you’re going to do differently.

The post Lunch & Learn–Web appeared first on The Content Compass.

For the second year in a row, UTC is hosting Open Source Camp Chattanooga, Nov. 13–14 at the UTC Library. And think Open Source Camp is just for coders? Think again. The two-day event brings together developers, designers, marketers, content editors, project managers and anyone interested in what’s happening on the web. Friday, Nov. 13 features hands-on workshops in Drupal, WordPress and Laravel, including options for beginners.

Saturday, Nov. 14 features a full day of seminars—and plenty of them don’t require writing a single line of code. Sessions cover topics such as UX and design, accessibility, digital marketing, SEO, content strategy, analytics, AI, project management and more. UTC students, faculty and staff attend for free, and there will be lunch, plenty of swag and opportunities to connect with other web-minded folks. So pack your curiosity, leave the tent at home and learn more about Open Source Camp Chattanooga, or better yet, register now! It’s free with this code: OSCHA2026.

The post Your Weekend Getaway: Open Source Camp appeared first on The Content Compass.

We’re also exploring Drupal’s rapidly growing AI capabilities. Think less “robots are taking over UTC.edu” and more “could a robot help me clean up this paragraph?” AI has the potential to help editors review and improve content, generate suggestions, and spot content or accessibility issues—all while keeping the human editor firmly in charge.

UTC’s website retheme is about much more than new colors and a fresh coat of digital paint. Our move to Drupal 11 gives content editors a more modern toolbox, including better structured components, improved content and media management, more flexible permissions, and an editing experience designed to take some of the guesswork out of building a good page.

Our goal is better tools, better guardrails and less guesswork, so you can focus on your audience and your content instead of figuring out how to make the website behave.

For more information, please see our article in our last issue of The Content Compass.

The post Under the Hood: Smart Web for UTC.edu appeared first on The Content Compass.

If you were around for UTC’s last major website content migration six years ago, you may have some… memories. This time, we’re doing things differently. Once the retheme is complete, content will move to the new UTC.edu in carefully planned phases over the next two years. We have expert migration help on board, lessons learned from the last go-round, the same application, and industry best practices guiding the process. (Unlike the previous migration, we’re staying in Drupal rather than moving from one content management system to another—giving us a much more familiar starting point.) And, as an added bonus, no global pandemic to navigate! Additionally, we’ll also be updating our training videos and resources so you have the information you need before your area’s move begins.

What can you do now? Start packing light. There’s no need for a massive content-cleanup marathon. Instead, make it a habit to review the pages you manage a little at a time. Updating outdated information, removing content that no longer serves a purpose and dealing with unnecessary PDFs now will mean less to sort through later. We’ll provide guidance, support and plenty of notice before it’s your area’s turn.

Editor Action: Each week, log in to your site and choose just one or two pages to review. Read each page as if you’ve never seen it before—and as if you’re the visitor who came to UTC.edu looking for an answer.

• Ask if it still belongs. Is the information current, relevant and useful?
• Consider the audience. Does this information belong on the public website, or would it be better suited for an internal resource such as the Intranet?
• Check every link. Does it work, and does it still lead visitors to the right information?
• Verify the details. Check names, dates, phone numbers, email addresses and other contact information.
• Rethink the PDFs. Could a document become a more accessible, mobile-friendly webpage instead?
• Check accessibility. Review your heading structure and image alt text. Silktide can help with this lift.
• Clear the clutter. If something no longer helps your visitor find an answer or accomplish a task, update it, consolidate it or let it go.

A page or two each week adds up. By the time moving day arrives, you’ll have less to pack—and better content to bring with you.

Please reach out to us if you have questions, comments, or concerns.

The post This Time, We’re Packing Smarter… and Lighter appeared first on The Content Compass.

Sometimes good intentions make for not-so-good web content. Here are a few familiar offenders:

• “Click Here”
  Seems helpful. Isn’t. Tell people where the link goes instead: “View the academic calendar.” Bonus: screen reader users will thank you.
• A PDF of a flyer
  Looks great on your office bulletin board. Maybe not so much on a phone or screen reader. If the information belongs on the web, consider making it a webpage instead.
• ALL CAPS HEADINGS
  VERY IMPORTANT LOOKING. NOT NECESSARILY VERY READABLE. Use clear, descriptive headings and let the website handle how they look.
• “Welcome to the Department of…”
  Your visitor already knows where they are. Instead, use that valuable space to tell them what they can do, find or learn there.
• Opening every link in a new window
  You might think you’re helping visitors keep their place. Instead, you’re taking control of their browser and potentially confusing them. Let visitors decide when they want a new tab.

Editor Action: Find it. Fix it.
Open one page you manage and look for at least one of these offenders. Replace that “click here,” rethink that PDF, fix that heading, remove outdated information or give your introduction a purpose. Then, if you’re feeling ambitious, find another one.

Want more? Boy, have we got a list for you! Learn about more “Not So Helpful Things” here.

Need help figuring out the better approach? Visit the UTC Web Knowledge Base for tips, how-tos and guidance.

The post Things That Seem Helpful But Aren’t appeared first on The Content Compass.

Jenelle Beeler

Scientific Graphic Designer and Web Support Specialist
Research Institute

As the Graphic Design and Web Support Specialist for the UTC Research Institute, Jenelle turns complex research, emerging technologies, and institutional initiatives into clear and engaging communications. In her first year at UTC, she has helped make the institute’s groundbreaking work more accessible to a wide range of audiences.

Through web content editing, Jenelle curates information with current and prospective students, industry partners, and community members in mind. She celebrates the innovative research taking place across the institute while creating an approachable invitation for readers to learn more.

For Jenelle, editing is about more than polishing words—it is about building connections. Through thoughtful storytelling and accessible design, she helps the UTC Research Institute spark curiosity and showcase the meaningful impact of its work across the university and beyond.

Here’s to Jenelle—making the complicated click, one bright idea at a time!

The post Editor Spotlight appeared first on The Content Compass.

Action Needed: No action needed from editors right now.

Retheming Update: The New Design Has Been Approved

Our university website retheming project is now underway, and the new design has recently been approved.

This is an important step. Our current website theme is five years old. Five years may not sound like much, but on the web, that is a pretty long time. User habits change. Mobile expectations change. Accessibility expectations change. And content editors are still expected to keep everything accurate, current and organized. Naturally.

The new design gives us a stronger starting point for modernizing the university’s digital front door.

Why This Matters

The website is often the first place prospective students, families, current students, faculty, staff and visitors go for information.

A stronger website experience helps people find what they need faster, whether they are looking for a program, an office, a form, an event, admissions information or student support.

The new design is not just about appearance. It is about improving how the site works for:

• Prospective students
• Current students
• Faculty and staff
• Content editors
• Accessibility
• Recruitment
• Search
• Mobile users
• Marketing and communications
• Long-term site maintenance

A website should not feel like a maze. It should feel like a front door. Ideally, one that opens.

What’s Improving

The approved design is only one part of the larger project. The bigger goal is to build a better, more accessible and more manageable website for years to come.

Planned improvements include:

• A fresh, more modern look and feel
• A new content workflow and content moderation system
• A better menuing and navigation system
• Responsible AI integration
• Improved accessibility
• Stronger first impressions
• Clearer calls to action
• Better program discovery
• Stronger storytelling
• Better mobile experience
• Faster access to admissions information
• Improved brand consistency
• Better support for marketing and recruitment campaigns

Moving to Drupal 11

We are also preparing for Drupal 11, which gives us a stronger foundation for the next phase of the website. Drupal describes Drupal 11 as supporting structured content, workflows and content governance, which lines up with the kind of long-term improvements we need.

For editors and site managers, the practical benefits may include:

• More modern platform support
• Better long-term maintenance
• Improved editor experience, especially with AI integration
• Stronger content governance
• Cleaner development practices
• Better performance opportunities
• Accessibility support
• Readiness for future Drupal improvements

This does not mean every problem magically disappears. If only. But it does give us a better base to build from.

How This Helps You!

Improved components, better workflows and clearer menus should make editing easier and more consistent.

That means fewer confusing choices, fewer avoidable errors and clearer guardrails before content is published.

The approved design is a major step, but the full project is bigger than a new look. It is about building a website that works better for visitors and the people who manage it.

The post It Takes a Flock of Mocs to Build a New Website appeared first on The Content Compass.

Action Needed: Review pages and documents. Remove, archive or update outdated content where appropriate.

Accessibility Update: The Deadline Has Been Extended

The Department of Justice has extended the Title II web and mobile app accessibility compliance deadline for larger public entities to April 26, 2027. The DOJ also confirms that the rule uses WCAG 2.1, Level AA as the technical standard for covered web content and mobile apps.

The extra time is helpful, but it does not mean we are slowing down. Because our garden won’t weed itself. It gives us more time to audit our websites, review uploaded files, remediate PDFs and archive outdated documents where appropriate.

Our goal remains the same: to move full throttle toward making our websites as accessible, useful and welcoming as possible for all users.

Good News: DocHub Is Coming

UT System is currently implementing DocHub for bulk PDF remediation as part of its new YuJa Panorama contract. ETA is in the next one to two months, so be on the lookout for information regarding training!

YuJa describes Accessible DocHub as a centralized, cloud-based tool for managing documents with accessibility in mind. It includes organization, filtering, accessibility scoring and remediation guidance, which should help support large-scale document review work.

That is good news, especially considering the number of PDFs across university websites. But it is not a magic button. Content owners will still need to help identify current documents, remove outdated files and make better choices going forward.

What This Means for You!

This work is manageable when we approach it one page, one file and one decision at a time.

Please continue to:

• Review your pages for outdated content
• Remove or archive documents that are no longer needed
• Avoid uploading PDFs when a regular web page would work better
• Make sure new documents are accessible before posting
• Use clear link text instead of “click here”
• Add helpful alternative text to meaningful images
• Keep headings, lists and tables simple and clear
• Ask whether each file or page is still useful to students and visitors

Common items to review include forms, handbooks, meeting minutes, flyers, program sheets, policy documents and admissions materials.

Accessibility is not just about meeting a deadline. It is about making sure everyone can access the information and services they need. Less jungle. More pathways.

Get More Information

DOJ Title II web and mobile app accessibility rule

YuJa Panorama

YuJa Accessible DocHub

Please reach out to us if you have questions, comments, or concerns.

The post The Deadline Moved, but Some Weeds Are Still There appeared first on The Content Compass.

Action Needed: Continue using Silktide as usual until told otherwise.

What Is Silktide?

Silktide is a website quality tool that helps us find and fix issues across our sites. It can help identify accessibility problems, broken links, spelling and grammar issues, content quality concerns and policy items. Silktide describes its content tools as checking spelling, grammar and broken links, among other website quality items.

In plain language, it helps catch website problems before visitors do. That is usually preferable. Visitors are very good at finding broken things, but it is not really the workflow we are aiming for.

Silktide Is Expanding Across UT System

UT System has procured a systemwide Silktide contract, making Silktide available to all our campuses and institutes across Tennessee.

Our campus has been a longtime Silktide user and advocate, and our experience helped support broader adoption across the UT System. So, you know. You’re welcome, Tennessee.

What Is Changing

Over the upcoming months, our existing Silktide account will be migrated into the new UT System account.

This transition will happen over time. More information will be shared as details are finalized.

What This Means for You

• No immediate action may be needed right now.
• Editors should continue using Silktide as usual until told otherwise.
• Access, reporting, dashboards or workflows may change during the migration.
• Additional instructions or training information will be shared when available.

Please continue your regular content review and accessibility work. More information will be shared as the transition moves forward.

The post Silktide Is Going Statewide appeared first on The Content Compass.

Action Needed: Save or move anything important from the test site before June 26, 2026.

Maintenance Is Scheduled for June 26, 2026

The next website deployment is scheduled for June 26, 2026. During this maintenance window, the test site will be overwritten by the live site.That means any pages, edits, uploads or other work created only on the test site may be lost when the live site replaces the test environment.

In other words, if it only lives on the test site, it may not live there much longer.

What Content Editors Need to Do Before June 26

Before June 26, please review any work currently saved only on the test site.

If the work is important, save it somewhere safer:

• Create or save the work on the live site and leave it unpublished until it is ready.
• Save the content in a Word document or another safe location.
• Keep copies of any text, images, files or links you may need later.
• Check any pages, uploads or edits that exist only on the test site.
• Move or copy anything you do not want to lose.

The main idea is simple: if you need it later, do not leave it only on the test site.

The post June 26 Is Bringing an Eraser appeared first on The Content Compass.